This reminds me of a story:
A yank goes to China to visit a highly successful socialist
jobs program - the digging of a huge canal.
Once at the sight he looks and asks: "I see lots of shovelers, but where is the heavy machinery?
The Socialist responded: "this is mostly a jobs program."
Yank: Shouldn't you then take their shovels, and give them spoons?"
Applying the same 'logic' to consumerism we would have to have some sort of govt program that bought massive amounts of... say cars, only to crush them. --oh wait.