According to journalist and author Kenny Xu, progressives fail to grasp the importance of merit in academic admissions and degree conferral, particularly in medicine.
Affirmative action at the university level is like taking a guy who is getting lapped in a race, teleporting him to the finish line and then sayin he won the race. He knows he didn’t earn it, and the guy who didn’t come in first because the other guy teleported to the finish line feels robbed. A much better solution as you point out is to make sure everyone has access to adequate training from the get go so that everyone has the opportunity to compete on a relatively level playing field, and then let people be sorted by merit.
Matt Taibbi and Walter Kern discussed Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" short story. Seems to depict the society that knowingly or unknowingly the universities are striving for. Worth a read.
Inconvenient truth: the US does not want (more) immigrants - either legal or "undocumented". Time has come to be honest about this issue. Had I known, I would not have come.
In general: groups like Numbers USA, CIS, etc. tell us so.
Personal experience: I have been told numerous times how unwelcome I was. "Go back to where you came from. We do not need you here !" This came not from gun-toting Trump-voting Americans, but from female Democratic politicians.
Existing regulation:
- Non-immigrant children over 21 yers of age have no right to DACA status. They must leave, does not matter if they lived in the US for almost all their life. Because they were brought in LEGALLY.
- Tne H-4/O-3 non-immigrant visas. "Do not even think of having a life here !"
- The unwillingness - over the past 25 years - to reform the immigration system, create better pathways, shorten waiting times for needed workers toward the Green Card.
- Sexism. About 80% of non-immigrant work permits under the cap (85,000 limit) goes to males.
I agree that our immigration system is horrendous and political. That is not welcoming at all. We need immigrants and lawful ones even more. I live in Silicon Valley and many of us welcome immigrants. I am not a left liberal woman and it is bizarre that over the years they have become so intolerant while priding themselves on being tolerant. I am sorry for your experience. There are so many different types of people I hope you can find a better group to be with.
The US immigration system is based on family reunion, not on needed workers. Find yourself a US citizen-spouse, you can come in rather quickly.
But when you are offered a job in the US and decide to go for it, you must be willing to go to hell and back. And not so much the worker, but the wife. We are not allowed to work, have a small business, or meaningful volunteer. We wait for years and years for that elusive permanent visa because we need that to be allowed to work, to start having a life here too. But by the time you get it, you have a big hole on your resume and no employer touches a "piece of defective material" (yes this is a real quote). It is made clear to us in every way that our husbands "stole a job from an American !" And somebody has to pay the price for that: the wife.
The solution is easy: make H-1B visas harder to get. Only when you are the right man/woman for the job. When relevant education/experience can be proven. When a co. really needs that worker to realize/finalize a project. (NOT bringing in foreign workers to be hired out to other co.'s for profit.)
Check these immigrants for a clean past (Police Certificates), give them a med exam. Issue them a Green Card within one year of arrival !
Or, when co.'s insist on keeping the H-1B, workers brought in on this visa "under the cap" should at least earn $ 250,000 a year. Let us see how many employers still need an H-1B worker if he is that expensive.
Another issue: many industries need more workers (hospitality, construction, dairies, producers of fruits/vegetables, slaughterhouses - called "meat-packing"). The number of visas for those workers is even smaller and they have many restrictions (H-2A, H-2B). But the jobs are there. So people come illegally. Which means mployers get workers who cannot talk back and who are (very) cheap.
The immigration system is indeed politicized. One of the problems: the US two-party system, especially nowadays. No working together to solve problems. And immigrants cannot vote, so no one listens to them.
Thanks for providing examples. Could you define a non-immigrant? I am not clear who you are referring to. Are non-immigrants in the US illegally or legally and what are some of the reasons they are in the U.S.? Also, for comparison, who do you consider an immigrant? I'm interested in gaining a better understanding of your statement.
A non-immigrant is someone who is allowed to temporarily live in the US, legally.
Some come to study (F-1, M-1, J-1), others to work (H-1B, H-2B, H-2A, L-1A, L-1B, O-1.) There are also non-immigrant (N/I)visas for diplomats and for military personnel training here. Airline personnel needs a N/I visa for transit.
For people who buy or start a business: E-1 and E-2 visas. For really good sporters/artists to be able to play/perform here: P-visas.
Furthermore the spousal visas O-3 and H-4, these do not allow to have a job. L-2 is also a spousal visa, but the holder is allowed to work.
Minor children are allowed in on L-2, H-4, O-3. They cannot work, but are allowed to go to school.
Lastly there is the B-1/2 visa which is for tourism only. (For a number of countries citizens are allowed to come as tourists for 90 days max without a visa on the so-called Visa Waiver Program. They must beforehand complete forms in the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.)
The requirements for these non-immigrant visas are different, as are the rights: study, work, both, etc. The period of validity differs too, from 3-7 years. Some can be extended one time only (H-1B/L-1/O-1), others as often as needed (E-1, E-2).
Some of these visas do not allow to apply for a Green Card, e.g. E-1 and E-2. This means that if the N/I couple have a child not-US born, the child has to leave once it turns 21 years of age. (Usually the whole family leaves). OTOH, wives are allowed to work on E visas.
