I do not know where you live, but here a family of four can get up to about 3000 euro (3300 USD equivalent) per month in benefits... That is considerably more than what I work full time for.

Learn COBOL? Job security 100%.

But it is nothing like all the 'modern' languages because it has hardly evolved. As a modern day well educated programmer, you will still need to make a few mind leaps to become a COBOL programmer, and as such it counts as obscure.

However, many banks still handle their transactions on mainframes with COBOL.

As a Dutchman I would like to disagree. You just have to take very rigorous precautions.

Power locks? Do you mean that when (un)lock the driver's door, the other doors (un)lock as well? That is indeed another nice-to-have. :-) I have never driven a car with cruise cotnrol, so I am not used to that luxury yet.

Or bust!

On the other, we live in the second or first most expensive fuel country in the world. It varies a bit. It is at an equivalent of 7 USD per gallon, and it is in a cheap period now. And modern engines are quite economical. A lot more so that older ones...

Alright, I would definitely not want my car to weigh in excess of a ton. Car ownership tax goes up exponential with weight here, and for a big 2 ton car, you are out of 1500 USD equivalent per year. 3000 USD for a diesel. And then you just have it parked in front of your home.

Essential: powered steering, powered brakes, electric ignition, electric window wipers, proper lighting
Nice to have: electric window opening/closing, electric mirrors, radio, electric pump for spraying window cleaner liquid

I think that completes the list quite nicely. Did I forget anything? I do not think so.

There is already an annual dog tax here, which can be up to 128 euro (140 USD) per for one dog, or up to 331 euro (375 USD) per year if you have two dogs, depending on the city where you live. But the ticket for even walking your dog without carrying cleanup bags is 140 euro (158 USD). So we do both...

Could this technology also be used for people who do not clean up their own feces, in parks and on streets?
As there are already a few tens of cases of dogs who eat junk poo, and suffer from the traces of the drugs...

No taxes. How nice!
But here, about 60% of fuel is taxes as well. We have to pay Greece, after all. :-(
And our government is working a on free-money-for-everyone-program... I shit ye not... On the other hand, while the US bridges are falling to pieces, ours are maintained very well.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/th...

Hm, here that car would over a thousand euro per year in tax. Depending on where you live, you might want to consider a far ligher car. Like an old VW Polo or a Honda Civic, from before the drive by wire age.

It created employment for millions, and was a nice excuse to justify an increase in taxes, which, I think, was its main purpose. The whole fighter jet was a fun side effect of the project

Do you have some personal grievance in the matter? You write remarkably passionately about this matter.

What we must not forget, is that Malaysia decided to fly over a war zone.
This does not talk the attack on the airplane right, but it creates circumstances...