Many good points by 4packgirl and wade. We have redefined what it means to 'need' something. Urban sprawl is a choice that distances us miles from our work place, day care, churches, schools, and grocery stores. We see the consequences in our banking account, traffic jams we get stuck in, and scheduling nightmares, many of which being self-imposed.
I hate seeing gas prices sky rocket and execs make asinine salaries, but as Wade and others pointed out, it's the summation of each of our choices. The CEOs of the unicycle, hydrogen inflated blimps, and the chia pet aren't getting 200,000k raises and holding us by the balls because we've found a way to live w/o those products and services