3 ms·

How about we just get rid of immigration caps and other restrictions? Limit the amount of public benefits that recent immigrants can receive and open the border

How about we just get rid of immigration caps and other restrictions? Limit the amount of public benefits that recent immigrants can receive and open the borders. An infusion of ambitious and hard-working immigrants has always done wonders for this country. Let's recapture that frontier spirit of rugged individualism. Let's tell the world: "This is the place where your hard work can make a better life for you and your family. Where you control your own destiny. America is open for business again." Edit: To clarify, I'm talking about immigration policy in general, not just H1Bs. The reason to limit public benefits would be to, in the absence of restrictions on immigration, ensure that people are coming to work, not to live off the state. Public benefits in the US pay better than most jobs in a lot of countries. We shouldn't stick our heads in the sand and pretend that such incentives don't matter.

finance-geek 11y ago
No one is really worried about H1B workers "receiving benefits"...we're not speaking about laborers. The core problem is that tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of local graduates are sitting idle, unemployed, looking for work, while companies claim there is a "shortage." In reality, there is only a shortage of companies willing to pay market wage. The reality is that local grads (Joe Smith in Columbus Ohio) is not willing to live 2hrs away and dorm with four other guys in a H1b exurb hostel...while some guy from India is...and this is why they are hired, not because there is a lack of local talent but because few local grads are willing to work for so little that they are essentially reduced to exurb hosteling.
- marcoperaza 11y ago
  I don't believe in government protections for elite workers. The median salary for H1B-holders is north of $70,000, well above median household income in the US, let alone individual income. I'm sure that within particular industries H1Bs make less than local workers, but perhaps the pay in those industries is inflated due to the low supply of workers. Ironically it is technology workers, responsible for more labor-market disruption than immigration and trade combined, who are complaining the most about competition from H1Bs. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
  - UK-AL 11y ago
    It's not 'artificially' inflated because of low supply. If its low supply, then the price should be high because it means its hard to train for. Technical people arnt really elite workers either. There many many developers.
  - UK-AL 11y ago
    It's not 'artificially' inflated because of low supply. If its low supply, then the price should be high because it means its hard to train for. Technical people arnt really elite workers either. There many many developers.
shas3 11y ago
You are so wrong, you are not even wrong. H1Bs pay the exact same taxes as US workers. So I don't get what 'public benefits' you are talking about that aliens don't deserve.

finance-geek 11y ago

No one is really worried about H1B workers "receiving benefits"...we're not speaking about laborers. The core problem is that tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of local graduates are sitting idle, unemployed, looking for work, while companies claim there is a "shortage." In reality, there is only a shortage of companies willing to pay market wage. The reality is that local grads (Joe Smith in Columbus Ohio) is not willing to live 2hrs away and dorm with four other guys in a H1b exurb hostel...while some guy from India is...and this is why they are hired, not because there is a lack of local talent but because few local grads are willing to work for so little that they are essentially reduced to exurb hosteling.

marcoperaza 11y ago
I don't believe in government protections for elite workers. The median salary for H1B-holders is north of $70,000, well above median household income in the US, let alone individual income. I'm sure that within particular industries H1Bs make less than local workers, but perhaps the pay in those industries is inflated due to the low supply of workers. Ironically it is technology workers, responsible for more labor-market disruption than immigration and trade combined, who are complaining the most about competition from H1Bs. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
- UK-AL 11y ago
  It's not 'artificially' inflated because of low supply. If its low supply, then the price should be high because it means its hard to train for. Technical people arnt really elite workers either. There many many developers.
- UK-AL 11y ago
  It's not 'artificially' inflated because of low supply. If its low supply, then the price should be high because it means its hard to train for. Technical people arnt really elite workers either. There many many developers.

shas3 11y ago

You are so wrong, you are not even wrong. H1Bs pay the exact same taxes as US workers. So I don't get what 'public benefits' you are talking about that aliens don't deserve.