To be fair on those:
- Most people can't afford to move so if you live in the desert then you're stuck in the desert even if the living cost would be lower somewhere else post initial moving cost, doubly so if its the only place near your job.
- No the car lobby and US city design did.
- No yeh fuck these people
- Doubly fuck these people.
Hell no, that setup describes nazi germany too depending on the ideology. You'd live in permament fear of accidentally breaking some rule you didn't even know about or that the regime came up with yesterday.