I'm not nostalgic at all for toeclips, though they have their merits (especially for commuting where you don't want to muck around with having seperate shoes).
My point in this thread is that toeclips and/or clipless pedals are a significant improvement in power/control/riding efficiency over step-down pedals (that don't have toeclips or anything securing your foot to the pedals), in contrast to Grant Peterson's contention.

edit: clarification on what I'm comparing