Comments on: America's Secret Innovation Weapon: Immigration

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:32:23 +0000

Which nation would that be? India? China? Name one new invention to come out of India or China in the past 500 years. Or even in the past 5 years.

The world economy is in trouble precisely because industry and wealth has been shifted from Americans to uncreative people.

By: david

david — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:05:19 +0000

Seems like a lot of people have forgotten that America was built and prospered BECAUSE of immigration. Those "indians" and "chinese" aren't your enemy. America's inability to compete in the global marketplace will be it's downfall and will eventually erode away it's power base in a generation.

Maybe America's time has come and gone and it's time for a more innovative nation to take the lead.

By: VCs & Immigrant Entrepreneurs Driving for Change in Law « Richard Herman's Blog

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:33:21 +0000

[...] http://gigaom.com/2009/07/04/americas-secret-innovation-weapon-immigration/ [...]

By: 移民が必要な本当の理由 » 経済学101

移民が必要な本当の理由 » 経済学101 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:05:48 +0000

[...] America’s Secret Innovation Weapon: Immigration – GigaOM Immigrants come to the United States and take menial jobs so that their children have a chance at a better future, he told me. While the jobs they take are below their intrinsic capabilities, they’re focused on giving their children a better life, not personal job satisfaction. [...]

By: jdeware

jdeware — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:58:23 +0000

I’m not sure I understand this VISA paln.
It is based on the idea that people from all over the world are ready to invest massive amount of money, time and ressources in a country where healthcare is highly ineficient, people dislike you at best you because you’re not american,( simply read the comment in this column), and the state doesn’t give a fly about innovation or entrepreneurship, but care more about financial institutions.
If you want to buy a house in the USA, it’s easy, there’s already a wave of European buying cheap ocean front apartment in Florida, so the idea of giving green card to Indians who have enough money to invest in 500k house is simply unrealistic, I think all of you overestimate the appeal your country has.If I have 500k to invest in a house I’ll invest it in Shanghai where real estate prospect are solid, unlike the USA.
Also,the author of this visa are apparently not aware of the current existing visa.
There’s company transfert visa, where a foreign company can set up a branch here in the USA and send executive from abroad to manage the USA operation, so taht means that if someone has a new idea for a search engine, then he would simply start at home country with less than 25000usd, and then if the company is catching up, open a branch in the USA and send people there.
What I’m trying to say is taht if someone wants to start a genius search engine in the USA he can…
So if a new visa is to be created for foreign entrepreneurs, it will have to much less restrictive to reflect the reality that less and less talents are willing to come to the USA.
Give visa to foreign entrepreneurs who have a good business plan and can show they can live one year on their saving, where-either it is a bakery store, a video game company or an IT start-up.
Even with that type of Visa, I’m not sure that people will still be tempted to go to the USA.
You know if I was to immigrate to the USA, I would first see how people in the USA perceive immigrants.
MOst of all, the entrepreneur visa even if given for free will not attract entrepreneurs from Europe for examples, simply because no European wants to come to the USA given the ammount of hostility toward Europeans.
Also, as I saw a post above…you want to give facilities to immigrant so that they can buy a house in area where realestate is bleak…In reality taht means that means offering to Europeans, Indians, chinese the dream of living in Alabama or texas, or some shithole unhabited by republicans or neoconnist, who first reflexe is too point a gun at your face when you first knock on their door with a “welcome in the neibourhood” apple-pie…
That’s like the Iranian government giving credit facilities to Israellies who buy houses in Teheran…that wouldn’t work.

Anyway, my point is if you want more immigrants entrepreneurs, maybe you should first stop being so hostile toward the rest of the world before even working out visas.

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:14:21 +0000

I wonder if the notion we need immigration to keep the brightest and best coming here is really motivated by the idea fourth generation folks are lazy and for the most part not contributing much. What is really going on here is the notion exponential growth of population is the only engine of economic prosperity and human advancement. The danger in that is at what point do we reach equilibrium 20 billion world population with 1.5 billion in United States? We are living in an ever increasing stew of toxic chemicals distributed world wide bioaccumulated into our bodies creating who knows what health malfunctions.
But on we go with this population expanded and immigration growing exponentially in all directions living on borrowed short term dirty resources mode of existance . This is dam the sustainability full speed ahead mentality. The lemmings run on eating every blade of grass in sight. Anyone who see,s from my vantage point is considered a racist and repressionist reactionary. But to bad that is the way I see it.

