Peloni: Is the return of American exceptionalism really to be based upon H-1b visas? Is this really how Americans make America Great Again? With an immigration injection of the right stuff, so to speak? The problem with the likes of Ramaswamy, who owes his success to funds from the Soros family and the promotion of a failed Alzheimer drug which was known to fail before Ram promoted its successes, is that he is not “Trumpier than Trump”, as he once sardonically claimed. In fact, Ram has no appreciation of the American people, and in fact has a great disdain for them, their acumen, and the culture which initiated the concept of American exceptionalism in the first place. Indeed, the hallmark of American exceptionalism is not based on personal academic marks nor on personal academic acceptance, both of which the H-1b program would focus upon. Instead, I think that Eric Weinstein explains this point best in the following 2min video [LINK]
Arguably, American exceptionalism is, at least in part, based on accepting and promoting unconventional thought as often expressed by unconventional individuals, for if convention is to be the height of what is viewed as exceptional in America, we would be lowering the bar of potential success considerably, exposing an enormous Achilles Heal in Ram’s erroneously short sighted claim that a return of American exceptionalism must come thru the cultural change which will be led by foreign immigration forced thru the H-1b program. Indeed, the number of H-1b candidates which Ram would be injecting into American society would be woefully short of being capable of making any such cultural change possible as Ram is suggesting? Instead it might be better argued that one would be better situated to Make America Great Again by unleashing the American born initiative which would come from unburdening American individuality, American ingenuity, and American advancement. By doing so America will, without any need of foreign competition, lead the world towards greater heights than Ram’s plan to ram thru his cheap labor sourcing of compliant, conventional, and cost effective H-1b candidates.
Sundance | Dec 26, 2024
Six months ago, I was asked my opinion of the Silicon Valley alignment with MAGA. I said at the time I thought it would last around 18 months and finally climax with a large fracture in the political movement around 2026. I had no idea at the time, the group of technocrats would begin publicly advocating for replacing American workers before Trump took office.
For the past several days I have watched Vivek Ramaswamy, David Sacks, Elon Musk and his big tech influencers debating with their followers about the importance for them to continue expanding H-1b visas for foreign tech workers. It is stunning to see this crew double, triple and quadruple down on advocacy, while defining American workers as inadequate for their Silicon Valley needs.
Alas, it is what it is. Within the argument Musk, Ramaswamy, Sacks and group have presented multiple justifications for their foreign worker assistance programs, while advocating for expanded immigration support therein.
Within the tone of their argument, they essentially say the American worker is (1) not intellectual enough; (2) doesn’t have the right work ethic; and the latest point of justification is that (3) American culture is to blame for their need to import foreign workers.
As Vivek Ramaswamy recently said, “Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn’t start in college, it starts YOUNG.” Thus, as the narrative is sold, American workers need to be replaced with more culturally appropriate Indian tech workers.
When the Indian-American starts saying Indian culture is more adequate at creating workers for the American tech industry, he loses me completely.
If the Indian culture is the holy grail breeding ground for software engineers, then why isn’t New Delhi replacing Silicon Valley?
Considering that factually the Indian culture is entirely based on a caste system, the argument is even more absurd.
What we need are training and recruitment centers for American students. However, the larger issue within the billionaire tech team advocacy is an issue of self-interest.
What we see in the justifications and arguments of the Ramaswamy, Musk and Sacks group is a very specific point of immigration policy for their subset within a singular sector of the American economy. Perhaps this would not be such a big issue, if these points of advocacy were coming from outside government interest groups. However, with this tech team going into the administration, the influence becomes something a little bigger.
The part the Tech Group do not understand is the core of the American DNA, “Liberty“…
It is only from the position of liberty, intellectualism actualized in freedom form, that the working culture of America, the ingenuity part, can be understood.
If you attempt to quantify Americanism with math and algorithms, the translated outcome always fails.
Dear Vivek Ramaswamy, my counter take…
Several years ago, Florida Power and Light won the prestigious international Edward Demming Award for excellence in multi-platform engineering, efficiency superiority and total quality in the process of energy management.
However, the scruffy rednecks did not blow every PhD intellectual out of the water with slide rules, CAD programs, articulated and quantified quality improvement processes and engineering acumen. They did it with hard hats and dirty fingernails.
