What you say is all well and good, but only to a degree. Thing is that those that heat with wood are often the same ones that can"t afford to heat with anything else. There in lies the problem. With more complexity comes more expense, and with more expense, how can those that are already just getting by by the skin of their teeth afford the more complex product.
The same holds true for autos. Granted every new tier created new designs, and someone got paid. The problem is that for those not making much money, they can"t afford to buy the newer vehicles. For a while that"s not so bad, but in a few years, when their current "old" vehicle needs to be replaced, the ones that are so technologically advanced that they require computer controls to make them operate, are already obsolete. Because they are obsolete, parts are harder to get, parts are more expensive to get if they are available, the labor for someone to troubleshoot the problems is more expensive. Prime example. I recently tuned up our '98 Surburban at a cost of well over $200. The same parts for my old '78 Jeep aren't nearly that much. Not to mention, service manual on the Jeep is maybe 1" thick, the one on the Surburban is a 4 volume set that's nearly 8 inches tall.... The list of problems here goes on and on, but you get the idea.
Further as things get so technologically advanced, what usually happens is that many parts of the design process get automated. For instanced a single engineer can, theoretically, do pretty much everything himself with the help of his computer. I mean he can design in a CAD program, do flow testing in other programs, and if he needs a model of a particular part, he can upload the design to a "printer" and have a prototype made. In days past there were folks doing clay models for flow testing, folks making molds for prototype parts, folks doing the machining of the parts, etc. Again, the list goes on, and again you can get the picture.
Ultimately, it"s like a piece I read awhile back written by an engineer. In his case he was hired on with a firm that asked him to design a system for them. The piece didn"t go into detail, but the goal of the system he designed was to take the place of about a dozen other engineers and let one guy do it all. In other word his design pretty much had the capability to put him out of work.
In the end where does it all stop? I mean it"s gotten to the point that companies try to automate everything in order to "lower prices", but in reality it"s to "maximize profits". Thing is when the folks that consume said products are put out of a job making that product, delivering that product, designing that product, etc, what are they supposed to use for money to buy said product? Now work equals no buying ability, and too much automation means no work......
Basically technology and automation have killed this country. Both have made way to many people lazy, or left those that actually want to work without jobs to work at. The biggest problem there is too many of the "smart" folks, be they engineers, politicians, corporate CEO"s, and the list goes on, have forgotten that no matter how smart they are, or how much they make, there will always be the need for someone to build the building, sweep and mop the floors, and do all of the other things that are beneath them because of their position/status/money. Funny thing is they all try it make the folks in the unskilled jobs feel better by calling them "sanitation engineers" and crap like that. Truth be told it"s all a bunch of crap. Instead of teaching a man to be the best he can be at what he does, and be proud because he is the best, they just throw fancy words around to "make him feel better" and feel "more important" because he now has engineer in his title. If that"s not BS then I don"t know what is.
Ok, I"m a bit off from where I started, but the way I see it the whole shebang is really all one big load of crap that has brought this country to about the lowest point it has ever been in the way of manufacturing ability, engineering ability, and worse yet, the avilibility of jobs for the millions that don"t have the mental capability, or money to get the college education necessary for the minimal number of high tech jobs that actually pay enough for someone to live on in today economy.
Prime example of this whole scenario is Cannon Mills, that used to be in Kannapolis, NC. Granted a lot of that mess was our contries rules and regs forcing the company to take their manufacturing overseas. Funny though, the mill workers always made a decent wage and could afford to live a decent life. When the mill closed the BIG thing touted around here was a "Research Complex" that is now setting on the grounds where the old mill used to stand. Most of the "complex" is yet to be built, and the part that is in operation only employees a very small percentage of the amount of folks that the mill did, even at it"s lowest point. Thing is most of those employeed there, and making any real money, were hired in from out of state leaving those folks that used to make good wages driving school buses part time, working at the local Tractor Supply, etc, etc, etc. In other words they went from $15 an hour jobs to $7.50 an hour jobs nearly overnight. OK, we"ve got a technology center now, but what good does it do anyone when the stuff that they may design isn"t affordable to those now making $7.50 an hour?????
Ok, way longer than I planned when I started writing, but when your like me and are out there every day talking to the folks effected by crap like this it becomes something that"s really hard to keep in when an outlet is presented.