> And don’t try to convince me that a Java developer from India possesses skills that our university graduates don’t.
Everyone defending H1Bs forgets why we even have an economy. America never signed up to be some hegemon that needs to compete with the entire world. America exists for the sake of Americans, not the world, first and foremost. We can help other people after that point. You get revolutions and revolutionary acts when it feels that the opportunity for foreigners and the aristocratic is exceeding opportunity for the normal everyday people born here, and that is a legitimate injustice.
Maybe we should let people work wherever they want?
The tech companies will just offshore the jobs they’d otherwise use for visas. India is a cool place. Lots of Americans would do well to live and work there. They’d probably even be a bit happier. But they can’t because of visas.
For most of human history, you were free to decamp to greener pastures. Cultural chauvinism still existed and thrived in this more porous world. Why do we accept limitations on our freedom of movement?
People are moving around a lot faster than before with cheap air travel and modern internet. Some like this new dynamic, others don't. It's an evolving situation.
Now with AI, cheap labour is overrated and all Those people want is for you to make a contract with openai/meta whatever or to break your business for them to take.
There will be no new jobs. The BBB comes with a hidden line saying that no billionaire should get sad for any reason
The only people losing the competition is those who cannot afford to pay more anyway that will need to use AI or get out of the market completely.
> America exists for the sake of Americans, not the world, first and foremost. We can help other people after that point.
But you do want to sell to all of the world, am I correct? So you basically want the pros and none of the cons?
And you also expect the rest of the world to buy an your debt? Because America as a country would be bankrupt instantly if that rest of the world stopped supporting you.
Almost every country short of Liechtenstein would be bankrupt if other countries stopped buying their debt.
As such, the argument is not relevant, unless you believe that ethnicity has no correlation to country, and India should welcome Americans just as well.
> Almost every country short of Liechtenstein would be bankrupt if other countries stopped buying their debt.
Sure but not many countries never seem to run a deficit.
> and India should welcome Americans just as well.
Somehow I've met 10+ Americans who all seem to think you just submit a form and get an H1B... Being a non resident alien is no fun.
Being forced to leave the country to renew your visa? Makes sense but there's a certain uneasiness that goes with it every time
Switching employers is much harder, because the new one needs to be willing to sponsor
The pathway to staying in the US long term is super long. If you are this talented person from India and want to make America your home, getting a green card takes over 12 years... All those years you're essentially in limbo especially with current political circumstances.
That's what people are willing to put up with to be granted the ability to live and work in the US. I'm not saying that's unfair and you cannot require such things but don't think it's a walk in the park
Anyone living, working, or otherwise contributing to society in America can become an American.
> America exists for the sake of Americans, not the world, first and foremost. ... opportunity for foreigners [...] exceeding opportunity for [...] people born here, and that is a legitimate injustice.
That is IMO an un-American statement. America is, in theory, the land of opportunity. Not only for the "right kind of people".
> That is IMO an un-American statement. America is, in theory, the land of opportunity. Not only for the "right kind of people".
The people who live here have a right, first and foremost, to opportunities. If they are vocally and statistically proving that opportunities are bad right now, the H1B needs to be pulled for their sake. It can be put back once balance has been achieved.
> Anyone living, working, or otherwise contributing to society in America is an American.
Absolutely not. If I export my new invention to Europe and it changes society, I am contributing to European society, but I am not European. If I take a visa to Europe and start doing contract work illegally, I am not European.
Look. If the government is worried with people who are already there is not because it is going to get better.
This is just populism. They want you to think you need to be saved, they want to be your figurative father
Because sometimes people need to be saved, because the current system is actually broken, unfair, and inordinately stressful.
Populism is the normal population yelling "you forgot about us." Nothing more. Where it goes from there, depends on the politicians grasping that fact, and what they offer as a solution. This is also why populists win - their clientele doesn't feel like they have much to lose; while the competing politician is yelling about abstract global principles and norms and basically saying "your situation is unfortunate, screw you; you don't get it, idiot; pull yourself up, bootstraps!"
Edit for reply: > Populism creates problems or do not solve them in order to exist.
This is just upper class elitism with a thin veneer. Upper classes have constantly, always accused the lower classes of exaggerating their problems; and have constantly, always accused those claiming to address those problems as making them up. It's also a defense mechanism - because it lets you conveniently accuse the lower classes of voting in Mr. Mustache while washing your hands of any responsibility, because the problems were made up and people are gullible, obviously.
You are probably right, my point is that Populism, and at least it, does need to perpetuate de problems, hence, no populist leader is/was ever effective.
Not an answer but an appendix.
There is common misconceptions on the definition of politics.
For the masses politics means to define policies through negotiation and prioritisation.
For politicians, it means something related to exert political power.
I agree with the point that populists have a strong incentive to not solve problems, but I'm not sure that means populists can't be effective. For example in US history FDR was arguably a populist, and I would say pretty effective. And while the US populist party imploded fairly quickly, a good chunk of it's policy wants wound up happening in the next decade or two during the progressive movement.[1]
Using the power definition of politics, it still seems to me that because the ability to exert power is only given when there is a need to be solved, a (for example) plutocrat has a similar incentive not to solve problems as a populist, and would be similarly likely to not be effective. I suppose an explanation that's consistent with both perspectives is that political leaders in general are not effective.
I had a friend that had a T-shirt with an old photo of a bunch of American Indians (I think Apache), standing with guns and other weapons. They looked rather fierce.
It said "Homeland Security: Fighting Terrorism Since 1492".
> Anyone living, working, or otherwise contributing to society in America is an American.
No. That is very much not a legal or even sociological definition. There are plenty of people who live and work in America who have other nationalities and would prefer to not be considered American, even. A lot of Americans (I am one, before you assume something else) have a weird complex where they think everyone wants to be them. But that is very, very wrong to assume.
I worded my thoughts poorly. You can become a citizen through naturalization.
The original commenter says America is for Americans (assuming they mean citizens) and I was trying to point out that not all Americans are born in America.
I did not intend to imply that everyone wants to be an American.
Everyone defending H1Bs forgets why we even have an economy. America never signed up to be some hegemon that needs to compete with the entire world. America exists for the sake of Americans, not the world, first and foremost. We can help other people after that point. You get revolutions and revolutionary acts when it feels that the opportunity for foreigners and the aristocratic is exceeding opportunity for the normal everyday people born here, and that is a legitimate injustice.