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Gates warns on US immigration curbs
reavo
Member Posts: 2,173
It seems that instead of just filling spots with foreign labor because there are not enough educated American's, we should be looking towards fixing the education system here.
If anyone is interested, and wants to hear from a school teacher such as myself, I have plenty of suggestions. And the first one may come as a shock to you to hear it from me. But I think our first step should be to do away with the public school system all together! It's a failure and it's only getting worse. Why else are we depending on foreign workers to fill labor positions that require skilled workers?
Trust me, I work in the public school system. It's a friggin' mess all around!!! Even us teacher's know it and scream about it every single day.
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Gates warns on US immigration curbs
By Kevin Allison in San Francisco
Published: March 7 2007 19:26 | Last updated: March 7 2007 19:26
Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, on Wednesday warned that restrictions on the number of skilled workers allowed to enter the US put the country’s competitiveness at risk.
The comments marked the latest attack on restrictive US immigration policies by the technology industry, which is facing a shortage of skilled workers even as demand for their skills is increasing.
Speaking before the Senate committee on health, education, labour and pensions, Mr Gates said that tighter US immigration policies – governed partly by concerns over terrorism – were “driving away the world’s best and brightest precisely when we need them most”.
“It makes no sense to tell well-trained, highly skilled individuals, many of whom are educated at our top colleges and universities, that the United States does not welcome or value them,” Mr Gates said. “America will find it infinitely more difficult to maintain its technological leadership if it shuts out the very people who are most able to help us compete.”
Mr Gates said that other countries were taking advantage of restrictive US policies by catering to highly skilled workers who would otherwise choose to study, live and work in the US.
“Our lost opportunities are their gains,” he said. “I personally witness the ill effects of these policies on an almost daily basis at Microsoft.”
Mr Gates’s comments on immigration were part of a broader warning over the state of US competitiveness.
Mr Gates said he felt “deep anxiety” about the US’s ability to remain competitive if it did not act quickly to improve education, invest in basic science research, and reform its immigration policies.
“America cannot maintain its innovation leadership if it does not educate world-class innovators and train its workforce to use innovations effectively. Unfortunately, available data suggest that we are failing to do so . . . especially in our high schools.”
Mr Gates called on Congress to loosen rules that prevent many foreign students from settling once their studies in the US are complete. He also suggested that Congress speed the process of obtaining permanent resident status for highly skilled workers.
Immigration reform emerged as a key issue among voters in last year’s mid-term elections. However, most of the debate has focused on illegal immigration and whether the US should create a guest worker programme for low-skilled immigrants.
The US currently limits visas for skilled foreign workers to 65,000 a year, while the number of green cards, required for permanent resident status is limited to 140,000 a year.
Mr Gates acknowledged concerns over US job losses resulting from immigration but sought to distinguish between the need to encourage more highly skilled workers to enter the US and the broader debate on immigration reform.
“These reforms do not pit US workers against those foreign born,” he said. “Far from displacing US workers, highly skilled foreign-born workers will continue to function as they always have: as job creators.”
Comments
"Kaneda! What...do you see?"
I think that if we did away with the public school system and turned to something else (vouchers for instance) things would change in many ways. First off, if a kid doesn't want to be in school then fine. Let him leave. Now, by my saying that do not jump to the conclusion that I am writing this kid off. Far from it. Just stick with me for a minute. Since parents are given choices as to which school they get to put their children into, there will be more competition between schools to attract students and their parents. This would also force the schools to hire top notch teachers. Another BIG plus! And since all the kids who are now in school want to be there or have parents who will pinch their heads off if they misbehave, things get going in the classroom at a much better pace with much better output at the end.
Now for the kids who decide they don't want to be in school... This is usually due to a lack of maturity on either the kids part, the parents part, or both. But whatever the case someone or some people need to do some growing up for this kid to be successful and to want to be in education mode. Eventually, the maturity will come around and when this happens there will be a market for remedial education for these people. Even if it takes them moving into adulthood and realizing they made a huge mistake, someone is going to start up a market that appeals to these "late bloomers".
As it stands right now, there are classrooms that are much too full of kids who could give a damn where they are. And I have made enough phone calls to parents to realize that there are plenty of "parents" who could give a damn as well. This could get the parents off their butts as well. I mean, even if they're just dropping them off at school for a free "sitting service", eventually they're going to realize things have changed.
Personally, I think that education shouldn't be the responsibility of government. It's a rule of thumb that anything the government does is a mess and that private companies can do a much better job. ALWAYS!!! Government schools are a failure and an insult to our children. Why else would Bill Gates and others be looking for employees from out of America.
Like I said, I work in a public school. Take some time to go sit in a classroom sometime and see what it's like. Be sure you pick a teacher with really good classroom management skills to go watch. Because even those teachers have a hell of a time getting to kids who could care less about learning. Especially when they go home and are not prompted about the importance of it.
It might sound drastic, but then again so does homeschooling. And look how well home schooled children in general do compared to public school children. What sounds drastic is sometimes the best route. And this is coming from a teacher who just got teacher of the year. Yet I still see the glaring flaws that are growing more and more each day in our "education" system.
