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Yes, we took land from indigenous peoples, and enslaved Africans. And yes we did awful things. But isn't it obvious that neither of these things created the we
by quizotic 10y ago
Yes, we took land from indigenous peoples, and enslaved Africans. And yes we did awful things.
But isn't it obvious that neither of these things created the wealth we have today? To my thinking, our current wealth derives from technological innovation, process engineering, psychological insight, most of which would not have been possible without welcoming people from other lands, and being willing to work with those who are different than we are.
- oneplane 10y agoBut aren't you still doing that today? I believe that somewhere in your country, someone wants a big pipe on some land, but the people living there don't want it, yet they force it anyway.
- wtf_is_up 10y agoThat "someone" is really every American who enjoys cheap energy and, by extension, cheap food, transportation, etc. whether they know it or not.
- r00fus 10y agoDon't generalize. I'd much rather gas prices stay high and the environment not get spoiled so alternative energy sources can compete fairly. Besides there cost / benefit of the pipeline only really makes sense to those who profit from it directly.
- MomentarySanity 10y agoWell, we do have, as most modern countries do, a system for the taking of private property for public use. But that's not even what's happening here, as no property is being taken.
- Gargoyle 10y agoIt's not actually going on land they own, but near it. The argument is that it's an environmental risk to their land, not that in infringes their property rights.