Hmmm...
I've seen that "Lew Rockwell" site before...I think...it looks sorta familiar, anyway.
I suppose there is a balance point between totally overbuilt that lasts 50 years, and won't make it one week past the 1-year warranty.
Companies need to sell stuff - we're a consumption-based society. Durable is good in my mind; to other consumers, cheap is the most important thing.
I bet a person in 2012 can buy a 4-slice toaster for less money than a person in 1970 could (probably not even counting inflation adjustment). I don't think that necessarily means progress, though. Especially when you think about landfills, recycling and so on.