> free slave labor (for the first ~200 years, including before independence) Do you think a free person or an enslaved one produces more economic value? If we

> free slave labor (for the first ~200 years, including before independence) Do you think a free person or an enslaved one produces more economic value? If we decided to enslave everyone with green eyes tomorrow do you think GDP would grow or shrink? Just because a certain practices makes certain individuals wealthy does not mean it makes the society wealthier. > self-selection were highly motivated and risk-taking This is beliefs seems to be very entangled with belief in a meritocracy. If you believe hard work and risk taking doesn't pay off why work hard and take risks. If you believe hard work and risk taking does pay off, well than that sounds a lot like belief in meritocracy to me.