YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas • Hacker News Board

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#381

Post by Mikeb85 » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:48 PM UTC

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #330

mindcrime wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the illegal immigrants that suck the system dry, not the smart, diligent, legitimate ones working in academia and top companies. That sounds like a grossly inaccurate generalization to me. A lot of "illegal immigrants" are an absolutely essential part of the economy, performing jobs like picking oranges in the Florida heat/humidity, doing roofing work, washing dishes, etc. Interview farmers in the south and ask…

This is already happening: California Farmers Backed Trump, but Now Fear Losing Field Workers https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/us/california-farmers-bac... I don't know why its so uncomfortable for conservatives to admit that illegals play a role in our economy[1]. If they didn't they wouldn't be here as the market would choose against them. This is why Democrats have been fighting for amnesty programs for long tim…

> Native borns aren't fighting to pick oranges for 12 hours a day at minimum wage, but these guys will and do.

An economist would say it's because the wage being offered is too low. Businesses don't get to have access to unlimited labour at whatever wage they choose in a market economy.

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#382

Post by cperciva » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:50 PM UTC

I'm a couple hours late to this thread, but speaking as a long-time member of the HN community and Vancouverite: Welcome!

I'm happy to assist YC and/or founders with anything requiring local experience or a local presence. Send me an email.

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#383

Post by illumin8 » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:52 PM UTC

mindcrime wrote: post #313

degenerate wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might want to take a step outside the academic setting every once in a while. Chat with a cop, ambulance driver, or immigration officer from a sanctuary city if you really want to "get" it. It's the illegal immigrants that suck the system dry, not the smart, diligent, legitimate ones working in academia and top companies.

It's the illegal immigrants that suck the system dry, not the smart, diligent, legitimate ones working in academia and top companies. That sounds like a grossly inaccurate generalization to me. A lot of "illegal immigrants" are an absolutely essential part of the economy, performing jobs like picking oranges in the Florida heat/humidity, doing roofing work, washing dishes, etc. Interview farmers in the south and ask…

My grandfather owned many apple orchards, and he said without migrant labor, he would have had to go out of business years ago. He could not hire US citizens as workers because nobody that is born here wants to climb trees all day picking fruit for minimum wage. This was back in the 80s. He also had very good things to say about how hard-working and dedicated the migrant workers were.

Now, you might argue that without migrant labor, he should just pay a decent wage, but what is a decent wage for hard manual labor? Would you be ok with paying $10 an apple at the grocery store because someone was paid $30-40 an hour to pick them?

The narrative that illegal immigrants are all criminals is deeply flawed and inaccurate.

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#384

Post by arcticbull » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:54 PM UTC

malchow wrote: post #322

degenerate wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might want to take a step outside the academic setting every once in a while. Chat with a cop, ambulance driver, or immigration officer from a sanctuary city if you really want to "get" it. It's the illegal immigrants that suck the system dry, not the smart, diligent, legitimate ones working in academia and top companies.

Yes. Of course, there are native born citizens who suck the system dry, too. But a sovereign nation can dispense with illegal aliens. (And should.) Then we must turn to, you know, growing the economy fast enough to support this massive welfare state for the people who are constitutionally entitled to it -- both native born and legally immigrated. Or we could eviscerate the welfare state and be richer, freer, happier,…

Richer, freer, happier and healthier than the Norwegians, Swedes, Finns and Danes? Those are among the most extensive welfare states in the world, proividing:

"[A] national system of free health care and education for everyone, job training, subsidized child care, a generous pension system and fuel subsidies and rent allowances for the elderly." [1]

And on top of that, better healthcare (#11, 14, 23 are Norics, 30 is Canada, 31 is USA [3]), low wealth inequality, low income inequality, low gender inequality and high happiness (#1, 3, 4, 5 are Nordics [2]). By all metrics, those people in the welfare states are happier, freer, richer and healthier than your average American -- some of the most in the world -- and they live longer too (#15, 18, 20, 30 vs. US at 43rd [4]).

Americans in my experience tend to equate socialism with Venezuela not Canada and the Nordics, etc. Sounds like based on empirical evidence the way to improve these metrics is to expand the welfare state not cut it back. There's a reason nobody in Canada is itching to repeal single-payer.

[1] http://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/how-denmarks-...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization_rank...

[4] http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/life-expectancy-c...

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#385

Post by vkou » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:54 PM UTC

refurb wrote: post #348

Kluny wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but you get healthcare and being non-white isn't illegal, so that helps. Also - not really? The highest federal tax bracket in Canada is 33%. The highest in the states is 39%. The highest provincial rate in BC is 12% and that's about the same as California. I'm sure there's a lot of variation depending on an individual's situation, but you're really deluding yourself if you think American taxes are low, for the…

Yes, but you get healthcare and being non-white isn't illegal, so that helps. That made me chuckle. You think Canada doesn't have racists? Good lord. And sure, if you just look at the income tax rates BC looks reasonable. Of course, if you look closer at the actual income brackets for each rate, it looks very different. That doesn't even include the sales tax (up to 15% in some provinces), taxes on alcohol, gas, etc.