By: Sean Murphy

Sean Murphy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:48:31 +0000

Hey Mike

Thanks for doing up this post and leading this movement. We created a comedy (but totally serious) about the Startup Visa – We call it “Lord of the Visa.” (from Lord of the Rings)

Are you an Elf or a Hobbit?

http://blog.vidli.com/startup-visa/

Enjoy…

By: Join the Startup Founder Visa Movement « StartupVisa.com

Join the Startup Founder Visa Movement « StartupVisa.com — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:26:09 +0000

[...] America’s Secret Weapon: Immigration – Mike Speiser [...]

By: nick

nick — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:57:22 +0000

worlds biggest “kaabooom” on independence day.

By: forumdriv

forumdriv — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:37:00 +0000

The parents of this guy: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/08/25/space.shuttle.latino.astronaut/ Astronaut Jose Hernandez had nothing and no education and he is walking in space on behalf of the US on a mission right now. The ancestors of this guy: http://digg.com/people/When_There_s_Nothing_On_The_Horizon_You_ve_Got_Nothing_139 Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione, 21, of Howell, Mich., who died this week in Afghanistan probably came to this country with nothing and no education. People starting with nothing, with no formal education, and making the US anew along with those who have been here for generations and those who have been here for only years is the great strength of our nation. We are muts, we come from nothing and we’ve put together a pretty fair economy, a pretty fair nation, and a pretty good example for all other nations. Stop worrying that America is too weak to handle it or that diversity is some how a liability. It is what makes us great.

By: debug

debug — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:36:04 +0000

There are few IT jobs left. However, most of these jobs only target guest workers under the H1b visas. They don’t allow locals – Americans and Permanent Residents to apply. Americans are being discriminated in their own county.

We need to pass the Durbin and Grassley Bill – S887
it will make the playing field even again. Americans and Permanent Residents can compete again

There are thousands of highly skilled Americans that are unemployed that are willing to take these jobs. It’s about time that we help Americans which helped bail out Wall Street. The American middle class has been devastated by these temporary Guest worker visas that were not meant for immigration purposes. It’s about time we help our own American Citizens and local residents instead of bringing in cheap foreign labor. There is no skills shortage just companies that don’t want to pay prevailing wages.

Let’s take globalist logic as far as it goes. The population of India alone is around 1.2 billion, and there are plenty of other nations whose citizens would love to come take and jobs here or else have our work shipped over to them. The US population is only around 300 million. Since they don’t come burdened with our mortgages, rents, student loans, and other bills, the vast majority of foreign workers would be delighted to take a significantly lower wage than what we need to live comfortably here. Theoretically, every single American worker, present and future, could be replaced with a willing foreign worker. Think how much money that would save. Not just the tech workers. The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. The cop, the handyman, the lawn guy, the teacher, the plumber. They have blue collar workers too. What if every single one of us got our walking papers? What would America be like then? For us? Welfare benefits have a tight lifetime cap. Savings? Home equity? What would you live on if every single time you thought of a plan to earn, a foreigner was right there, johnny-on-the-spot, to take your place? In the tech field, in some areas, this is already happening. Better get active and do something about this, unless you trust the third world to show restraint and stop wanting our jobs.

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GNC-2009-07-06 #491 Monster Show — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:27:25 +0000

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By: Anil

Anil — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:12:45 +0000

You can’t generalize this, I think India is an emerging nation that has high potential of opportunities for everyone. I’m not saying USA doesn’t have it, but INDIA is very near too.

By: Amit

Amit — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:25:56 +0000

I think its better to refer to them as undocumented immigrants and more polite. They want a better life and they have a right to it and I am happy for them when they get there. However if Congress can pass laws that give them a path to citizenship then how about giving us documented immigrants automatic Green Cards?

By: J Dey (jyodey) 's status on Tuesday, 07-Jul-09 18:42:07 UTC - Identi.ca

J Dey (jyodey) 's status on Tuesday, 07-Jul-09 18:42:07 UTC - Identi.ca — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:42:14 +0000

[...] America’s Secret Innovation Weapon: Immigration http://gigaom.com/2009/07/04/americas-secret-innovation-weapon-immigration/ [...]

By: glad Sarah Palin ran, Michael Jackson, smart immigration | Urban Onramps

glad Sarah Palin ran, Michael Jackson, smart immigration | Urban Onramps — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:10:13 +0000

[...] AMERICA’S SECRET INNOVATION WEAPON: “When I was 8 years old, my father explained to me the secret to American prosperity,” starts Mike Speiser, who makes this noteworthy statement: Smart immigration policies will do more for American innovation and productivity than better math an… [...]