Clinton Tech Plan Reads Like Silicon Valley Wish List (usatoday.com)

theodp writes from a report via USA Today: "If there was any lingering doubt as to tech's favored presidential candidate," writes USA Today's Jon Swartz, "Hillary Clinton put an end to that Tuesday with a tech plan that reads like a Silicon Valley wish list. It calls for connecting every U.S. household to high-speed internet by 2020, reducing regulatory barriers and supporting Net neutrality rules, [which ban internet providers from blocking or slowing content.] It proposes investments in computer science and engineering education ("engage the private sector and nonprofits to train up to 50,000 computer science teachers in the next decade"), expansion of 5G mobile data, making inexpensive Wi-Fi available at more airports and train stations, and attaching a green card to the diplomas of foreign-born students earning STEM degrees." dcblogs shares with us a report from Computerworld that specifically discusses Clinton's support of green cards for foreign students who earn STEM degrees: As president, Hillary Clinton will support automatic green cards, or permanent residency, for foreign students who earn advanced STEM degrees. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, wants the U.S. to "staple" green cards on the diplomas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) masters and PhD graduates "from accredited institutions." Clinton outlined her plan in a broader tech policy agenda released today. Clinton's "staple" idea isn't new. It's what Mitt Romney, the GOP presidential candidate in 2012, supported. It has had bipartisan support in Congress. But the staple idea is controversial. Critics will say this provision will be hard to control, will foster age discrimination, and put pressure on IT wages.

Comments

Potentially more abuse prone than the H1B visa

[vivaoporto]

Potentially more abuse prone than the H1B visa. Diploma mills are already a reality in many parts of the world, adding a green card as an incentive and the potential for abuse is immense.

Re:Potentially more abuse prone than the H1B visa

[Fire_Wraith]

Yes, exactly. One of the biggest problems with the H-1B program isn't the fact that "there's more people here", it's that they're largely stuck on that particular job, with the threat of being sent home for good if they get fired, which means they'll put up with a lot of crap that normal workers wouldn't, even stuff that's supposed to be against the laws about working hours/conditions/etc. Even though they technically can move to another position with another company, it's far more difficult to do that on an H-1B than as a citizen or permanent resident, and if you get fired, you only have a very narrow window to find a new job before you get kicked out (something like 30 days).

Re: Potentially more abuse prone than the H1B visa

[MachineShedFred]

You do know that the balanced budget was because of the first Republican controlled Congress in 40 years, right? Clinton was along for the ride after the 1994 midterm when it came to budgeting - he could Veto and look like a complete ass, or negotiate and sign the appropriations bills Congress sent him, which is what he did. Wisely.

That's the difference between the Clinton years and the last 6 years - the parties worked together and this country boomed. During the Obama presidency, both parties have had the "our way or GTFO" attitude and we've gone nowhere.

Divided government can work, and in fact has worked to create the two most robust economies we've seen in the modern period - the Reagan 80s and the Clinton 90s. But the parties have to work together.

Re:Potentially more abuse prone than the H1B visa

[netsavior]

People with green cards compete with American engineers on their level. People with H1Bs tend to undercut salary and/or bullshit tolerance level requirements of American citizens, by A LOT. H1Bs are A LOT worse for good engineers than green cards are. As far as citizens go: Good and bad engineers should be scared of H1Bs, but only bad engineers should be scared of green cards.

Surprised? Shouldn't be.

[Anonymous Coward]

Hillary and the various silicon valley billionaires are tight. They get her elected and she will try to implement their agenda. And make no mistake, their agenda involves more money for them, less privacy for you and more control over you.

Green Cards

[Anonymous Coward]

The green card idea is interesting, and I would enthusiastically support such a plan if it also included a dramatic reduction in the H1-B program.

No surprise

[onyxruby]

Considering that Silicon Valley almost certainly came up with it to begin with. She always stay on script. Sigh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Easy solution

[sjbe]

Potentially more abuse prone than the H1B visa. Diploma mills are already a reality in many parts of the world, adding a green card as an incentive and the potential for abuse is immense.

So you limit it to select accredited universities. Problem solved. If someone can graduate from MIT with an engineering degree and wants to stay in the USA, we're idiots to not help them do that. It only becomes a problem if we don't pay any attention to how it's done.

Re:Easy solution

[Karl Cocknozzle]

The average pay for the work increases with every immigrant.

Um, no. There's something called a saturation point, beyond which adding in more programmers drives down wages. This is nothing more than employers trying to rig the supply and demand equation and save a buck. Any crowing about "shortages" of skilled STEM talent are mostly B.S.--the problem is they won't raise wages to attract someone to the job, and would prefer the government allow them to import cheap H1-B labor, or saturate the market by granting permanent residency to anyone who goes gets a STEM degree here. Both practices dilute wages, because both practices allow employers to defy the laws of supply and demand--they want to monkey with the available supply of these workers to keep wages down.

