Good times always had by all. (Even with proxies.) And that's really the point.
100% this.
Sure, someone could come with a proxied deck and pubstomp a pod playing super-powerful cards. However, a wealthy person could do the exact same with a deck of real cards. The problem in both cases is the lack of a (successful) pre-game discussion, not proxies themselves.
Of course, I also agree with Morganator's argument about supporting your LGS. In my experience, proxies are usually not allowed at official events in stores anyways, but if you're just using the table to play with your friends, and if that use is for free, you should spend some money at the store (proxies or not proxies).