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The issue here is that we don't live in a global government, but a national one. The government is elected by American citizens, and if a huge chunk of American

The issue here is that we don't live in a global government, but a national one. The government is elected by American citizens, and if a huge chunk of American citizens are experiencing a declining quality of life, they will vote for a change candidate.

atomi 9y ago
I don't see why Silicon Valley has any obligation to subsidize rural America. Those farm subsidies are only going to go so far but beyond that there has to be some self-sufficiency.
nostrademons 9y ago
Sure. I'm just saying that the current situation - where ~5% of the world's population has gotten used to a standard of living far in excess of their productive capacity because they were the only developed country left standing after WW2 - is a very unstable equilibrium. Either we're eclipsed as a nation by China (pop 1.379B) or India (pop 1.324B), each 20% of the world; or the whole concept of nationhood falls apart, and we get city-states in a global trade confederation; or we end up lobbing nukes at every major population center and suddenly the world population is 100M instead of 7B. All of these I'd consider to be bad outcomes, but if I had to choose between them, I'd prefer the second. The idea that America's going to continue to be on top of the world for the next 20-30 years is unrealistic, though, barring some major technological development that makes each American 5 times as effective as the corresponding foreigner. That's part of the point of this visa program, I guess, to ensure that that technological breakthrough happens here rather than elsewhere.
- sheepmullet 9y ago
  > where ~5% of the world's population has gotten used to a standard of living far in excess of their productive capacity I'm not quite sure what you mean. We have an incredible excess of production capability. Housing is cheaper and faster to build than ever. So is most infrastructure. American factories are so labor efficient these days that if there was demand they could easily double or triple output over the next 5-10 years. The real loss would be long term as there would be fewer great minds and innovators.

atomi 9y ago

I don't see why Silicon Valley has any obligation to subsidize rural America. Those farm subsidies are only going to go so far but beyond that there has to be some self-sufficiency.

nostrademons 9y ago

Sure. I'm just saying that the current situation - where ~5% of the world's population has gotten used to a standard of living far in excess of their productive capacity because they were the only developed country left standing after WW2 - is a very unstable equilibrium. Either we're eclipsed as a nation by China (pop 1.379B) or India (pop 1.324B), each 20% of the world; or the whole concept of nationhood falls apart, and we get city-states in a global trade confederation; or we end up lobbing nukes at every major population center and suddenly the world population is 100M instead of 7B. All of these I'd consider to be bad outcomes, but if I had to choose between them, I'd prefer the second. The idea that America's going to continue to be on top of the world for the next 20-30 years is unrealistic, though, barring some major technological development that makes each American 5 times as effective as the corresponding foreigner. That's part of the point of this visa program, I guess, to ensure that that technological breakthrough happens here rather than elsewhere.

sheepmullet 9y ago
> where ~5% of the world's population has gotten used to a standard of living far in excess of their productive capacity I'm not quite sure what you mean. We have an incredible excess of production capability. Housing is cheaper and faster to build than ever. So is most infrastructure. American factories are so labor efficient these days that if there was demand they could easily double or triple output over the next 5-10 years. The real loss would be long term as there would be fewer great minds and innovators.