Oh, and btw. I don't really see much of a problem in our healthcare system. I don't know anyone in this country who would be denied care if they presented themselves into any hospital Emergency Room. And if you think that the government could run health care better then I very much disagree.
Oh, and one more thing. I think that things in this country were relatively better before the instigation of government schools and their indoctrination procedures. There were plenty of great inventors, philosophers, and money makers before public schools. The difference was that the people getting the education WANTED the education. Desire makes all the difference in the world.
HOLSH+T
I knew it
bill gates hates mexicans lets have a debate
Theres an evil monkey in my closet hes gone BANANA'S!!
help me!
See here's the problem Reavo, not enough teachers are like you...most of them are too busy crying "We don't get paid enough, pay us more and the education system will improve."
We had a local school district where the teachers went on strike because the schools got a multi million dollar funding increase, and the teachers got a 3.4% salary increase, but instead of being happy with that raise, they cried that it wasn't enough, and demanded 7%.
That is the problem with our school system, greedy teachers. I know that teachers don't get paid enough, but damn it you don't become a teacher without knowing what the pay is like. Don't go through 6 years of college to get a master's degree and then take a job where you KNOW the salary is going to suck, and then whine about it.
I'm in college to be a teacher myself, I want to teach English. I know full well that the pay for teachers in this country sucks, and I'm okay with that. I don't want to teach for the money, I want to teach because we live in a country full of people who have no clue how to write an essay with any degree of readability.
Your argument is like a two legged dog with an eating disorder...weak and unbalanced.
If we generate better qualified Americans, they arent going to be entering the economy for a few years. Think; just because money floods a school in Harlem and the quality of the education increases it doesnt do so much to help those who are almost at the end of graduation. Yeah, better education (which means more than better paid teachers, it means every kid gets the necessary textbooks and other materials essential to education, as well as access to college if they are qualified) will be a good thing for our future. But for now, considering that we have China and India to worry about, why not try and suck up some skilled workers from other countries in addition to educating our youth?
You see, if we attract professionals from other countries it does our society good in multiple ways. First, we get their assets that they had when they were in their home country. Second, we get their skills. Third, we take those assets and skills away from their home country. Fourth, we get their kids who will be Americanized and will be raised by parents who value education and have the resources to make their children successful like they were. Not only does it make us more competitive, but it makes other countries less competetive and thus easier to compete against. This is called the "brain drain," and it has benefited us in the past.
But I agree that the educational system is deplorable in the United States and really should be on the top of the government's to do list. I like to imagine how much better we'd be as a country if instead of spending money in Iraq we were spending it getting our kids through school so we'd be able to thrive as much as possible.
I hate the public school system though. It sucks and it's getting worse all the time. But I figured I could either whine about it, or try to change it from the inside. I get a lot of criticism from some other teachers, but surprisingly there are a lot that agree with me. We just go where we're needed.
As far as teacher's whining about the pay, I know what you mean. Yeah, I get frustrated about the pay, but that's part of the whole government ruining it all. But if we had to sell ourselves just like when people get other jobs the pay would go up. Only the best would be hired as well.
I think it's awesome you're working on being a teacher though. I didn't know that. You've got some awesome times ahead of you, especially with the attitude you have. Wait until you see some of the other attitudes you have to deal with. Geez. It's disheartening to hear how some teachers talk about their students.
My best advice, eat lunch in your room or around like minded teachers. And steer clear of the teachers lounge!!! Venom spews from out of there.
Heh thanks, I thought that you knew that I was studying to become a teacher...maybe I only mentioned the English part of my college education....but yeah, I decided to become an English teacher after my first semester of college. Physical therapy definitely was not for me and I knew that I was good at writing and liked helping people, so it fit. Then I had an internship at a local middle school and it pretty much sealed the deal, I loved being able to help the kids grow, especially in their writing.
Your argument is like a two legged dog with an eating disorder...weak and unbalanced.
The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher - Harry Wong
I actually think I want to teach at a high school level. I suppose 8th grade wouldn't be bad though. All of the teachers for my education courses told me that I should teach at a middle school first anyway though, so who knows, maybe i'll end up loving it so much that I don't want to leave.
Your argument is like a two legged dog with an eating disorder...weak and unbalanced.
The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher - Harry Wong
Thanks, and if you ever get a chance, or havn't done so already, try giving http://www.amazon.com/Educating-Esme-Diary-Teachers-First/dp/1565122798/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-9391236-0499235?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173326878&sr=1-1 a read. It's a pretty entertaining book, it's on the short side though, you will probably go through it in a day or two. Even though you have been teaching for awhile, I still recommend it, it has some really funny parts.
Your argument is like a two legged dog with an eating disorder...weak and unbalanced.
I LOL'ed at this guy this time, no really I spit coffee in irony.
This man has outsourced his MSN team (a relative is head of media there) and his customer service.
Gates is like the ultimate fuckhead of the new millenium.
Love windows, hate the douche who came up with it.
Keepin it real.