US Immigration: When Only 'Geniuses' Need Apply

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/may2009/db20090517_864505.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily

by dreamz • 17 years ago

15 22 17 years ago

jgrahamc• 17 years ago

That's the route I took to get my green card. Not sure I'd say I was a genius though.

Kadin• 17 years ago

I don't even think the Minutemen types (and I know a few) really oppose this sort of immigration. This is exactly the sort of thing we should be encouraging; highly skilled individuals should be encouraged to come to the U.S. and work.

It's the flood of low-skilled workers that essentially drop the bottom out of the labor market that present a problem.

eru4• 17 years ago

> It's the flood of low-skilled workers that essentially drop the bottom out of the labor market that present a problem.

Do they? Any statistics to support that point?

Edit: Added the line I was questioning.

falsestprophet2• 17 years ago

I don't think there have been any comprehensive studies about Minuteman-types on this subject, but I can offer some anecdotal evidence from my Minuteman chapter in Clint, Texas (near El Paso).

We are a little divided. JerryD and Greg do not like it at all. Dan, Zach and I don't have a problem with it. Jared, our leader, has adopted an intermediate position; he supports such immigration, as long as they're not Mexicans.

I'll bring up the question at the next county-wide meeting in August. I'll tweet the results.

nazgulnarsil• 17 years ago

you dont need statistics. if a worker contributes less in taxes than we spend on him it is a net drain on the economy.

gojomo3• 17 years ago

I'd make these available to anyone above average.

As long as a person is not a criminal or an immediate drain on common resources, more competent people mean more opportunities, more production, more efficiency. And if they're not here, they'll be expanding possibilities elsewhere, eroding the US's relative position. So admitting anyone who brings up our averages is the truly patriotic policy.

yummyfajitas3• 17 years ago

From the perspective of maximizing the economy within the current borders of the US, you are correct.

However, this completely neglects the potential cultural and political aspects. Immigration, particularly in large amounts, will dramatically change the cultural and political face of the US. We need to account for these changes before making decisions on immigration.

gojomo3• 17 years ago

Not if we're only accepting 'above-average' immigrants. If we have cultural or political aspects that can't survive the arrival of more highly-educated, self-sufficient, productive, law-abiding residents, we should eagerly discard such parochialisms.

xiaoma• 17 years ago

If they truly are at the top of their fields, why require a degree? Would it really make any sense to deny a modern day Edison or Hemingway over a degree?

US Immigration: When Only 'Geniuses' Need Apply

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