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1   bob2356   2012 Jun 7, 5:16am  

Ruki says

As a high-tech worker, I am glad for the limit on H1-Bs granted right now. It's a total sellers market for labor in my field. I think it should be for ALL American workers, including the low-end ones who get underbid by illegals all the time so much it is one of the main contributors to the income gap, not because the rich are making more.

Interesting that someone who hates the government and has posted time and time again about free markets doesn't want a totally free market in labor. I would think a libertarian Obama hater like yourself would be in favor of no visa's at all, let the market set the price. Why should government restrict the number of workers coming into the country? So which is it libertarian or protectionist?

Amazing how free people like Ruki are with advice and criticism of other peoples self interest.

2   Rin   2012 Jun 7, 6:05am  

bob2356 says

doesn't want a totally free market in labor.

Hate to say it but few non-licensed white collar professionals really want unabashed 'free labor'.

Think about it ... US medical schools mostly accept Green Card holders/US Citizens. They also have restricted class sizes and thus, all American graduates get first consideration in residencies. Foreign graduates take a separated out, FGMLE exam, and have to wait in the queue, before starting a US residency. The same goes for the Patent Agent exam, where any BS level science graduate, taking the exam, has to show a US passport or proof of citizenship to be registered. Likewise, ancillary health care services like Pharmacy, Physician's Asst, etc, restrict international credits transfer & who takes the certification exams. Even a smart person, who's got a Masters or PhD in Pharmacology with Toxicology classes, cannot sit for a Pharmacist certification exam, despite knowing the subject matter, without first having been admitted to a PharmD degree in the US or Canada.

For regular science & engineering, however, provided that the foreign school is good (or verifiable), like let's say London Univ, one can usually transfer up to 50% of credits for either a BS or MS in engineering. Also, a large percentage (> 60%) of tech PhD candidates stateside, are international students. Thus, there's always downward pressure on wages, esp in the sciences, because the employers always have a choice of pitting H1-Bs/L1s against Americans/Green Card holders. The open market, in this case, has made the sciences a less attractive proposal, for Americans who don't want to get jerked around by either the academic "postdoc" advisers or the R&D managers.

And likewise, it's tough for international students to work in management consulting or investing banking, within the US (as oppose to their home countries), since many of those stateside employers don't have the ability to sponsor someone for a non-tech position.

3   bob2356   2012 Jun 7, 8:20pm  

You missed my point entirely. Ruki is one of the posters constantly harping about freedom from government. Except when it benefits them.

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