[morgante]

What's strange about this at all? The pro-growth mentality is consistent: anyone can come, if they can afford it.

The anti-growth mentality is incoherent: it was fine for me to move here 20 years ago, but how dare tech workers try to do the same thing!

[duncan_bayne]

Bryson made the same point about anti-immigration forces in the USA (and the same applies elsewhere, like Australia where I live).

"Immigration was just fine for my grandparents, but now it's about time it stopped."

[AnthonyMouse]

> "Immigration was just fine for my grandparents, but now it's about time it stopped."

That's a mischaracterization though. The fundamental equation for immigration is to make sure the immigrants don't bring down the average. When your grandparents came here the average was lower than it is now.

Which is why it's a lot easier to get a green card if you have a masters in engineering than if you're a farm hand. It fundamentally has to be that way if you want to have any sort of a social safety net, otherwise the majority of world population would take citizenship and become eligible for social assistance.

[duncan_bayne]

> It fundamentally has to be that way if you want to have any sort of a social safety net, otherwise the majority of world population would take citizenship and become eligible for social assistance.

I agree entirely, which is why the (if there is a 'the') Libertarian position on the matter is a combination of open immigration and private charity instead of socialism.

http://pc.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/immigration-is-fundamental...

[greeneggs]

I'm not sure what is incoherent about the anti-growth mentality. You seem to be trying to make a rhetorical point instead of an argument.

There really are costs to current residents to allowing unfettered growth. Increased traffic, for example, materially reduces people's quality of life.

People vote for their own self interests, and calling someone "incoherent" simply because they were born in Boulder and love their home is not a productive argument.

[morgante]

Sorry, I should have been clearer that it's not all anti-growth advocates who are incoherent.

If you were born somewhere and are attached to the way of life you've known since you were born, it's certainly an argument. I don't agree with it, but it's not incoherent.

I'm referring to the people (particularly in SF) who moved there a decade or more ago yet are virulently opposed to "tech workers" doing the same thing.

And yes, I understand voting for self-interests. What's irritating is when people try to frame their self-interests as a moral crusade, as though tech immigration is somehow inherently evil.

[uola]

It's not hard to imagine that grntrification only have net good effects up to a point for many people.

[TulliusCicero]

Exactly.

"The change that accommodated me was fine. The change that accommodates you is bad!"