(02-13-2018, 08:52 AM)The Real Marty Wrote:

(02-13-2018, 07:05 AM)Jags02 Wrote:

It's certainly not an intentionally racist system, although you may need some oversight to ensure racism never creeps in.

My issue with the whole merit system idea is more that it seems to go against what America stands for and has been in terms of immigration. We've always been the melting pot where anyone can come in and have a shot at the American dream. Often we see people with nothing and no merit to speak of, come in and manage to make a good, productive living for themselves. To start only looking for the best and brightest to join our nation takes from what we're really about.

Mind you I'm as conservative as it gets, and I love most everything Trump is doing even though he is kind of goofy for a POTUS. The man is actually a bonafide genius and at his heart is making it his purpose to do everything he can to make life better for all legal Americans. I don't fault his heart in this matter, or his logic, regarding the proposed merit system, but I see red flags when I think about this. It doesn't quite pass my gut check. It's just not what our nation has always been about.

I am in favor of more legal immigration.   Unemployment is low, and we've added massive stimulus with the tax cut, not to mention if we pass an infrastructure plan.  We need people to do these jobs. 

Also, we have thousands and thousands of gifted university students to whom we give an incredible education, and who would like to stay in the US, but they can't because of our current immigration policies.

We need to fill jobs from the lowest skill level to the highest.   If unemployment is actually 4%, then economic growth would mean we are going to be very short of labor in the next decade.