In last night's debate, Mitt Romney made a statement that astonished me. He was talking about how he would revive the economy. Although he did not say it in these exact words, he said that he would eliminate the need for the outsourcing of skilled American jobs. Details below the orange cumulus.
Mitt said, in response to Lorraine Osario's question about immigration:
I don't think you have to -- shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to figure out how to get into this country legally. I also think that we should give visas to people -- green cards, rather, to people who graduate with skills that we need, people around the world with accredited degrees in -- in science and math get a green card stapled to their diploma, come to the US of A.
Link
So, what Mitt Romney is proposing is that anyone who graduates with a degree in science or math (or, presumably, engineering) from an accredited foreign college or university automatically gets a green card. They can then come to the United States and compete in our job market.
How does the first questioner, first-time voter and college student, Jeremy Epstein, who is worried about his prospects for employment, feel about having to compete right here in the USA with millions and millions of college graduates from China, India, South Korea, you name it... ?
What effect would implementing that concept have on the wage structure here in the United States?
The answer: there would be no more need to outsource skilled jobs to the Third World. Rather, we would in-source the Third World's skilled labor force. And due to the inexorable effect of the law of supply and demand, we would, at the same time, be in-sourcing the Third World's salary structure. The salary floor would be the Minimum Wage. And if Paul Ryan and his Randian friends get their way, the Minimum Wage will be consigned to the dust-bin of history.
Mitt Romney has made superficially similar statements previously, but much narrower ones... once with respect to foreign students who get advanced degrees from colleges and universities in the United States,, and -- at the infamous 47% fundraiser -- with respect to those who receive doctoral degrees.
"If someone gets an advanced degree, I want them to stay here, so I'd staple a green card to their diploma," Romney said, prompting applause from the audience.
Link.
"Gosh, I'd love to bring in more legal immigrants that have skill ... I'd like to staple a green card to every Ph.D. in the world and say, 'Come to America, we want you here,'" Romney said at the May event. "Instead, we make it hard for people who get educated here or elsewhere to make this their home."
Link.
There was also a bill introduced into Congress.. the Staple Act.. which would have effectively stapled a green card to the diploma of every foreigner who earns a doctoral degree in America. The bill failed to get out of the House.
Link.