High-tech immigration debate keeps rolling in Washington

For those of you who are as sick and tired of the sycophantic coverage of Apple's iPhone, I have good news: There is only one such mention in today's missive and it's at the end. I would, however, like to say a thing or two about the high-tech immigration debate in Washington.

The unemployment in this country continues to rattle below 5 percent according to the most recent Department of Labor statistics. While those numbers may not account for the under-employment numbers that are hitting the low end of the job-seeking market, the fact is that corporate America is headed for the same type of shortage in technical resources that seriously hampered the development of many small companies during the peak of the dot-com era.

It seems to me that we have two choices: we can either import the talent that we need to keep our high-tech businesses running, or corporate America will simply accelerate the rate at which they outsource technical and management jobs to offshore facilities. In the latter scenario, we lose in more than one way. Not only do we shift opportunities abroad, we transfer an entire ecosystem of knowledge and expertise. Aren't we better off letting the technical expertise flow into this country rather than the other way around? I'm open to suggestions.

Let me know what you think. In the meantime, if you're heading out to the Apple Store this evening, save me a spot! - Patty Brown