Comments on: Follow-up to engineer statesman post below. https://habitablezone.com/2013/09/27/follow-up-to-engineer-statesman-post-below/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:50:14 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2013/09/27/follow-up-to-engineer-statesman-post-below/#comment-27127 ER Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:19:23 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=38400#comment-27127 You can't blame the government for the lamentable state of affairs I describe above. It only makes sense for the US to encourage the best and brightest of foreigners to come here and stay, especially if they receive an excellent undergraduate training at public expense in their own countries. Neither is it the fault of the private sector. They certainly would be fools to not take advantage of skilled foreign STEM workers who are willing, in many cases, to study harder, longer and work for less. I blame American culture itself, which has long had a strong anti-intellectual streak and viewed science/math geeks as, at best, socially inept misfits and, at worst, as effiminate, elitist sissies. We are rapidly becoming a nation of real estate investment counselors, event planners and fashion journalists. But I guess it could be worse. Ron Paul, Che Guevara and Bashar al Assad were trained as physicians. Note to BBT fans: I have no problem with the show, I love it and the characters. But I think you get my point. You can’t blame the government for the lamentable state of affairs I describe above. It only makes sense for the US to encourage the best and brightest of foreigners to come here and stay, especially if they receive an excellent undergraduate training at public expense in their own countries.

Neither is it the fault of the private sector. They certainly would be fools to not take advantage of skilled foreign STEM workers who are willing, in many cases, to study harder, longer and work for less.

I blame American culture itself, which has long had a strong anti-intellectual streak and viewed science/math geeks as, at best, socially inept misfits and, at worst, as effiminate, elitist sissies.
We are rapidly becoming a nation of real estate investment counselors, event planners and fashion journalists.

But I guess it could be worse. Ron Paul, Che Guevara and Bashar al Assad were trained as physicians.

Note to BBT fans: I have no problem with the show, I love it and the characters. But I think you get my point.

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