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From: Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: "Starter Villain" by John Scalzi
Date: Sat, 10 May 2025 09:22:19 -0700
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On Fri, 9 May 2025 16:43:44 -0400, Cryptoengineer
<petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 5/9/2025 1:42 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>> Paul S Person  <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>> But I find it hard to believe that companies which, for example, hire
>>> workers to collect trash/recycle/yard waste, are looking for H1B visa
>>> holders. Most people, I suspect, can find a job without facing any
>>> such problem.
>>=20
>> The H1B system is completely broken because people like Mr. Musk have
>> figured out how to game the system.
>>=20
>> The original premise was a really good one: allow the best of the best
>> into America to work for American companies.  The problem is that =
folks
>> in the IT world figured out how to make low-level software developers
>> look like the best of the best, and those companies managed to get =
most
>> of the limited number of slots.
>>=20
>> So, first of all you have a bunch of low-level software guys coming to=
 work
>> in the US (who probably -are- displacing Americans from positions) and
>> their companies control their visas so they have no ability to leave =
their
>> jobs without leaving their companies.  This is, of course, a recipe =
for
>> employee mistreatment.
>>=20
>> But even worse from my perspective is that since all of those slots =
are
>> taken, it's impossible to get actual experts into the country on an =
H1B.
>> We'd like to hire a world-class coatings chemist from India.  A local
>> university would like to hire a guy with a Nobel prize.  But it's not
>> possible to get an H1B for these people because they are full up.
>>=20
>> Severe reform of the system is needed but unfortunately the fox is =
running
>> the henhouse.
>> --scott
>>=20
>
>As a former SW Engineer who was very much affected by this (my solution
>was to work for defense contractors, who couldn't employ non-citizens),
>I've thought quite a bit about this.
>
>My solution, ironically, is tariffs. If there was a $50,000/year tariff
>for each H1B brought in, companies would only bring in the actual 'best
>of the best'.

Perhaps, instead of a "tariff", it should be an "annual visa renewal
fee". To be paid by the employer. With non-profits exempt.

/And/ a requirement to pay them the same wage they pay US citizens of
comparable skills/education for the same job.

But voiding all the visas and sending them to who-knows-where would
probably be more attractive to Trump. Gotta deport more per month than
Biden did!
--=20
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"