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The H-1B Controversy | The Libertarian Institute libertarianinstitute.org/articles/tgif-the-h-1b-controversy/

305 sats \ 16 comments \ @Undisciplined 19 Jan econ

Institute co-founder Sheldon Richman weighs in on the latest immigration debate.

"The standard answer is that those jobs are American jobs. However, if capitalist entrepreneurs want the freedom to hire consenting workers living abroad, the jobs obviously are not American jobs. Who has the right to declare them otherwise? A job is a continuing transaction between an employer and an employee. It has no national label. To insist that it does have such a label because the employer operates on U.S. soil is to accept a premise that requires proof, namely, that the government or a majority of voters owns the country. That premise glaringly clashes with the principle of liberty. It makes freedom a delusion."

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69 sats \ 0 replies \ @0xIlmari 20 Jan

Westerners are kinda dumb.

They want cheap phones.
But they won't work cheap jobs at a phone factory - those are for "brown people".
They don't want to "import" "brown people" to work those jobs because they are dirty and criminals.
But they don't want the factories to run abroad because that's "stealing" the few "white people" jobs they might create.

(Disclaimer: These are not my views, It's a caricature of the way of thinking of an average privileged white person.)

Like WTF man, that's like the pinnacle of wanting to both have a cake and eat it too.

55 sats \ 0 replies \ @charonnakamoto 20 Jan

This matter is not “just economics.” Freedom itself is at stake.

Wonderfully nuanced article. Liberty is indeed at stake, and the 'woke right' needs to either accept meritocracy or accept decline. Everyone wants handouts rather than compete in a free market where certain difficult decisions need to be taken, such as stopping printing money, which will cause a recession and affect the welfare schemes, hitting the left and the right. Or simply work harder for market prices!

33 sats \ 4 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 22 Jan

Ah…… yes, that is true, however, the people of the country have a say in who to let in, when to let them in and how to let them in. This is even recognized as a human right by the United Nations of all places. Invasions are not supported to take place. If the people don’t want it, it shouldn’t go, in these modern times. Isn’t that right? No invasions of freedonia by slaveocracy and or the reverse. Isn’t that right? So, if the locals decide that you cannot work in their country, you don’t work. I seem to remember India applying these exact rules to foreigners, when I was there. They controlled what foreigners could do rather strictly. Do they expect something different by other peoples?

20 sats \ 3 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 23 Jan

As a matter of rights, I disagree, but I can see why there are some current practical realities that might require something like that.

As Rothbard said, "All rights are property rights." If I want to hire someone from another country and someone else is willing to rent them a house and someone else is willing to sell them groceries and so on, no one else has a right to intervene just because they're Americans.

30 sats \ 2 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 23 Jan

Yes, there is nothing but property rights. The problem is if someone, say for instance, the state is putting the costs off on me or you, it is an encroachment on our property rights. As I understand it, right now, the "new immigrants" are being ushered in with money from our government which is being stolen from us. They are being given large sums of money to invade us. FTS

20 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined OP 23 Jan

It's not clear what we can conclude from that, though. How does the state violating my rights confer on me a right to violate someone else's?

I think we just go further into error whenever we embrace rights violations, no matter how reasonable/necessary they seem.

Our priority and focus should always be on solving problems by reducing rights violations, rather than introducing new ones.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Rothbardian_fanatic 23 Jan

t's not clear what we can conclude from that, though. How does the state violating my rights confer on me a right to violate someone else's?

It doesn't confer any rights to you. You already have the right to self-defend.

Our priority and focus should always be on solving problems by reducing rights violations, rather than introducing new ones.

I agree. We have to find the solutions to these problems. I do know of one good solution to the rights violations problem: get rid of the state!

23 sats \ 1 reply \ @SimpleStacker 20 Jan

Hmm. I understand the argument, but on the other hand if the government is going to take my money, the least they could do is use that money to rig the market in my favor.

30 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 20 Jan

I'd say the least they can do is not rig the market at all, but I take your point.

23 sats \ 6 replies \ @HardMoney 20 Jan

Only allowing American citizens to be hired is another application of DEI. Gets away from the merit and qualifications of which candidates will do the best work

0 sats \ 5 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 20 Jan

It's the same sort of identitarian nonsense, but isn't it explicitly counter to DEI?

37 sats \ 4 replies \ @HardMoney 20 Jan

I think similar to DEI in that the hiring ruleset considers elements that are not indicative to actual skills and qualifications.

Anti-h1b = America first even if it results in worse productivity

DEI = some sort of marginalized group first which will more often than not result in worse productivity

Hiring the best for the purpose of optimizing output and productivity is counter to each of the above imo

10 sats \ 3 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 20 Jan

That's what I mean: DEI arbitrarily elevates members of marginalized groups, while America First arbitrarily elevates members of a privileged group.

30 sats \ 2 replies \ @HardMoney 20 Jan

Got it and agreed there. Was more so saying those are more similar to each other than a meritocracy even if they are on opposite sides of the spectrum of who they elevate

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined OP 20 Jan

Yeah, I enjoy when people call them the "Woke Right". I think that's fitting.

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