The "we" usually means 3-4 individuals with the same ideological beliefs who take it upon themselves to be a spokesperson for the majority. The "we" often acts as if they know the exact needs of strangers which the "we" has never even met...All I know is that our public transit is very crowded, so "we" just don't know what would happen if "we" forced 50% of the population to give up their cars. As far as "better off", I have doubts most people would be better off since they couldn't get to work without a car. Most of my family members are very dependent on cars, they need them, I wouldn't want anybody to take their cars away from them by force or through some social engieneering experiment. Some of the "we" don't even live in America or Canada and they don't have a clue about the challenges or difficulties of cycling or living car-free in this part of the world.