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PaperclipPerfector  7d ago (text post)   22393 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of June 29, 2026

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I'm not accusing you of doing so definitively; I meant in case you are. I just don't consider Liberia to be a compelling example, as they haven't truly embraced the values that have yielded America's prosperity, even if their non-binding constitution may suggest otherwise prima facie. Freedom of the press, consent of the governed, and the rule of law are alien concepts to the vast majority of Liberians who have no connection to the US to speak of.

Botswana, while far from perfect, is a case study of an African country that has managed to successfully lift itself by its bootstraps. It was once a landlocked country with no paved roads and only 100 educated people in a country of 1 million inhabitants, but through an export-based economy and democratic institutions inherited from the traditional kgotla system, has become the wealthiest country on the continent. Their recent presidents have unfortunately seemed to reverse much of what has facilitated this transformation, but nevertheless their living standards are about on par with those of Moldova or Bulgaria's. Botswanan poverty is not the same as that of its eastern neighbors in Zambia or Zimbabwe.

but nevertheless their living standards are about on par with those of Moldova or Bulgaria'

Bulgaria and Moldova are not basically the same in terms of economic development. In terms of PPP and nominal, Bulgaria's GDP per capita is about twice that of Moldova's. Bulgaria is 55th and 59th in ranking of countries by GDP per capita PP and nominal, respectively, while Moldova is 93rd and 89th.

Moldova is not in the EU, while Bulgaria is and this year even joined the Euro Area.

Freedom of the press, consent of the governed, and the rule of law are alien concepts to the vast majority of Liberians who have no connection to the US to speak of.

I think this is a fully general point regarding immigration, and applies to a thousand little things besides that season the secret sauce that makes America America.

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