Re:Easy solution

[SvnLyrBrto]

Seems like we see this same idiocy on every /. story related to immigration. Here's the thing: an immigrant has the same cost of living I do, the overseas guy doesn't. Every single developer who immigrates get paid more as a result. The average pay for the work increases with every immigrant.

I doubt that's the case with H1B immigrants who are locked into a specific sponsoring employer under pain of being kicked out of the country. It certainly is the case, though, with actual green card immigrants who, if they they are underpaid or otherwise unfairly treated, can jump ship for a new employer. So that would be my solution:

Eliminate H1B, and any other employer-restricted visas entirely. But for provably skilled and educated workers in the STEM fields, have a fast track program to get them permanent residency in short order. That way they can't be trapped by an abusive employer. And they'll be here, contributing to our economy, in the long-term rather than making a bit of money and taking it, and their skills, back overseas.

Re:The moon on a stick might as well be in the pla

[fustakrakich]

That's dumb as hell. All we have to do is stop reelecting them. Is that so difficult?

Promises like this are easy for Hillary

[JackieBrown]

She is amazingly quick to tailor promises based on who she is talking to. The tech community should be aware of this.

Some big examples would be gay marriage, TPA, patriot act, Iraq War, etc.

Yes, I know all politicians lie. I am just annoyed that people believe things that Hillary say means something.

On a tech site, we are cheering someone's tech platform whose tech level is so low that her defenders say we should not expect Hillary to be able to manage two separate email accounts.

Re:Promises like this are easy for Hillary

[Curunir_wolf]

What's the deal with gay marriage? Do you think she doesn't really support it, or does really support it but says she doesn't?

She didn't support it, until it turned out that a lot of voters supported it, so in 2013 she changed her position and supported it. It speaks to principles. Hers are "say what's popular." I'm sure if people heard what she said to Goldman Sachs audiences (that netted her hundreds of thousands of "speaking fees"), most people would not support it, so we won't get to hear those comments.

Clinton opposed same-sex marriage as a candidate for the Senate, while in office as a senator, and while running for president in 2008. She expressed her support for civil unions starting in 2000 and for the rights’ of states to set their own laws in favor of same-sex marriage in 2006. As polls showed that a majority of Americans supported same-sex marriage, Clinton’s views changed, too. She announced her support for same-sex marriage in March 2013.

Re: Promises like this are easy for Hillary

[Salgak1]

I'm tempted to write-in Rick Astley.

After all, he's never gonna give us up, never gonna let us down. . . .

Re:Promises like this are easy for Hillary

[MachineShedFred]

I think it's because she took so long to support it, well after many other prominent Democrats were publicly in favor. Also, she had an almost 20 year public record of being against gay marriage when she was First Lady and Senator Clinton. And, she has shown an amazing record of telling specific audiences what they want to hear in order to further her own goals:

1996: President clinton signs DOMA. I'm sure she didn't have anything to say about that at the time.
1999: When running for Senate, she tells a gay audience that she was against her husband's "Don't ask / Don't tell" policy. Another line the same article clarifies her views on gay marriage and DOMA:

Mrs. Clinton's spokesman, Howard Wolfson, said that the first lady, like her husband, supported legislation passed by Congress in 1996 that effectively banned gay marriages.

2000: Speaking in White Plains, NY:

Marriage has got historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and a woman.

Also 2000: She supports rights equality with gay civil unions:

"I have supported the kind of rights and responsibilities that are being extended to gay couples in Vermont,"

2004: Senate floor speech where she was against a Federal amendment banning same-sex marriage. She still opposed gay marriage in the 2004 speech, but was against enshrining it into the Constitution.
2006: Tells group of gay politicians that and she wouldn't block it if New York passed a law allowing it. Never mind that she couldn't under the 10th Amendment.
2007 - 2008 Presidential Primary: Asked about her opposition on gay marriage by a gay-oriented television network, she gives this:

"Well, I prefer to think of it as being very positive about civil unions. You know, it’s a personal position. How we get to full equality is the debate we’re having, and I am absolutely in favor of civil unions with full equality of benefits, rights, and privileges."

2013: Full throated support of gay marriage now that DOMA is about to be shot to sunshine by the Supreme Court
2014: During her book tour, she interviews on NPR's "Fresh Air" where Terry Gross asks her about her past positions on gay marriage, and Hillary gets a little pissy about it, throwing out the "playing with my words" accusation. About 1/3 of the way through the transcript is where the exchange takes place.

