Earlier quoted context omitted.
“Lobbying” as the reflexive reason for all political ills is tiresome, especially considering aggressive lobbying by universities is likely what caused this reversal.
I'm pretty sure the lawsuits had more to do with it than anything else.
U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
111–120 of 293 posts
Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#112Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The system worked this time. I view the phrase "the system worked" as a red flag indicating that things went wrong in a way they shouldn't, not a positive thing. A successful outcome doesn't necessarily indicate things are fine. A canonical example is the Space Shuttle boosters. The O-rings were supposed to block all the hot gases, but there was some gas leakage and erosion of the O-rings. Nothing bad happened and o…
I think in this case, however, the system also worked as designed . O-rings aren’t designed to erode. The government, on the other hand, has designed power checks to prevent exactly what happened: a well meaning but ultimately idiotic decision from adversely impacting peoples’ lives in ways that weren’t initially accounted for. In no way am I giving credit to anyone here, just pointing out that the analogy doesn't qu…
This was actually observed by engineers at the time, who tried (unsuccessfully) to raise the observation to their superiors. The launch went on anyway, and the rest is history.
This has more details, along with my cousin comment: https://people.rit.edu/wlrgsh/FINRobison.pdf
Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#114Excellent. The system worked this time. People challenged executive branch action through the judicial system and the executive branch backed down. But this should never have been an issue to begin with, think of all the unnecessary stress and anxiety this has caused for the hundreds of thousands of international students impacted by this.
Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#115Yeah this isn't a viable way to formulate public policy. It isn't new either, happened with the travel ban early on. Soft power, and even the viability of a country, depends on certain long-term guarantees, guarantees that the current administration has blown away completely. I'm pessimistic that even if a change in administration occurs early next year (and that is a major if), there would be anything any administra…
Us dearh rate is pretty low and excess deaths are almost back to zero. The problematic outlier is just NYC, where the problem was arguably exacerbated by Democratic mayor encouraging NewYorkers to party in Chinatown end of January. Overall Trump’s response was decent. Edit: Looks like this triggered a few people. Low mortality rate: https://91-divoc.com/pages/covid-visualization/?chart=countr... Excess deaths almost…
Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
Until the next judge -appointed by the President —gets to decide and rubber stamps his decision. Depending on judges with lifetime appointments isn’t a good system. Why could this decision be made in the first place by non elected officials? Why didn’t such a drastic decision have to be passed via the legislative process?
> Why didn’t such a drastic decision have to be passed via the legislative process? The legislature can stop pretty much any form of bad executive overreach, by passing a bill. The problem is that (enough of) the legislature did not want to stop this.
Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
2 is the answer. They probably hardly cared whether the rule was successfully implemented. They succeeded in spreading FUD and in the future, prospective international students will think twice before deciding to study in the US. The damage is done.
Lots of top tier universities are already opening foreign campuses. Future students will just end up there. This move accelerated the rise of foreign top tier mind work at the expense of that work in the USA. Couple this with the antagonistic stance by the administration to foreign highly capable workers and you have a recipe for a tech softening in the USA. This is good for the world. Part of me sees this as a cynic…
Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#118Elementary school politics. This would be a hilarious sitcom if it weren't for all the thousands of people getting hurt by this dysfunctional joke of a government.
Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#119A well known religious University near me just started offering "in person" (wink wink) classes where attendance would not be taken. I was proud to see it.
Re: U.S. backs down in fight with Harvard, MIT over student visas
#120Can someone explain how foreign students taking online classes gives them ‘full rein’ and is a threat to national security? > ICE also contends that a full slate of virtual coursework compromises national security by giving foreign students free rein within the U.S., and says a freeze would undermine “the deference afforded administrative agencies in complex and interrelated fields like immigration enforcement.”
ICE stated they would have "free rein" not "full rein." The argument is essentially that by allowing students to take online classes, they are free to travel anywhere within the united states. With mandatory in person classes, they would be restricted to being near campus. The federal government would have a harder time keeping track of students, as their schools would no longer really have an idea if the students ar…