The liberal idea of open borders springs I think from their conception of diversity, which is “people who think, act, and dress just like I do, but who have different skin colors.”

Open borders can only work with countries roughly on the same level of socioeconomic development and culture. Otherwise, it essentially destroys both countries and cultures over time. But…I am not so sure the left is against this destruction. That might be the point for some of them?

Anyway, belief in open borders is totemic and aspirational rather than based on anything real. It’s a way of signaling commitment to harmful ideas as a proof of allegiance. It’s nothing more than that, and when it is more than that, it’s invariably from someone who’d experience no consequences from the terrible “open borders” idea.

That said, I am for open borders.

Doesn’t that seem to contradict the above? It does, but I am for it in a world where the socioeconomic and cultural status of societies is closer to convergence. If climate change doesn’t end civilization, I’d say that’d occur in about 500 to 1,000 years from now.

Kevin Drum, if someone cut off from all forms of modern communication didn’t realize it yet, is a moron.

“There Is No Retirement Crisis,” he claims.

And if you average together the net worth of everyone (the one-percenters included), you can disappear the lack of retirement savings for many pretty easily. Which, of course, because he’s Kevin Drum and full-blown dipshit, that’s exactly what he’s done.

Let’s look at some numbers that aren’t distorted by a fucking fool. Here’s the average and (importantly) median retirement savings for three age groups:

•Age 45 – 55:

Average retirement account: $215,800

Median retirement account: $82,600

•Age 55 – 64:

Average retirement account: $374,000

Median retirement account: $120,000

•Age 65 – 74:

Average retirement account: $358,000

Median retirement account: $126,000

Think anyone can retire on $120,000 total? If so, you must already live in a refrigerator box, because that’s what they’ll be doing.

Of course, some workers (not included at all in the numbers above) have no retirement savings of any kind.

Young workers aged 18 to 29 are less likely to have savings, with 42% saying they have nothing stashed away, while 17% of those aged 45 to 59 say the same thing.

For those hard of reading, I will emphasize it: 17% of workers age 45 to 59 have zero retirement savings of any kind.

What is Drum’s malfunction? Can’t he do something, anything, other than be the mouthpiece for the status quo? What an assclown.