Is The US Losing Our Tech Edge By Keeping Others Out?

from the the-problems-of-isolationism dept

There has been a lot of talk recently about whether or not the US is "losing our technology edge." Some people blame offshoring, while others blame our education system. In something of a combination of the two, Thomas Friedman's latest Op-Ed piece for the NY Times suggests that our recent border crackdown is causing foreign students to study elsewhere, rather than come to the US for their education. Over the last couple of decades, many of the best technology minds have been foreign-born individuals who came to the US for their education and stuck around to work here afterwards. Some stay permanently, while others learn here and then go home - but often use their American experience to build relationships here that help businesses in both the US and their home country. Now, however, with students not even coming to the US, tech companies that are hiring abroad say it's not just about cheaper labor, but the fact that there are more well educated technology leaders coming from other countries. Of course, this is a long term strategic question, and in an age when political policies are all soundbites and "what will get me elected" no one has time for such long term thinking.
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  1. identicon
    Brett H, 23 Apr 2004 @ 7:38am

    We're not losing our edge

    The US is not losing its edge. The edge is moving away from what the masses think is the edge. The US has always been a country of innovators. We come up with the major changes that are interesting. Other nations (namely Japan and Germany) are much better at streamlining and optimizing. The jobs that require a whole lot of repetition (small tweek, test, small tweek, test,...) are going over-seas. The mass meadia was finaly deciding what the bleeding edge was when it moved. The bleeding edge people are still here in the US. It just looks like we're losing our edge because the media doesn't know what an edge look like.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Travis Berthelot, 23 Apr 2004 @ 3:47pm

    Mindless Masses

    Mindless tyranny will continue in the U.S. until the masses revolt.

    Income adjusted for inflation in the U.S. is down 34 out of the last 35 years.

    Investment is gone and so are well paid non-government engineering and research jobs.

    Blame education, H1-Bs, off shoring, and anything else you want, but high taxation is destroying the U.S. and will continue to do so for some time.

    Embracing World Fascism under Republicans and Democrats is what we are about now.

    No country has sovereignty anymore not even the U.S. We don't protect our borders yet we occupy other countries instead of just sending them neutron bombs.

    Sure send young and dumb U.S. citizens into another sovereign land like in Starship Troopers with mindless propaganda. If we are at war then we need to go to war and kill them without sending troops in. If we aren't at war then we need to declare Iraq the 51st state or get out.

    Obviously Bush benefits from a new world order and is willing to send U.S. citizens to their death not for the U.S. but for a New World Order.

    Put the blame where it should be with politicians and us for not Revolting. The politicians are selling out U.S. citizens so they can live as controllers of a New World Order that makes sure wages are very low and civil rights are none except for themselves.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Sheila Harper, 23 Apr 2004 @ 4:15pm

    Foreign born tech workers

    Funny -- I'm currently searching for a data planning engineer and of nearly 120 resumes, the four best candidates are all Indian. What happened? The applicants are very diverse, but "plain old American" names are rare. Latino names are even rarer.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    AMetamorphosis, 24 Apr 2004 @ 7:32am

    Re: Foreign born tech workers



    Americans are sadly learning exciting job skills such as the linguistics of saying: " Would you like Fries with that ? " & " Would you like to use your Wal-Mart charge card for these purchases ? "

    Fat, dumb & happy ... that is what we have become ...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 Apr 2004 @ 3:55am

    Re: Mindless Masses

    The US has pretty low taxation when put next to other industrialized nations. But your vague rant is proof that the mindless masses are out there...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Travis Berthelot, 25 Apr 2004 @ 6:32pm

    Re: Mindless Masses

    Like 1950 U.S. when taxes where much lower. You didn't provide a time frame.

    You can get the statistics I refered to from the Department of Labor and Statistics u mindless fool.

    Not only that but, you provide no source for your mindless statement. Your not including non-federal and non-funded taxation fool.

    Sure are taxes are lower than all of the Nazi thug nations in Europe.

    How about compare our taxes to Germany during WWII.

    Comparing ourselves to other countries that have adopted socialism and fascism is pretty dumb. They will all have similar tax rates.

    Remember Civil Rights Are Priceless. And I Want Mine Back.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 Apr 2004 @ 8:17am

    Re: Mindless Masses

    I'm curious: what "rights" are gone?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Travis Berthelot, 11 May 2004 @ 12:44am

    Re: Mindless Masses

    1st, 2nd, 4th, and 10th

    link to this | view in thread ]


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