Even if values and culture change, so what? That happens in free societies. Who says America’s current values — some of them deeply evil — are the right ones?"So what?" is bad enough, for those of us who think that there's something about the American way that is worth preserving. Indifference to such a heritage ought to be morally shocking, as much as a wastrel inheritor of a mere physical fortune who wastes the product of his ancestors' long labors without concern. Yes, such indifference should be shocking.
But then comes the naked assertion that our values are "deeply evil." That reveals the true motive, which is not in fact indifferent at all.
It does indeed reveal the true motives.
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious what country's values he does like, or what era of history he believes did better. Discovering that, I would have follow up questions: 1) Do these places and times actually have the values you think, or are you responding to the semi-educated impressions the chattering classes believe? 1a) Do you actually know what most of humanity acts like? 2) What is your basis for thinking abandoning what we have will create change for the better?
I think this fits with my post last night with the Louis CK video.
Ah, it's Cato. They always talk like this. They are certain that their theory of movement of labor will work just fine.
ReplyDeleteFrom where does this person think prosperity or morality come? Apparently not from the underlying value set that animates a culture.
ReplyDeleteOh, and another thing that happens in free societies--which this person carefully elides--is the conscious, or tacitly taken, decision to preserve the value set and culture that make a society free and preserves that freedom.
Or is he suggesting that the values and morality that underpin freedom are situational? Or that freedom is an accidentally occurring and just as accidentally disappearing phenomenon?
Eric Hines
Why stop at immigration? He says we will save money by no longer making a distinction between legal and illegal immigrants. Some libertarians make the same argument about drugs of many sorts.
ReplyDeleteWhy make a distinction between buying something and stealing it? Think of all the money we'd save if we didn't have to chase those crooks? Why draw some arbitrary distinction between shooting someone in self defense or just for fun? It would save the government a lot of time and money if we just defined that out of existence. We would all benefit.
Even if values and culture change, so what? That happens in free societies. Who says America’s current values — some of them deeply evil — are the right ones?
ReplyDeleteWho says that those who advocate open borders are correct?
I very much doubt that those who advocate open borders entertain such doubts.
Who says that those entering via open borders may hold some deeply evil values? Not the advocates of open borders, though they also maintain that some of "America's current values" ARE "deeply evil."
The previous comment was mine.
ReplyDeleteA further point is that those who advocate open borders are ignoring that many illegal aliens are receiving government freebies- welfare- especially in California- food stamps etc.
I don't see why US citizens should pay taxes to support illegal aliens.