RONALD PAWLEY POST: SKILLED WORKERS - IMMIGRATION REFORM PRIORITY January 29, 2014 AMERICA IS A NATION OF GIVING.

WE INVITE FOREIGN STUDENTS TO ENROLL IN OUR BEST SCHOOLS. ONCE THEY GRADUATE, WE SEEM TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO RETURN BACK TO THEIR COUNTRY AND COMPETE AGAINST US. THIS IS RIDICULOUS AND WE NEED TO GIVE FOREIGN STUDENTS THE INCENTIVE TO STAY IN AMERICA. AMERICA MUST MANUFACTURE AGAIN AND PROVIDE A VIABLE BUSINESS CLIMATE ONCE AGAIN. BUSINESS EXECUTIVES NEED MORE SKILLED WORKERS AND EASY ACCESS FOR FOREIGN HIGH-SKILLED LABOR. AS A GOOGLE VICE PRESIDENT STATED THAT AT A TIME WHEN THE U.S. ECONOMY NEEDS IT MOST, OUR IMMIGRATION POLICIES ARE STIFLING INNOVATION. TODAY, WHEN SUCCESS IN OUR ECONOMY REQUIRES SKILLFUL, EDUCATED PEOPLE, WE MUST FOCUS ATTENTION ON IMMIGRANTS WHO MEASURE UP TO THESE STANDARDS. CURRENTLY, TOO MANY POLITICIANS ARE FOCUSED ON INCREASING THEIR PARTYS VOTING BASE AND IGNORING THE BENEFITS OF FOREIGN SKILLED WORKERS. THE IMMIGRATION EVENTS IN THE PAST, COMBINED WITH THE ACTIONS OF POLITICIANS FROM BOTH MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES, HAVE HELPED UNDERMINE A COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION POLICY. IMMIGRANTS LOVE THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE IT OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES AND A MUCH BETTER STANDARD OF LIVING FOR THEIR FAMILIES. OUR UNIQUE HISTORY AND DEMOCRACY HAVE MADE EVEN OUR POOR RICH, BY GLOBAL STANDARDS. WE MUST STOP CORRUPT POLITICAL PROCESSES CONCERNED WITH LINING THE POCKETS OF THE CONNECTED ELITE THAN WITH IMPROVING OPPORTUNITY. SHOULD PERVERTED POLICIES PERSIST, CAN TRUE IMMIGRATION REFORM REBOUND TO GREATNESS - TRANSMITTING THE PROVEN ADVANTAGES OF DIVERSITY. RONALD PAWLEY FEELS WE ARE HAVING THE WRONG IMMIGRATION DEBATE? THE RIGHT DEBATE SHOULD BE ABOUT WHAT KIND OF IMMIGRANTS AMERICA SHOULD BE ADMITTING IT SHOULD ASK HOW IMMIGRANTS SHOULD BEST BENEFIT OUR ECONOMY, CITIZENS AND IMMIGRANTS. IMMIGRATION CAN ONLY PAY OFF AGAIN FOR AMERICA IF WE REEXAMINE OUR POLICIES, BY LAYING STRESS ON THE PRIORITY AROUND WHATS GOOD FOR OUR COUNTRY AND THE ECONOMY - BY WELCOMING WORKERS WE TRULY NEED AND

EXCLUDING THOSE WHO WILL OFFER SO LITTLE AND COST US MORE THAN THEY CONTRIBUTE. A FEW OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE SET STRINGENT STANDARDS ON IMMIGRATION POLICIES AND THEIR ECONOMIES ARE VERY SUCCESSFUL. THEY SET RATIONAL STANDARDS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE COUNTRYS STANDARD OF LIVING. IMMIGRATION CAN PROVIDE AMERICA WITH BADLY NEEDED SKILLS, BOOST PRODUCTIVITY TO RAISE LIVING STANDARDS. HOWEVER, THIS WILL NEVER GET ACCOMPLISHED IF OUR ANTIQUATED IMMIGRATION SYSTEM DOES NOT STOP DEBATING RIDICULOUS, POLITICAL MANIPULATION AND RHETORIC. WE ARE A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND IT MADE AMERICA GREAT. CLEARLY, THE PREVIOUS GENERATION OF IMMIGRANTS SUCCEEDED IN AMERICA WHICH IS A MARKED CONTRAST TO THE IMMIGRANTS OF TODAY. DURING THE EARLY 1900S, IMMIGRANTS WERE ESCAPING POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION AND POOR ECONOMIES AND MANY WERE SKILLED WORKERS WHO WERE EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED PROVIDING A POWERFUL BOOST TO AMERICAS ECONOMY. FOR OVER 40 YEARS THE 1920S LAWS TOOK PRECEDENCE UNTIL NEW LEGISLATION IN THE MID 1960S UNWARINGLY INTRODUCED LOW-SKILLED IMMIGRATION WHICH IS NOW SO PREVALENT. THIS NEW LAW WAS INTRODUCED AS A CIVIL RIGHTS MEASURE. THE LAW HAD UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES WHICH DRAMATICALLY INTRODUCED AN INFLUX OF UNSKILLED WORKERS FROM POOR COUNTRIES. A RECENT STUDY STATED THAT 63% OF MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS ARE HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AMONG THE AMERICAN-BORN CHILDREN OF HISPANIC IMMIGRANTS ARE MUCH LOWER THAN THE AVERAGE IN THE REST OF THE NATIVE-BORN POPULATION ENACTING AMNESTY FOR ILLEGALS ALREADY HERE, AS WELL AS CREATING A NEW GUEST WORKER PROGRAM, WOULD EVENTUALLY ADD ABOUT $46 BILLION A YEAR IN SOCIAL COSTS, INCLUDING WELFARE TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, ACCORDING TO RESEARCH. RONALD PAWLEY IS A RETIRED (1986) CHIEF OFFICER FROM THE EASTMAN KODAK PARK FIRE DEPARTMENT IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. HE WAS ALSO AN INCIDENT COMMANDER AND HAZMAT SPECIALIST DURING CHEMICAL EMERGENCY INCIDENTS. KODAK PARK (1980s) WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL COMPLEXES IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. THE KPFD WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE LARGEST CHEMICAL FIRE FIGHTING ORGANIZATIONS IN THE WORLD, PROVIDING FIRE PREVENTION/PROTECTION FOR OVER 60,400 EMPLOYEES AT THE PARK.