Plumbing Woes and How Cheap Stuff Is

So I had a plumber come in the other day as we had more than a few plumbing problems going on and I figured it was worth it timewise. He's a cool guy and gladly saved the trash for me.  The thing that bums me out is that he had to replace flush mechanisms on both toilets, one of which I had replaced in January. The flapper wasn't even a problem in the second toilet, but the chain on it was wearing and it's made in such a way that it's easier/cheaper to replace the whole thing than just the chain. 

I think this highlights one of the big problems with over consumption and waste in our society. It seems like things are not made as well to begin with and as a result, we have all become complacent with the idea that products will not last that long and we will need to replace them. Think about warranties. Most things have a 90 day or 1 year limited warranty. When you consider it, we have become ok with buying a product that the manufacturer states may not work past 3 months.

How insane is that?  And when something does break down, it's not designed to be fixed generally, but to be replaced.

No wonder we're drowning in this stuff.

Dave