Posted on 07/16/2004 6:15:16 AM PDT by OESY
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So much of today's contentious immigration debate focuses on those arriving from Latin America to work in agriculture or take low-level service jobs that Americans tend to spurn. But a new study by Stuart Anderson of the National Foundation for American Policy reminds us that the contributions of skilled foreign-born professionals and their offspring are no less important to the U.S. Without them the country would be hard pressed to maintain its world-wide advantage in such fields as math and science.
The report, titled "The Multiplier Effect," will be released on Monday and available at www.nfap.net1. Here are some highlights:
• More than half of the engineers with Ph.D.s working in the U.S., and 45% of the nation's computer science doctorates, are foreign-born.
• Children of immigrants comprise 65% of the 2004 U.S. Math Olympiad's top scorers (13 of 20) and 46% of the U.S. Physics Team (11 of 24).
• At this year's Intel Science Talent Search, which recognizes the nation's top math and science students, 60% of the finalists and seven of the top 10 award winners were immigrants or their children. Last year, three of the top four awardees were foreign-born.
Traditionally, these rigorous competitions have served as a font for the next generation of scientists and mathematicians. More than 95% of Intel Science Talent Search winners pursue science as a career, and 70% go on to earn an advanced degree. But the high rate of success among foreigners is even more extraordinary when you consider the tiny segment of the population that generates it.
While the whiz kids and their parents hail from nations as far-flung as India, Romania, China, Vietnam, Israel, Turkey and Russia, many are here on a very limited number of H-1b visas that are reserved for immigrants with technical skills. These visas are given out to fewer than 100,000 foreigners each year, which is less than .04% of the 293 million individuals who live in the U.S.
Anyone who saw "Spellbound," the captivating documentary about the annual National Spelling Bee, knows that math and science aren't the only subjects in which immigrants excel. And policy makers will surely continue to explore why it is that American students aren't competing better in these areas.
...
If we had listened to the anti-immigration crowd over the past 20 years, says Mr. Anderson in an interview, "we would have wiped out two-thirds of the top future scientist and mathematicians in the United States because we would have barred their parents from ever entering America."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Through natural selection of the more ambitious, a.k.a. the brain-drain, motivated immigrants leave their own countries to live the American dream, often investing, starting companies and creating jobs. The trick is to sort out those who will make the positive contributions to the American society and economy from others.
The trick is to sort out those who will make the positive contributions to the American society and economy from others.
No trick.
As a general rule, the poeple who come in through normal border crossing checkpoints or airport terminal customs are the ones who will make a positive contribution.
The ones who sneak in over an open border or a deserted beach are the other kind.
There. Problem solved.
Next.
Or upper class Indians send their employees here to study and get computer jobs. Then they help in outsourcing their and their colleague's jobs back to India. Worst case scenario, they end up back in India, living like kings on $5.00 an hour.
The cap on the H1Bs was "totally" ignored during the Clinton years. It has devastated the American computer industry. I would not recommend anyone going into that field now.
HiJinx for President!!
If we have to import techs...its a sign our schools & teachers are not doing what they are being paid to do
So vhat else is new?
Agreed with one exception - alot of those PHDs bring mom, dad, granny & their one-legged psychotic cousin with them to the US for a gold plated retirement.
In CA, NY & other high immigration states a great number of working age immigrants perfectly capable of living up to their promises to the state to care for their relatives instead stick them in subsidized housing complexes & set them up with all the bennies just as soon as they're able.
We could do without these types, as well.
Appologists can quote all the statistics they want and I can give equal statistice that show the opposite (like 60% of Federal prisoners are illegal aliens). The point is, we need to secure our boarders and stop these lawbreakers from entering our country.
That would discriminate against Latin America's millions of functional illiterates. (/sarcasm ?)
With rampant illegal immigration and legal immigration with its visa (it's only fair, they whined) quota system, we aren't weeding out much of anything.
Actually the percentage of illegal immigrants in our prisons is 30%, not 60% as you quote.
"Apologists" is too kind a term for the WSJ. They are a parody of themselves on this issue.
Why quibble about details --let's compromise and say it's 450%. Here we have an article about immigration supplying top notch talent (while other countries whine about their brain-drain) and the comments focus on illegal immigration.
If these immigrant bashers had been in power in the '30's, Einstein would have been sent to Aushwitz.
If they are so damn good why are their countries of origin pathetic hell holes of superstition?
None of the above impacts the legal-illegal debate, but your remark sure seems to apply to everyone who leaves elsewhere to come here, whatever their status,
I have no tolerance for those that would screw up my country regardless of their origins or the supposed good intentions of their sponsors.
Oh boy here it comes.
Oh, one more thing. I suppose that because I am defending Americans that makes me part of the "anti-immigration crowd." No I am not anti-immigration. I am just old fashion. I still think highly of all those immigrants of the past who are now Americans. I am not part of the modern "immigrants are everything, Americans are nothing" crowd. So there. Turn about is fair play.
fine. tell me what proportion of legal immigrants are "screwing up my (our) country"
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