>Trade protectionism is a completely different issue from immigration and I don't see how it's relevant here. This has gone into both immigration and outsourci

>Trade protectionism is a completely different issue from immigration and I don't see how it's relevant here. This has gone into both immigration and outsourcing, so it does become relevant. >there are many historical examples when this was successfully done This was to the detriment of those who were blocked from trade. The power balance between the west and the rest of the world isn't as skewed today so such would not be possible. >a large wage disparity means that the developing markets aren't as "useful" as is their cheap labor; This is a fundamental flaw in your logic and most in this thread. A person is both a worker and consumer. The same person that is working for money is going to consume with that money. When an immigrant arrives to the US, they become both worker and consumer. Their consumption drives the creation of more products, including software products.