Part of my own comfort with the ideas proposed by Dubossarsky and Samild (in contrast to Teresita’s silly dystopian nightmares) is that I’ve lived in the Third World. I’ve seen slums like Kibera–but also seen waitresses and store clerks emerge from there on their way to work, looking as presentable as anyone from any other part of Nairobi. I’ve spent plenty of time in Juba, and believe me, a place further from being Paris does not exist–but still you can’t keep the young adults down on the Sudanese farm once they’ve seen it.

There is no way that anywhere in the West would devolve to those kind of circumstances, no matter what increase in income distribution might result from their plan, so I’m not afraid to give it a try. The difficulty lies not in any physical circumstances, but in the world view that already weakens us so seriously. The left (cf. Teresita) would do their best to keep that in place, or strengthen it if they could.

Wretchard, I’d be especially interested in your take on this aspect.