I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed • Hacker News Board

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#191

Post by durandal1 » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:47 PM UTC

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #152

purpleparakeet wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why don't you let Jogesh decide for himself what he'd like to do?

He certainly can, but as a citizen I should have preferential right to work instead of my job taken from me and handed to H1B's.

Consider this: Maybe one of the biggest challenges today for the USA to unleash its true potential, is the sense of entitlement that has been allowed to grow on top of the foundation that the US society builders laid down through hard work. Many of which were immigrants, ironically.

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#192

Post by danielweber » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:48 PM UTC

zzalpha wrote: post #172

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just guessing here: instability, differing expectations, increased costs to everybody thru inefficiencies. It becomes hard to predict what folks will consider fair, adequate government services. Result is a lowering of standard of living for those in the dominant cultural group.

No, he actually answered the question elsewhere: cultural dilution. He's afraid these foreigners might somehow pollute or destroy his culture. 'course, when you get right down to it, it's just bald faced xenophobia, dressed up in nationalist rhetoric.

Question: why don't the immigrants just declare themselves Americans wherever in the world they are? Why do they need to cross the border?

If the person you are talking about is such a horrible person, and there are so many horrible people like him in America, why do you want more people to be subjected to them?

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#193

Post by toolsadmin » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:48 PM UTC

unfasten wrote: post #189

toolsadmin wrote: post #177

It would actually be a great experiment to create a new libertarian nation which could let in everybody who is willing to contribute (work/business experience/bank account statement as proof) and see how that turns out. Something like a new US/Singapore started from a fresh slate.

Honduras tried (is trying?) a libertarian city in special development regions. The article I remember reading is actually from December 2011; I didn't think it was that long ago and I haven't read anything new. Here's the article that might be a good starting point for you though: http://www.economist.com/node/21541391 And here's an article on seasteading (basically huge platforms/ships that sit in international wate…

thanks for the readings

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#194

Post by mzs » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:49 PM UTC

dudul wrote: post #91

"Numerous American friends, when the subject of my immigration status came up, have said to me things to the effect of, "Why don't you just become a citizen?"" I totally recognize my own friends in this. Americans have no clue how difficult it is to obtain a green card or a citizenship. One of my friends was dating a girl from Asia, she was in the US under a work or student visa. She decided to attend a school in Eur…

fiance visa, can take a long time and she has to stay outside of the US during that time, but that was the proper though very annoy approach for that situation.

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#195

Post by saalweachter » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:51 PM UTC

kuschku wrote: post #114

geebee wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any chance you'd be willing to write a bit more about your support for open borders? In particular, I'm interested in knowing whether you think this is a situation where it would be both moral and beneficial, or if you feel that it is simply wrong to limit where people can live and work based on where they were born (or even where their grandparents were born) even if the overall effect on current citizens of some re…

The debate the politicians in my state (Schleswig-Holstein, a state in Germany) had about this was really interesting, sadly it’s in German. Essentially, it boils down to two issues: Morally, we all are descendants of immigrants, or at least most. Economically, most immigrants are willing to work hard. Combined with the fact that our society has a birth rate below replacement rate (1.3 vs. 2.1) we need immigrants jus…

Another frequently-cited benefit of opened borders is that -- for the most part -- current citizens own everything in this country, and stand to make a bit of cash if there's an influx of new faces looking to buy houses, used cars, rent rooms, etc etc etc.

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#196

Post by laurentoget » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:54 PM UTC

scott_s wrote: post #53

eloisant wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say sponsoring for a green card is usually not a good move for an employer, as the employee will have more freedom to change jobs once he gets the green card. Also it's a very long and costly process. They'd have to really want to keep the employee, and to have exhausted all other visa options.

I know that some employers treat green card sponsorship similar to a bonus: if you leave before z years after getting the green card, you owe them $x0,000.

this sounds like indentured servitude, and i suspect there are laws against this.

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#197

Post by sliverstorm » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:54 PM UTC

Nadya wrote: post #139

bruceb wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe it is a cultural issue also. There is a reason even Canada has Canadian content laws to protect from the onslaught of American music. It is not unreasonable for people to want to preserve culture.

>It is not unreasonable for people to want to preserve culture. It has sentimental and historical value, but I don't think it's particularly important. We can argue cultural identity, but that's only important so long as there are various cultures. In a monoculture world, the idea of cultural identity would be a lost concept. Cultural anthropology, which while highly interesting and informative of human relations, is…

Culture is not totally benign. The export of America's culture has had a huge impact on the world, for better or worse. I think people who want to preserve their own culture have reasons aside from simple nostalgia.

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#198

Post by samspenc » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:55 PM UTC

warmcat wrote: post #14

For people from some countries like India and China, the wait after finding an employer willing to sponsor green card is still a big killer. Typically people have to wait for 6-7 years now to get green card after first filing it. While I agree with the author, I feel he did not try to find someone willing to sponsor his green card with other employers. If your employer does not respond favorably to your requests abou…

It looks like the author was working in the legal profession, with a large number of lawyers also looking for work. I suspect that in this case, it becomes harder for the company to file a green card application.

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#199

Post by gagmaker » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:57 PM UTC

pthreads wrote: post #160

I fail to see how your complaint is valid beyond just a personal disappointment and/or frustration. The two main bullet points in your post and my comments are :- 1. When the rest of the world sends America its best and brightest, America says, "Go away" : No country/entity sent you here. You came here of your own volition. You said that you have lived here legally. That means you followed the law. The US immigration…

(1) This is not law that matters much, but how it enforced.

If you here illegally, chances are you are good to stay. Follow the law by a letter, and you destine to go through kafka-ian bureaucracy, spend years waiting for some permit.

For your (2) bullet, skillful immigrants in vast majority are lawful individuals.

Re: I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American and failed

#200

Post by lutorm » Tue, Jun 23, 2015, 7:57 PM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #135

garethsprice wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When going through the US immigration system, as part of the green card application you need to specify a sponsor who will be responsible for you financially if you hit hardship. As an immigrant, you do not get welfare in the US. Source: US immigrant, did the paperwork.

That's not an answer to the point above. Having people who live in our society but are ineligible for our social benefits is harmful and destabilizing to us.

Also note that people who are in the US on nonimmigrant visas still have to pay SSDI taxes, even though they are ineligible for the benefits. (Though they get to count them towards the time needed for sponsorship if they become immigrants.)