Only now that the majority of the electorate supports gay marriage does she support it. Flip flop on an issue that is religious / moral with a nice sprinkling of civil rights when the polls say to? That's how you define leadership!

(For the record, I'm fine with gay marriage, so don't get up in my business as being some homophobic whatever.)

Re:Promises like this are easy for Hillary

[Ogive17]

I cannot stand Hillary and will not vote for her or Trump.. however don't we want our elected representatives to echo the voice of the people?

It was relatively recent that a majority of Americans supported gay marriage.

I don't mind politicians who change their tone over time.. we all change our viewpoints throughout our lives. As I've grown older I have become more liberal (by American standards). I also do not care what a politicians personal belief is, I want to know how they would influence the law related to those issues. I would personally only approve of an abortion if there were life-threatening complications to the pregnancy... but I think everyone should make their own choice.

Re: Potentially more abuse prone than the H1B vis

[Bing Tsher E]

That late 90s economy couldn't have existed as it did separate from it's aftermath.

Yeah, we got to hear the President play the sax on TV and benefit from the "bubble expanding" half of the boom/bust cycle (and also collect on the dividend of the end of all that Cold War spending, but I digress) but the hype fest couldn't go on indefinitely. VA Linux and the dot.bomb hype outfits needed to eventually produce something that could realize a profit (*ahem*)

Re: AC's Tech Plan

[stealth_finger]

Slashdot doesn't post stories, users submit them.

A free e-mail server in every basement !

[Anonymous Coward]

A free e-mail server in every basement!

Now there's a platform I can support.

More failed tech policy from the Clintons

[zerofoo]

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 enabled the biggest telecom theft of public dollars in history:

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pu...

Essentially, we gave $200 Billion to the telecoms in exchange for fiber connectivity to every residence and business in America. The telecoms took the $200 Billion and gave us - nothing.

Guess who signed the Telecommunications Act? Yep, Hillary's husband - Bill Clinton.

Why should we believe that Clinton 45 will be any better at tech policy than Clinton 42?

Re: Potentially more abuse prone than the H1B vis

[evilRhino]

It's definitely true that some of the Clinton policies did directly contribute to the crash of 2008, chief among these being the tax incentives for executive pay that drove unprecedented income inequality, the repeal of Glass-Steagall, NAFTA, etc. The response from the GOP hasn't exactly been a reversal of these policies. If anything, they were extended and pushed forward. Policies favoring large companies resulted in consolidation and profit/expense min-maxing, not investment or job growth.

Or, in other words

[Trailer Trash]

Clinton doesn't actually have a "tech plan". She was given one by her wealthy Silicon Valley donors. This is a woman who doesn't know how to use a fax machine, the idea that she even remotely understands net neutrality is a joke.

Re:Clinton has nothing to do with the economy.

[bondsbw]

Presidents have very little control over our economy.

Indeed, I don't know why people keep perpetuating the lie that presidents have such huge economic influence. It's probably because the candidates campaign on these empty promises, "Vote for me, I'll make all your economic dreams come true!" Truly the most power they have is veto, and they are heavily pressured to not delay a budget which has made it through both houses of Congress.

Congress has much more influence over the economy. Go look up which party was in control of Congress during each recession. I've already done it for the 13 recessions since the Great Depression: Democrats controlled both houses 11 times, Republicans 2 times.

Green Cards

[EndlessNameless]

Clinton... wants the U.S. to "staple" green cards on the diplomas of STEM... masters and PhD graduates

Good. We need to balance out the culture of ignorance that is developing in this country. The people who mock learning and expertise aren't moving the country forward now, and they never will.

Plus, if these people have real green cards, they cannot be abused and underpaid the same way H1Bs are. That should stabilize the labor market a bit, especially if the program ultimately leads to a reduction in H1B issuance.

If American citizens have no interest in education, go ahead and allow *real* immigration. As long as the immigrants integrate culturally, the country will come out stronger like it always has.

Re:DOESN'T ADDRESS THE REAL ISSUE

[Cinnamon Beige]

Our universities put lots of women through STEM majors. But when they graduate they go back to China, where they can build big things.

Or they don't give us many employment options outside of 'mad scientist,' 'evil overlord,' and 'teacher.' I'm currently teaching but I'm starting to think finding a project whose goal is to cause world peace (by killing everybody) may be more moral.

Hillary will say anything to get elected

[ooloorie]

I have talked to Hillary supporters who have said without any embarrassment: "Of course, she can't keep those promises and she has to lie. But it's vitally important that she get elected and she has to say things because American voters are stupid and she wouldn't get elected otherwise. Once she has been elected, she will just do what's good for the country."

How about a job

[rfengr]

How about attaching a JOB to diplomas of US CITIZENS who obtain STEM degrees?