Reply #1: Scrap the H1-B Visa process

[exboyfil]

It is a sham. Set an annual fee for the ability to work, start businesses, etc in this country. I would suggest something like $50K/yr. (I could be convinced of a lower number as well). If our professionals cannot compete at that rate, then they need to be thinking about doing something else. The most frustrating thing is answering these employment ads in which the jobs are wired to a particular H1-B candidate. Lawyers are making fortunes helping companies navigate this process.

Another issue which needs to be resolved is how to attract more of the U.S. students into engineering/science/IT graduate school. Right now many engineers can come out with a B.S. and begin making $60K/yr. Many employers then encourage those students to get M.S. degrees while working full-time. I really think that engineering universities should work towards getting these type of candidates (U.S. citizens with five years of experience and an online M.S.) into doctoral programs. It should be a priority. My experience has been that universities prefer to get candidates straight out of B.S. programs (many of them foreign) over the type of candidate which I described. Sometimes employers encourage their employees and give them some concessions to allow them to return for the PhD. program. These folks usually remain "captive" employees to their employer so they won't be starting new business, but they are developing technologies/processes which strengthen their employer (otherwise why would the employer encourage it?). Those strenghtened employers continue to build and sell products in this country.

Could a more formalized process be established between employers and universities? How about capturing those U.S. engineers which can be entrepreneurs as well? How about getting more engineers at the undergraduate level as well?



The article presupposes that we don't have underutilized entrepreneur talent native to this country. I think that we do.


I find your last comment interesting. It should be noted that none of those countries/regions which you listed have a social safety net like we see in the U.S. We talk about income disparity and condemn it, but our floor for those in the U.S. is much higher than those listed countries/regions. Would an unemployed single parent with three children rather live in the U.S. or in one of those listed countries? How about an elderly person without support from their family?

Many on this board want to see marginal tax rates approaching 90%. Does anyone think that would improve the situation with business start ups in this country? While I think we can see some tinkering with the tax code, anything north of a marginal rate of 60% (including all taxes) is going to drive folks away.