[Edward64]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

We will need doctors, but that's a problem we've let lobbyists create to drive up prices. We can fix it fairly quickly but won't. That is not an immigration issue.

I agree we need more doctors (and nurses). Immigration did not cause the problem, immigration will help resolve it (see below).

And wanting more PhDs is fine but it seems kind of silly to be importing them. Just make education more accessible and affordable and you'll create more PhDs too.

Stats show the US is just not keeping up in STEM fields. I think this goes beyond just making education more accessible and affordable. It's a societal/cultural (?) thing that will take time to turnaround ... if ever.

But the PhD thing is just a way to control the ethnic and racial makeup of immigrants. It's not about bringing in more PhDs (why does that even matter?). A system like that would benefit wealthier, whiter nations.

Not how I see it. There are a ton of brown Indian & yellow Chinese MDs, brown & yellow asian nurses, and I am positive there are a ton of yellow PhDs from China. This PhD thing will benefit non-whites more than whites if going by raw numbers.

Admittedly, there won't be as many (yet) brown from south of the border or blacks from Africa, so it is discriminatory towards them because their education base isn't as developed as China or India. But non-white is non-white, increased diversity from China/India/Asia vs South/Africa is still good, right?

As far was why it matters? It builds up our intellectual capital base. It increases the odds that US will stay in the forefront of science, technology, innovation etc. And it will relatively quickly address shortages in some industries like doctors & nurses, chip design & production (yeah, think we can't get a bunch of folks from Taiwan with a promise of US citizenship & easy relocation?) etc. We are falling behind in STEM, we struggle to organically (internally) increase this skillset, so let's "buy" it through immigration.

And there would certainly be restrictions on PhDs from less white countries by claiming they don't meet some accreditation or some subjective metric.

MDs and nurses definitely, no problem if they come over, then be an "resident/associate/assistant" first before getting re-certified.

For other PhDs, companies (and lesser extent, higher education) will hire primarily on need & merit. e.g. AI companies are too busy to discriminate, they want the best.


Just a note for the record. Although I am speaking about PhDs, doctors & nurses here, my position is preference to merit/skills/education based. So, a much broader pool of talent than just PhDs, doctors & nurses.