Other visas like L-1, O-1, H-1B are "dual intent", the holder can apply for a Green Card. That is to say, his employer can apply (sponsor), not the worker him/herself.
L-1 visas are basically expat visas, used by international co.'s to bring in specialists/managers. H-1B's is are used to bring in high(er) level workers, mostly for high tech. The worker can only work for the co. that requested him. If he gets fired he must leave.
H-1B's "under the cap" are for businesses, limited to 85,000/year. Outside the cap H-1B's are issued for educational institutions etc. Currently about three times as many petitions "under the cap" are filed as there are visas available, which means for H-1B petitions there now exists a lottery.
All of these N/I visa holders pay the same Fed./State (where applicable) taxes and Soc. Sec. contributions as Green Card holders/US citizens.
Green Cards make possible to live/work in the US permanently and take different jobs. (Green Card is another name for immigrant visa.) A number of jobs is not open to G.C. holders: USPS, IRS, local/state/Fed/ government, etc.
An immigrant is someone who lives in an another country as where he/she was born.
Thanks for your detailed information. I found it to be informative. Author Victor Davis Hanson has also explained that the U.S. immigration system is based on family reunions instead of needed workers. He advocates that the U.S. should follow the lead of other countries that accept immigrants based on their qualifications for the type of workers the nation needs. I think that is a much more enlightened approach. I agree that the U.S. immigration system is long overdue for reform as it is currently very dysfunctional.
Thank you. I was afraid I was too detailed. I do not always agree with Mr. Hanson, but he is right in this regard. Funny thing, after I moved out of the Central Valley (CA) I realized we had lived rather close to one another. I would have loved to meet him in person. Well, who knows.
I arrived in the US over 25 years ago and after the "anti-immigrant" bill of 1996 no real effort has been made to reform the immigration system. The system should have one criterium only: does the US benefit if a person is allowed in ? Next to that allow a number of people in based on need if they flee violence, hunger, persecution. But the decision should be made outside of the US in the country where they reside.
And stop the endless procedures. My husband was offered a job, came here, worked to develop products that were sold all over the world, making money for the co. he worked for, for the state where we lived, for the Fed. government. He helped to create more jobs. He is hardworking, tax-paying, law-abiding. You know how long his Green Card procedure(s) took ? Almost NINE years.
I am sending this on to my subscribers because I believe Mr. Xu's words need to be heard.
Affirmative action at the university level is like taking a guy who is getting lapped in a race, teleporting him to the finish line and then sayin he won the race. He knows he didn’t earn it, and the guy who didn’t come in first because the other guy teleported to the finish line feels robbed. A much better solution as you point out is to make sure everyone has access to adequate training from the get go so that everyone has the opportunity to compete on a relatively level playing field, and then let people be sorted by merit.
Matt Taibbi and Walter Kern discussed Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" short story. Seems to depict the society that knowingly or unknowingly the universities are striving for. Worth a read.
One of my favorite short stories of all time--even before things got crazy! Here is the discussion: https://www.racket.news/p/transcript-discussion-of-harrison
It is good and I look at it so differently now. Thanks for the link!
Inconvenient truth: the US does not want (more) immigrants - either legal or "undocumented". Time has come to be honest about this issue. Had I known, I would not have come.
That's heartbreaking that that has been your experience. I am sorry.
Thank you for this.
What makes you say that? Please explain and provide examples if possible.
In general: groups like Numbers USA, CIS, etc. tell us so.
Personal experience: I have been told numerous times how unwelcome I was. "Go back to where you came from. We do not need you here !" This came not from gun-toting Trump-voting Americans, but from female Democratic politicians.
Existing regulation:
- Non-immigrant children over 21 yers of age have no right to DACA status. They must leave, does not matter if they lived in the US for almost all their life. Because they were brought in LEGALLY.
- Tne H-4/O-3 non-immigrant visas. "Do not even think of having a life here !"
- The unwillingness - over the past 25 years - to reform the immigration system, create better pathways, shorten waiting times for needed workers toward the Green Card.
- Sexism. About 80% of non-immigrant work permits under the cap (85,000 limit) goes to males.
I agree that our immigration system is horrendous and political. That is not welcoming at all. We need immigrants and lawful ones even more. I live in Silicon Valley and many of us welcome immigrants. I am not a left liberal woman and it is bizarre that over the years they have become so intolerant while priding themselves on being tolerant. I am sorry for your experience. There are so many different types of people I hope you can find a better group to be with.
The US immigration system is based on family reunion, not on needed workers. Find yourself a US citizen-spouse, you can come in rather quickly.
But when you are offered a job in the US and decide to go for it, you must be willing to go to hell and back. And not so much the worker, but the wife. We are not allowed to work, have a small business, or meaningful volunteer. We wait for years and years for that elusive permanent visa because we need that to be allowed to work, to start having a life here too. But by the time you get it, you have a big hole on your resume and no employer touches a "piece of defective material" (yes this is a real quote). It is made clear to us in every way that our husbands "stole a job from an American !" And somebody has to pay the price for that: the wife.
