Adam Haman joins Bob to discuss the recent “civil war” on the right over the H-1B visa program, with a focus on Vivek Ramaswamy’s critique of American culture.
- Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial tweet on US culture.
- Robert Sterling’s stats on the H-1B program.
- An EPI study (based on 2019 data) of the H-1B program.
I'm rarely on Twitter but this whole topic overflowed on to Nostr last week and I saw some bad takes. Bob does a good job pointing out the hypocrisy on the right/MAGA.
One of my favorite examples is how those on the right will respond to discriminatory hiring of minorities. Common example thrown around is that women are underpaid for the same work. This is false when you compare apples to apples with experience and hours worked. If it were true a company could hire women and a lower cost and beat their competition.
I'm not an expert on the H-1B program. I think there are likely issues with it one being that workers jobs are connected with their visa so they have a much harder time leaving for a different job vs. a native worker. It just seems to be that those in favor of free markets would be more open to competition.
The reality is that when you look at those that excel in mathematics where you come from has a huge impact. I suspect this is mostly cultural or at least that is a significant factor.
I think most cultures can learn from each other. From where I sit in the US we could do a lot better in valuing knowledge and excellence in math and science. When I look around at the families and schools it is clear that sports far out rank those things in priorities. That is catching up to us as others around the world see math and science as their ticket to a better life.
I'm not suggesting we should only focus on one thing. Just suggesting we could be a bit more self aware. We aren't gonna be able to legislate our way to excellence. It takes work and a culture that values work. I look around and I see far to many Americans that are spoiled and entitled. And this goes for the right and the left.