Because they lost the award, the jaw-agape Japanese spent 6 months visiting and reviewing FPL and later published a 1,000-page study essentially saying FPL “wasn’t really good, they were just lucky.”
You see, the reviewers couldn’t actually quantify the reason why the Florida-based energy company was so successful. In response the FPL field leadership laughed, took out magic markers and wrote on the back of their hard hats: “WE’RE NOT GOOD, WE’RE RUCKY.”
A few years later, every single Kuwaiti oil field was blown up by Saddam Hussein. Global analysts and think-tanks proclaimed it would take 5 years to cap them all off and restart the Kuwait oil pumping industry. Well, the Kuwaiti’s and Saudi’s called Texans, who had them all capped and back in working order in 6 months.
We are a nation that knows how to get shit done.
A few more years pass, and the Northern Chile mine workers were trapped two miles underground. The eyes of the world began to tear as the word spread. Most began to whisper no one could save them. Who did they call for help? A bunch of hick miners from USA coal country who went down there, worked on the fly, engineered the rescue equipment on site, and saved every one of them.
Yup, that’s our America. Ingenuity born from freedom.
Across the pond a half-breed Islamic whack job, armed with an AK-47 and a goal to meet his virgins, began opening fire on a train in France. The scruffneck Americans on board didn’t run to the nearest safe room and hide themselves amid baguettes and brie. They said, “let’s go”, and beat the stuffing out of that little nut with a death wish.
Legion d’Honneur or not, that’s us. WE ARE AMERICANS! That’s just how we roll.
In fact, Lady Liberty can stroll along the Champs-Elysées with a swagger befitting Mae West because without her arrival, they’d be speaking German in the Louvre. Yet, for the better part of the past decade, a group of intellectual leftists have been teaching our children that it’s better to be sitting around a campfire eating sustainable algae cakes and picking parasites off each other; because ‘save the planet’, or something similarly minded. It would appear, they hate the outcomes and inequities from freedom.
Warmest regards,
Americans First!
It’s the same lie that they have been telling us for decades – “We don’t have enough quality teachers, computer programmers, etc, etc., this is why we desperately need to increase the number of those visas to bring in the quality workers.”
This is pure BS, replace the word “quality” with “cheap”, and you will have what it is they are after, this is a really old trick.
This Hindu guy wants what is good for India but not what is good for the United States.
While we are on the subject of the divergence between High Tech and MAGA, Sundance had his concerns about Musk long before Trump invited him into his campaign.
An email I received today was from We the Patriots USA and stated that despite Musk’s statements about wanting to protect freedom of speech, “we have been consistently censored since he took the helm, perhaps worse than ever before. That’s because Musk never really made a commitment to free speech. In fact – as I also pointed out in the thread – in November 2022, he publicly declared that X (then Twitter) would have a new policy: “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.”
“But there cannot truly be freedom of speech without freedom of reach. If the government told all of us that we could only exercise our right to free speech in deserted places, it’s pretty clear we’d have a slam dunk victory in a First Amendment violation lawsuit. Or, as Gab Founder and CEO Andrew Torba posted just this morning, “You know where you have ‘freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach?’ Prison.””
Now there are two different instances of divergence between the tech moguls and MAGA: one of them is on prejudice against Americans entering the high tech workforce and the other on the not-so-free speech advocated by Musk.
It is unclear at this time what the outcome of the H1b visa conflict will be. One suggestion has been that people from other countries can work from home, no need for a visa. Another suggestion has been made that US students should be chosen first, and when all the qualified US candidates have been hired, then hire from other countries.
In theory, when adults of different persuasions want to find a solution together, a solution will be found.
@leonkushner
Antisemitism is not an exception, it’s the universal rule (there are some exceptions but not too many).
Esav hates Yaakov, and there is nothing anybody can do about it.
Personally, I think the term “antisemitism” is incorrect and outdated, I like the term “antiJudaism” a lot better.
I worked with people who were good people in every way, it is just that they disliked Jews, and they didn’t keep it a secret.
When I asked one of my coworkers not to say it to me, he claimed his right to the freedom of speech.
Many US states are making child factory labor legal.
I am wondering how soon corporations will be again allowed to have their own forces who will shoot the striking workers.
