1. “Limits don’t protect nodes.” They do. Most nodes don’t use private relays. Defaults matter because they set the baseline. Removing them only increases bloat.

2. “OP_RETURN is better than hacks.” While it’s unspendable, it still bloats blocks constantly. This load is significant, not trivial, for every syncing node.

3. “Fees price externalities fairly.” Fees don’t eliminate externalities. Spam at any fee remains spam. Claiming miner access fairness fixes this misses that node operators cover the storage cost, not miners.

4. “Whack-a-mole.” Security always requires patching vulnerabilities. Opening the floodgates isn’t systemic risk management it’s surrender.

5. “Reflect what miners mine.” Miners follow incentives, not stewardship. Defaults should protect network health, not just confirm miner profit motives.

6. “Node sovereignty is patching your own code.” Sovereignty starts with safe defaults. Few can patch Core themselves. Knobs give real operators genuine choices.

7. “Least harmful metadata carrier.” Least harmful doesn’t mean harmless. Every byte is stored permanently. Labeling it prunable hides the enduring disk, bandwidth, and liability impact.

8. “Contraband exists elsewhere too.” True, but larger OP_RETURN makes it easier to inject contiguous illegal payloads. At least with limits, the attack surface is reduced.