[bobabooey02]

What makes that idea difficult is the fact that profits have become decoupled from contribution to society. Anymore, most corporate gains aren't being passed along to the workers, just to the owners. Granted, the equation shifts with small businesses compared to large ones, but the idea that business = improvement is a bit simplistic.

[keithnz]

Only the Sith deal in absolutes! I doubt profits have become decoupled from contribution to society as a rule.... there's going to be some statistical distribution of benefit. Understanding those stats will let you make good decisions on immigration. Though, I personally like Trumps idea. As a totally non related aside, New Zealand is a great place to come and innovate if the US isn't going to let you in :)

[splintercell]

> What makes that idea difficult is the fact that profits have become decoupled from contribution to society.

This is not true. Anyone can claim that in a certain venture profits are not coupled to the contribution to society, as long as the person refuses to acknowledge or define "contribution to society".

For instance, do you consider T Bone Pickens to have contributed to society via his profits? If no, then what about Warren Buffet?

[arrty88]

I'd rather have well off individuals entering this country with means to spend and support our middle class.

[andrepd]

Tricle-down economics doesn't work. The only people who get empowered to get richer when rich people get rich, are the rich people themselves.

[stale2002]

It is not trickle down economics. It is optimizing for the highest amount of tax dollars.

If you have 2 people, one which will contribute >30K a year in taxes, and another that will contribute 10k a year in taxes, that is free money on the table that we are losing out on, if we don't accept person 1.

[stale2002]

But at a very minimum, you can agree that if someone makes more money, then they will pay more in taxes?

Why shouldn't the government optimize for letting people into the country that are going to give it a lot of tax dollars? We could then use those extra tax dollars to do things that society wants.

[smt88]

> if someone makes more money, then they will pay more in taxes?

Absolutely not true for everyone. It depends heavily on how they make their money.

Many very wealthy people are also able to abuse loopholes and decrease their tax bills. Do you remember when people thought Trump didn't want to release his tax returns because they showed he paid zero taxes? Yes, that's a real thing. Billionaires making millions in a given year are able to pay nothing, if they organize their finances correctly.

Also, people have value to the economy outside of tax dollars. They also spend money, fill jobs that aren't filled by domestic workers, and produce babies (which wealthier people produce at a lower rate and which are necessary to fund things like Social Security).

[news_to_me]

> Anymore, most corporate gains aren't being passed along to the workers, just to the owners

Was this ever the case? I mean, look at the Victorian era and what amounted to forced labor camps in the coal mines of West Virginia – seems like profits are almost always sucked up to the top.