Why bring in foreign workers?
Just keep the border open – this is the cheapest labor.
If Trump keeps these guys around, the US will crash in no time at all, and – FOREVER.
I think these type want another Great Depression to “clear out the trash“, of course, everybody who thinks it’s a good idea, think that the trash will be someone else and not them personally.
PELONI-
What you’re describing right down to his “Long Johns” is Super Used Car Salesman.
Or James Whitmore’s Ultra-sudden switch from accuser to defence attorney when he learns that the guilty man is retaining him for his defence..Comical of course to see actually in mid-sentence the steer to the opposite side.
@leonkushner
Like you, I was never taken in my Ram’s salesmanship, and it was salesmanship, devoid of principle or consistency, as demonstrated more than once in the primary.
The Soros supported, Big Pharma advocating chameleon former Democrat, who has now come to champion all that he once opposed.
After noting his preference to end aid to Israel and treat them no different than any other Mideast ally of the US, and it was the latter more than the former of these which gave me real pause, Ram came out to announce that he had been “misunderstood” and that he was in fact the greatest champion of Judeo-Christian values among all of those running for president, even though he was a practicing Hindu and the others were all Christians. As per usual, Ram made these protestations with sincere conviction that either his sincerity was quite real or he was charming the public with the same snake oil charm set that he used to convince his Big Pharma investors that the already failed Alzheimer drug would actually be successful going forward, which of course, it was not.
In fact, I wouldn’t trust Ram further than I would throw him and I would rather keep my distance from in in any event.
I question if Trump is appointing such obvious swamp creatures such as Ram simply to expose them for their chameleon natures, as in particular, the empty suit which Ram represents can hardly have been missed by Trump.
With regards to Ram, I agree with you that Trump will be in charge and will likely intercede as needed to prevent Ram from doing much damage. This contrasts with the appointment of someone such as Tulsi Gabbard whose alignment with Iran & the Pals over the years could hardly be difficult for anyone to detect, and yet whose input will likely have a large effect on the rating of intelligence which Trump receives which will in turn impact any decisions he makes based on intelligence, which would include everything related to the Iranians and their nuclear program.
I have said it many times, but the policy of Trust but Verify is overrated. This is why it is important to find people whose worldview and outlook would mimic that of Trump and his MAGA movement to move his policy forward. Notably, neither Ram nor Gabbard honestly fit the MAGA posture…and they are easily not the only appointees made by Trump which outwardly don’t.
I was never a fan of Vivek. Do you recall what he said during his campaign for president? That he would stop all aid to Israel?
Now that he’s on the Trump train, he’s changed his tune. I’m glad that he has but can he be trusted? Is he sincere of his support for Israel now?
When people change their opinions drastically on important issues I am always suspicious. What are their motivations?
In Vivek’s case, it’s obvious. He wants to stay relevant. He’s now become an important asset to the future Trump administration. He’s in the news almost daily. Are we being duped? I think so.
I’m not overly concerned however. Because President Trump is in charge and I trust him and other true blue (blue and white that is) cabinet posts that he appointed who will no doubt keep Vivek and anyone else who strays, in line.
I blogged about the danger of Vivek when he was running for president
https://leonupsidedown.blogspot.com/2023/08/dont-fall-for-vivek-ramaswamy.html
because at the time, many of my dear Jewish friends and others were putting him up on a pedestal as an alternative to that mishiguna orange man. Perhaps many missed his speech about not helping Israel.
Lately we’ve witnessed the horrific antisemitism that has spilled out from our former right winged ‘friends’ like Candace Owens, Kanye West, Tucker Carlson and others. Were they antisemites all along and just hid it in order to get to where they are now? Maybe. Is Vivek one of them? Maybe. I will follow the Jewish precept of not judging harshly. But I am entitled to look warily upon him based on his prior behaviour. I will not call him out as an antisemite today. But I will issue the following warning: Be careful who you chose as your friends. Recall the Israelis (Leftists all of them) who befriended those sweet arabs in the Gaza strip prior to Oct 7.
Batya Ungar-Sargon:
What is more is that he is doubling down on the policy failure which help establish this system. So it isn’t just that he is celebrating the failure, but he is one of those whose appointment was intended to help fix the problem which he is celebrating.