The solution is easy: make H-1B visas harder to get. Only when you are the right man/woman for the job. When relevant education/experience can be proven. When a co. really needs that worker to realize/finalize a project. (NOT bringing in foreign workers to be hired out to other co.'s for profit.)
Check these immigrants for a clean past (Police Certificates), give them a med exam. Issue them a Green Card within one year of arrival !
Or, when co.'s insist on keeping the H-1B, workers brought in on this visa "under the cap" should at least earn $ 250,000 a year. Let us see how many employers still need an H-1B worker if he is that expensive.
Another issue: many industries need more workers (hospitality, construction, dairies, producers of fruits/vegetables, slaughterhouses - called "meat-packing"). The number of visas for those workers is even smaller and they have many restrictions (H-2A, H-2B). But the jobs are there. So people come illegally. Which means mployers get workers who cannot talk back and who are (very) cheap.
The immigration system is indeed politicized. One of the problems: the US two-party system, especially nowadays. No working together to solve problems. And immigrants cannot vote, so no one listens to them.
Thanks for providing examples. Could you define a non-immigrant? I am not clear who you are referring to. Are non-immigrants in the US illegally or legally and what are some of the reasons they are in the U.S.? Also, for comparison, who do you consider an immigrant? I'm interested in gaining a better understanding of your statement.
A non-immigrant is someone who is allowed to temporarily live in the US, legally.
Some come to study (F-1, M-1, J-1), others to work (H-1B, H-2B, H-2A, L-1A, L-1B, O-1.) There are also non-immigrant (N/I)visas for diplomats and for military personnel training here. Airline personnel needs a N/I visa for transit.
For people who buy or start a business: E-1 and E-2 visas. For really good sporters/artists to be able to play/perform here: P-visas.
Furthermore the spousal visas O-3 and H-4, these do not allow to have a job. L-2 is also a spousal visa, but the holder is allowed to work.
Minor children are allowed in on L-2, H-4, O-3. They cannot work, but are allowed to go to school.
Lastly there is the B-1/2 visa which is for tourism only. (For a number of countries citizens are allowed to come as tourists for 90 days max without a visa on the so-called Visa Waiver Program. They must beforehand complete forms in the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.)
The requirements for these non-immigrant visas are different, as are the rights: study, work, both, etc. The period of validity differs too, from 3-7 years. Some can be extended one time only (H-1B/L-1/O-1), others as often as needed (E-1, E-2).
Some of these visas do not allow to apply for a Green Card, e.g. E-1 and E-2. This means that if the N/I couple have a child not-US born, the child has to leave once it turns 21 years of age. (Usually the whole family leaves). OTOH, wives are allowed to work on E visas.
Other visas like L-1, O-1, H-1B are "dual intent", the holder can apply for a Green Card. That is to say, his employer can apply (sponsor), not the worker him/herself.
L-1 visas are basically expat visas, used by international co.'s to bring in specialists/managers. H-1B's is are used to bring in high(er) level workers, mostly for high tech. The worker can only work for the co. that requested him. If he gets fired he must leave.
H-1B's "under the cap" are for businesses, limited to 85,000/year. Outside the cap H-1B's are issued for educational institutions etc. Currently about three times as many petitions "under the cap" are filed as there are visas available, which means for H-1B petitions there now exists a lottery.
All of these N/I visa holders pay the same Fed./State (where applicable) taxes and Soc. Sec. contributions as Green Card holders/US citizens.
Green Cards make possible to live/work in the US permanently and take different jobs. (Green Card is another name for immigrant visa.) A number of jobs is not open to G.C. holders: USPS, IRS, local/state/Fed/ government, etc.
An immigrant is someone who lives in an another country as where he/she was born.
I hope this information helps.
Thanks for your detailed information. I found it to be informative. Author Victor Davis Hanson has also explained that the U.S. immigration system is based on family reunions instead of needed workers. He advocates that the U.S. should follow the lead of other countries that accept immigrants based on their qualifications for the type of workers the nation needs. I think that is a much more enlightened approach. I agree that the U.S. immigration system is long overdue for reform as it is currently very dysfunctional.
Thank you. I was afraid I was too detailed. I do not always agree with Mr. Hanson, but he is right in this regard. Funny thing, after I moved out of the Central Valley (CA) I realized we had lived rather close to one another. I would have loved to meet him in person. Well, who knows.
I arrived in the US over 25 years ago and after the "anti-immigrant" bill of 1996 no real effort has been made to reform the immigration system. The system should have one criterium only: does the US benefit if a person is allowed in ? Next to that allow a number of people in based on need if they flee violence, hunger, persecution. But the decision should be made outside of the US in the country where they reside.
And stop the endless procedures. My husband was offered a job, came here, worked to develop products that were sold all over the world, making money for the co. he worked for, for the state where we lived, for the Fed. government. He helped to create more jobs. He is hardworking, tax-paying, law-abiding. You know how long his Green Card procedure(s) took ? Almost NINE years.
Is it kind to lie to someone? Ultimately, is it helpful to him/her?