Trump Goes with Musk
President-elect Donald Trump appears to be siding with Elon Musk and his other backers in the tech industry. The dispute over immigration visas has divided his supporters.
The question in my mind being? Why Go Out of Country for Labor besides a supposed belief the Labor is better? Most of the electronics techie people I have worked with were well trained, qualified and knowledgeable. The communication was excellent also.
Here is the rundown as reported by Politico. I have also read several other articles and none appear to be making an issue over quality. That is other than replacing US Labor in these jobs. Supposedly, these out-of-country H1B workers are paid prevailing wages. Do they get benefits? What makes them so attractive over US Labor? Other than working 12 hours or more a day.
Tough Guy Trump acquiesces to Musk desires.
Trump, in an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, praised the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers to the U.S. The topic has become a flashpoint within his conservative base.
“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said.
In fact, Trump has in the past criticized the H-1B visas, calling them “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. During his first term as president, he unveiled a “Hire American” policy that directed changes to the program to try to ensure the visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants.
Despite his criticism of them and attempts to curb their use, he has also used the visas at his businesses in the past, something he acknowledged in his interview Saturday.
“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” Trump told the newspaper.
He did not appear to address questions about whether he would pursue any changes to the number or use of the visas once he takes office Jan. 20.
Trump’s hardline immigration policies, focused mostly on immigrants who are in the country illegally, were a cornerstone of his presidential campaign and a priority issue for his supporters.
But in recent days, his coalition has split in a public debate largely taking place online about the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers. Hard-right members of Trump’s movement have accused Musk and others in Trump’s new flank of tech-world supporters of pushing policies at odds with Trump’s “America First” vision.
Software engineers and others in the tech industry have used H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers and say they are a critical tool for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated.
Exclusive | “Donald Trump backs H-1B visa program supported by Elon Musk,” New York Post
Meanwhile, Musk goes all Hillary Clinton on the GOP deplorables:
“At another point, Musk said “those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists” were “contemptible fools” who should be “removed … root and stem . . .”
Elites benefit from a bifurcated immigration system that pushes down the employee compensation stack differently on each end. The high pay end gets more visas and faster paths to citizenship reducing the high demand premium for high tech. The low pay end gets additional incentives to fly below unfair compensation radar with longer hours, lower pay, fewer rights, and greater fear of deportation. It is a win-win for the Musk/Trump team.
Trump and Musk like h-1b because a quit has only 60 days to find a new sponsor. That’s almost as good as indentured servitude, and holds down wages.
Josh Marshall nails it:
“This is less a “civil war” than Bannon and Co. playing the role of Twitter’s then-employees the day after Musk finalized his purchase of the company. My point here isn’t to argue that each group is radically different or that the newcomers are “not that bad.” It’s more that what we’re seeing here is more the fallout of the fact that lots of players saw Trump as a vehicle that stood a good shot at winning the presidency, was old and increasingly worn out and wasn’t particularly invested in what happened once he was in the White House other than not going to jail and lording it over his foes. That leaves lots of openings for people who see the opportunity and take a ride in the car with the aim of making their way to the drivers’ seat because they know Trump is old, distracted and mostly doesn’t care. You could say it’s a Silicon Valley hostile takeover of MAGA. But I’m not even sure it’s hostile. There’s little sign Trump cares. He’s already gotten what he wants.”
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/its-not-really-a-maga-civil-war-more-like-a-battle-over-the-steering-wheel