[koba]

That pattern has been going on for thirty years, it is just increasing now. Go to most aerospace and computer companies and 30-50% of the engineers and programmers who work there will be people who were born outside of the U.S. Many of the older American engineers are heading towards retirement, so these numbers will probably increase. In the colleges, 60% of the young (under 40) professors in engineering and computer science were not born in the U.S.

[WRhine]

koba, I'm very well aware of that...It's true. I also believe that our government is too quick to capitulate to industry chieftains on matters of immigration when it should be trying using its influence to create the conditions where more Americans have an incentive to go into technology areas.

A few decades ago, engineering was a big thing in America and millions of people went into the field. Somewhere down the line, and I don't know why, but engineering and science in general became something of a less cherished life pursuit in America. It became all about money, law, media, medicine etc. (a doctoral thesis could be written on this and why). Meanwhile many of our schools with the NEA's and liberals' help went to hell.

Yet, what’s done is done and now the task of fixing this stands before us. America simply cannot forever import technical help and expect to remain a superpower long-term. And the excessive granting of H1-B visas is only aggravating the problem. Maybe many of our high tech companies should contract out more to other nations for their technical needs. At least this would stabilize the situation in America until a longer term solution emerges.