5 ms·

Yeah, this is definitely what all that "America first" and "Make America Great Again" stuff was about. Isolationism, pure and simple. Short term, it looks like

Yeah, this is definitely what all that "America first" and "Make America Great Again" stuff was about. Isolationism, pure and simple. Short term, it looks like a good strategy that benefits the own country. Long term, you lose potential partnerships and access to great workers, who will now be elsewhere, in competition with you. But I guess that will be someone else's problem, so why should a politician care?

tus88 7y ago
> and access to great workers and access to cheap workers Let's be honest here.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- untog 7y ago
  The way the system is currently set up it's both. Outsourcing companies like those mentioned in the article (Infosys etc) absolutely abuse the system to hire cheap workers. But a lot of talented engineers are hired that way too. Hopefully I don't sound too biased when I say that, since I'm a former H1B holder. Whether I'm truly talented or not, I can assure you I was paid market rate.
  - ptr 7y ago
    I've got a very knowledgeable and experienced friend from Sweden that aced both Google's and Amazon's interviews, but they're only willing to employ him outside the US (Canada for example) due to the H1B issues. He didn't accept their offers and is now a top paid developer at a local startup. I'm not sure how this is "Making America Great Again".
dondawest 7y ago
Exactly. If they gave it an ounce of thought, Right-wing guys would be PRO H1B visas because they brain-drain other countries and maintain western dominance. H1B visas are awesome for the west and terrible for the countries the immigrants come from. Brain drain is crazy
- damnyou 7y ago
  What's all this nationalist nonsense? H1Bs are great for the immigrants and that is the only thing that matters.
  - dondawest 7y ago
    I’m not a nationalist and I don’t like or agree with nationalism. You dont think second-order effects of actions are relevant? You don’t think it’s relevant that we’re brain draining other countries, and that it might actually make those countries and their citizens WORSE OFF? Why are you so committed to your shallow level of analysis? Why don’t you care about the poor people in the countries that the H1B guys leave behind as they travel to America to enrich the USA?
    - damnyou 7y ago
      There's an easy solution to that — massively increase foreign aid! Encourage remittances! Fix historical injustices. Pay reparations. I bet H-1Bs are the only time many people get so bothered about the global poor. Imperialism and colonialism have caused much more harm to poor people in India or wherever than a bunch of smart people seeking a better life. It's similar to how unauthorized immigration is the only time many right-wing people start caring about homeless US citizens. US tax and transfer policy has caused much more harm than all unauthorized immigrants combined, of course. Right-wing arguments here can at best be described as motivated reasoning.
      - dondawest 7y ago
        >Imperialism and colonialism have caused much more harm to poor people in India or wherever than a bunch of smart people seeking a better life. That’s impossible to quantify because those people seeking a better life also abandon their home countries. LOL dude, what do you think remittances are gonna do other than pay for their kids to get educated JUST SO WE CAN BRAIN DRAIN THEIR KIDS TOO? I don’t understand why the left is not anti-immigration because immigration so obviously hurts developing countries through brain drain.

tus88 7y ago

> and access to great workers and access to cheap workers Let's be honest here.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
untog 7y ago
The way the system is currently set up it's both. Outsourcing companies like those mentioned in the article (Infosys etc) absolutely abuse the system to hire cheap workers. But a lot of talented engineers are hired that way too. Hopefully I don't sound too biased when I say that, since I'm a former H1B holder. Whether I'm truly talented or not, I can assure you I was paid market rate.
- ptr 7y ago
  I've got a very knowledgeable and experienced friend from Sweden that aced both Google's and Amazon's interviews, but they're only willing to employ him outside the US (Canada for example) due to the H1B issues. He didn't accept their offers and is now a top paid developer at a local startup. I'm not sure how this is "Making America Great Again".

dondawest 7y ago

Exactly. If they gave it an ounce of thought, Right-wing guys would be PRO H1B visas because they brain-drain other countries and maintain western dominance. H1B visas are awesome for the west and terrible for the countries the immigrants come from. Brain drain is crazy

damnyou 7y ago
What's all this nationalist nonsense? H1Bs are great for the immigrants and that is the only thing that matters.
- dondawest 7y ago
  I’m not a nationalist and I don’t like or agree with nationalism. You dont think second-order effects of actions are relevant? You don’t think it’s relevant that we’re brain draining other countries, and that it might actually make those countries and their citizens WORSE OFF? Why are you so committed to your shallow level of analysis? Why don’t you care about the poor people in the countries that the H1B guys leave behind as they travel to America to enrich the USA?
  - damnyou 7y ago
    There's an easy solution to that — massively increase foreign aid! Encourage remittances! Fix historical injustices. Pay reparations. I bet H-1Bs are the only time many people get so bothered about the global poor. Imperialism and colonialism have caused much more harm to poor people in India or wherever than a bunch of smart people seeking a better life. It's similar to how unauthorized immigration is the only time many right-wing people start caring about homeless US citizens. US tax and transfer policy has caused much more harm than all unauthorized immigrants combined, of course. Right-wing arguments here can at best be described as motivated reasoning.
    - dondawest 7y ago
      >Imperialism and colonialism have caused much more harm to poor people in India or wherever than a bunch of smart people seeking a better life. That’s impossible to quantify because those people seeking a better life also abandon their home countries. LOL dude, what do you think remittances are gonna do other than pay for their kids to get educated JUST SO WE CAN BRAIN DRAIN THEIR KIDS TOO? I don’t understand why the left is not anti-immigration because immigration so obviously hurts developing countries through brain drain.