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" increasing costs to consumers by protecting high-wage American workers from foreign competition?" Sorry I have to disagree, I am the most vehement loather of
by throwaway_374 10y ago
" increasing costs to consumers by protecting high-wage American workers from foreign competition?"
Sorry I have to disagree, I am the most vehement loather of Trump and his fan base but fundamentally this just encourages a race to the bottom, does it not?
- icebraining 10y agoIn the same way that California allowing workers from other states. Some industries already have state-specific licensing requirements, maybe the software industry should too, to keep the riff-raff from flyover country from lowering their wages.
- bottled_poe 10y agoThere is no doubt that the software engineering discipline is plagued by passionless amateurs. I welcome the next dot-com collapse, as only those who love their craft will remain, while the rest chase the next gravy train.
- Clubber 10y ago>I welcome the next dot-com collapse, as only those who love their craft will remain No you don't. It's painful for the good ones too.
- bottled_poe 10y agoI'll admit my comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek.
- yummyfajitas 10y agoAllowing competition between whites and negroes (by ending Jim Crow, Davis Bacon and similar laws) also encourages a race to the bottom. Do you have any principled reason for opposing those laws? (Note: I'm not calling you "racist" - that's a slur that has lost all meaning these days. I'm taking a policy I'm pretty sure you oppose and asking you for a principled reason why you oppose it.)
- bottled_poe 10y agoPerhaps this ideology has been lost these days, but I believe a country has an obligation to provide services and a high quality of life to its citizens (aka taxpayers) before anyone else. Importing employees to fill roles (which local workers could do) cannibalises the taxpayer-funded foundations on which these companies were built.
- chu4n 10y agoH1-B's pay taxes to the state and the federal government too.
- DarkKomunalec 10y agoThe Jim Crow laws were a government favoring some of its citizens over other citizens, whereas these laws favor citizens over foreigners. In my opinion, it is a country's duty to place its own people first, but in the end it's up to the electorate.
- icebraining 10y agoThis is favoring some of its citizens (certain classes of workers) over other citizens (buyers in general, workers affected by reciprocal changes by other countries, etc).
- DarkKomunalec 10y agoThose are secondary effects, and it is very much debatable who they favour. I would argue reducing the labour pool gives workers a stronger bargaining position, and thus better wages, reducing the rising income inequality.
- yummyfajitas 10y agoThat would only be true if it gave better wages to people below the median. If you give better wages to people above the median, you increase inequality.