Leaf blowers are much more efficient though. They're not just using them because they're loud and polluting, they're using them despite those attributes, because they easily quadruple a person's effectiveness with regards to moving large amounts of leaves on a flat surface.
Less efficiently. You can get by without leaf blowers, you just need more people and it takes longer. You can get by without computers, you just need more people and it takes longer. You can get by without machines, you just need more people and it takes longer.
We tend to favor things that are more efficient, and it's hard to go back, because the citizenry won't be happy if you tell them your plans of quadrupling the work force and raising taxes accordingly.
