Many are still unclear how immigration would work in a free society, where ‘property rights’ is not just an ambiguous expression, but a compatible social framework. If all land was privatized, including the roads, waterways, forests, airports, etc… how would owners of capital come to voluntary terms with immigrants on certain guarantees or agreements? Hans Hoppe lies out an excellent framework for his analysis on property rights and immigration, whereby at the voluntary consent of property owners can migrants cross into the country. I couldn’t think of a better framework that already exists and is used heavily in the tech industry, and ought to stand as a successful representation of synthesizing private property and immigration.
Ever since there has been a growing demand for talent in various technology services including cloud computing, big data analytics, robotics, technology consultancies have set up an efficient system that offers to train, place, feed, house, and sponsor qualified H1-B applicants who are looking to get into niche industry jobs with some of our largest multinational firms. Giants like GM, Walt Disney, Caterpillar, Pepsi, and Nestle among many others often run short of this expertise to optimize their supply chains and IT departments.
The reason why Silicon Valley and other technology powerhouses pursue foreigners for the job has much to do with America’s education bureaucracy and their outdated curriculums. In a purely free market, only educational programs which provide value through skillset would likely be most prevalent, most humanities majors like women’s studies or even economics would be obsolete. Many U.S. MBA programs have yet to catch up to the latest trends when some third world countries have been on top of supplementing their degree programs with highly functional and in-demand tech training workshops.
For over a decade, countries like India (whom seem to have gigantic share of recruits in tech services) have been alert on what services the market needs and the talent that companies are desperately searching for. Furthermore, India doesn’t have an overreaching bureaucracy who’s endowed with unlimited decision making power on how to structure educational programs. This of course could be due to a soaring population which requires them to be uber-competitive.
Moreover, the skills-gap is precisely why robotics will eventually take over jobs that once required a team of people. One might be saying ‘but American’s have always adapted to new technologies’. This is true, however, with the speed of innovation we’re going at, it is very hard to catchup. Furthermore, apprenticeships in these disciplines are difficult to come by, as opposed to plumbing, carpentry, or electricians. Public schools would be doing the country a favor by substituting European History class for actual skillsets, and not just hard sciences like computer programming or software development, but even a class on Sales Fundamentals 101 that teaches them how to be good salesperson, or a primer on hospitality/restaurant management, building a brand, product, or service (which doesn’t have to wait to college business classes), budget management, home building, healthcare, or others.
Dr. Andrew Hacker found an unusual pattern of increased high school dropout rates occurring during students’ first semester of algebra class. Hacker claims that for those who pursue higher education, only 57% end up with bachelor degrees, and the greatest obstacle for the majority of junior-college dropouts: freshman math (typically pre-algebra or algebra 101). Even educational psychologist John P. Smith III has stated, “Mathematical reasoning in workplaces differs markedly from the algorithms taught in school.” Texas, being ahead of the curve, has removed algebra II from its high school graduation requirements.
China, learning from its massive brain drain due to its strict standardized testing policies, its Ministry of Education has now developed “Testing Free Zones”, where standardized testing is given much less emphasis, and student entry into college is not judged based on academic achievement or test scores. Instead it has adopted a new framework of questions that relate to your imagination, application abilities, healthy living habits, book and movie genre, character/personality, emotional health, curiosities, unique talents, and skills, all mainly listed on the Education Ministry’s recent educational constitution called the ‘Ten Regulations To Lessen Academic Burden for Primary School Students’. Some of the amendments include eliminating exams, quizzes, and homework between 1st to 3rd grade and only one standardized test is given from 4th grade on up, and only on Chinese language and math. They supplement their curriculum now with frequent visits to the library and museums, teaching hands-on capabilities like farm work and handicrafts, and sophisticated real-world case studies in class and online.
The first step to reach any kind of progress is for public schools to put as much time into developing valuable skillsets as they do into recruiting for sports. Most people are not gifted with athletic acumen and have little discourse over children’s future, therefore it should not be pressed as something that can be relied on. Additionally, schools should work with local companies and understand various aspects of the business, whether it’s a hot dog cart or a car dealership, multinational corporation to a local gas station, learning essentials of customer service or even a cash register are sound investments into the future of our youth. The hype about filling the shortage in hard-sciences is mostly mythical, as studies have shown that most companies suffer from lack of soft skills, like how to have a conversation, writing proficiency, attention to detail, and problem solving. These are the kinds of changes that need to take place for a substantial change in education.