I assure you, there are sales taxes, as well as taxes on alcohol, gas, tobacco, and pot in California.

It also serves to mention that your biggest life expenses are highly unlikely to be affected by sales tax.

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#386

Post by drzaiusapelord » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:55 PM UTC

Mikeb85 wrote: post #381

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is already happening: California Farmers Backed Trump, but Now Fear Losing Field Workers https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/us/california-farmers-bac... I don't know why its so uncomfortable for conservatives to admit that illegals play a role in our economy[1]. If they didn't they wouldn't be here as the market would choose against them. This is why Democrats have been fighting for amnesty programs for long tim…

> Native borns aren't fighting to pick oranges for 12 hours a day at minimum wage, but these guys will and do. An economist would say it's because the wage being offered is too low. Businesses don't get to have access to unlimited labour at whatever wage they choose in a market economy.

Yet they're not all illegals. Natives of Mexican heritage and others of the poorest class perform this work at this wage.

Regardless, why aren't we jailing those who hire these people and cause these problems then? Oh right, they're Trump loyalists, political donors, and white.

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#387

Post by vineetch » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:56 PM UTC

sremani wrote: post #372

vineetch wrote: post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google, Microsoft, Netflix & Facebook benefit directly from H1B visas and are most certainly not "sweatshops". Even when you consider companies that pay less than the top tech companies, no one would consider them sweatshops. So hyperbole aside, and keeping in mind that H1B also brings academic talent to universities, the hate towards the H1B program seems more rooted in a hate of immigration than a worry of the prog…

I will be upfront, this argument is bogus. #1. Academia and non-profits do get H1-Bs that are cap exempt #2. There are people who got jobs in FB et al. who did not win lotteries and went home. #3. A significant portion of the 85K are people working for "sweatshops", there are enough charts out there So, yes, its actually a good thing to return to the original intent of extra-ordinary talent.

If you know where to find these H1B "sweatshops" on US soil, please take those charts and company names to the Department of Labor and report the wage crime or occupational hazards you are implying with your hyperbole. Otherwise, your statements are deeply exaggerated. Here's a link to get you started: https://www.dol.gov/whd/howtofilecomplaint.htm

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#388

Post by emiliobumachar » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:56 PM UTC

sdflkd wrote: post #339

Clanan wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very interesting considering the post even discusses participating remotely. Politically incorrect theory: enabling people with families just isn't as sexy as helping immigrant founders.

Other theory: having a family is a choice. Being of X nationality is not.

Note that the two theories are very much compatible, in fact, yours could help explain GP's.

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#389

Post by erispoe » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:56 PM UTC

degenerate wrote: post #286

komali2 wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Texan it boggled my mind to hear people complain about immigration. Walk into UT, A&M, UH engineering departments, half the students are Chinese or Russian or Indian. In the grad programs it's even more. That means their best talent is here , paying US taxes, contributing to US companies, making the US more powerful, all the while contributing almost nothing to their home countries. How is that a bad thing! I do…

You might want to take a step outside the academic setting every once in a while. Chat with a cop, ambulance driver, or immigration officer from a sanctuary city if you really want to "get" it. It's the illegal immigrants that suck the system dry, not the smart, diligent, legitimate ones working in academia and top companies.

Undocumented immigrants do not "suck the system dry". They pay taxes, for the most part, and because they are undocumented, are unable to benefit from most of the services available to legal residents (citizens or immigrants).

Re: YC will hold interviews in Vancouver for founders who can’t get US visas

#390

Post by Swizec » Thu, Mar 09, 2017, 7:58 PM UTC

throw_away_777 wrote: post #350

trcollinson wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You make an interesting appeal. I am not sure what you are trying to prove by saying that the poster will "get" it if they just talk to cops, ambulance drivers, and immigration officers. I would assume that you are trying to say they will find that immigrants commit crime (the original poster is speaking to a cop), they get hurt more often (the original poster is speaking to an ambulance driver), and they, now I am r…

US citizens pay taxes, contribute to US companies and make the US more powerful. US citizens also contribute a higher percentage of their income to local communities than immigrants do. It is a myth that their is an infinite supply of jobs, and that supply/demand somehow doesn't apply to immigration. You aren't really making an argument either.

> US citizens also contribute a higher percentage of their income to local communities than immigrants do

I don't know, man. The state of California and the federal government take their rightful 38% share from my income. I'm not a citizen.

My girlfriend also pays her rightful 38% share of income. She is a citizen.

And my income is a bit higher so in absolute terms I contribute more as an immigrant than my girlfriend does as a citizen. Percentagewise it's the same because we're in the same tax bracket.

Anecdata, yes, but my point is that everyone who is in X tax bracket pays Y% taxes. Want immigrants to contribute a higher percentage of their income to local communities? Give them higher salaries. ;)