Big-brained Ramaswamy, Musk pick fight they can't win
By: David Marcus
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
In much of the English-speaking world, but not America, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. For reasons that are entirely unclear, DOGE bros Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk decided to take the occasion to don boxing gloves and throw haymakers at native-born American workers.
What started off with Musk saying on his social media platform X, and not for the first time, that he needs more foreign-born geniuses to work for him quickly morphed into Ramasawamy dressing down American families for indulging their children with sleepovers and trips to the mall.
Apparently, big tech needs foreign workers because we raise our kids the wrong way.
Ramaswamy insisted on X that native-born families need "more math tutoring, fewer sleepovers. More weekend science competitions, fewer Saturday morning cartoons. More books, less TV. More creating, less 'chillin.' More extracurriculars, less 'hanging out at the mall.'"
The former presidential candidate says he is just telling us "hard truths" by suggesting every family should emulate some South Asians, who he points to as a shining example.
But guess what? The United States of America is a nation, not simply a farm system for big tech. And by the way, the very reason that China steals innovation from us, not the other way around, is that our backward, hayseed attitudes create free thinkers, not drones. At least when we aren't playing the banjo on the porch.
Every native-born American kid applying to college this year is going to compete against students from foreign lands, including communist China, who will be extended a red carpet to use the American educational system. And when those American kids graduate, they may find themselves passed over for entry-level jobs because of foreign competition.
Musk says that American tech workers aren't good enough. Well, then maybe we need to stop giving away thousands and thousands of spots at top schools and do a better job of teaching our own.
When I went to Springfield, Ohio, in September, I heard factory owners there claim they need 15,000 Haitian migrants because, unlike Americans, they show up on time, pass their drug tests, and willingly work overtime. It was downright insulting to American workers, but no more so than Musk and Ramaswamy mocking the native born and their cultural traditions.
And, not for nothing, big tech has the added advantage that workers brought in with H-1B visas lose their immigration status if they lose their job. That's a lot of leverage that the tech bosses don't have over American workers.
Now, it seems like MAGA has its first, full-blown civil war since Trump won the election almost two months ago, but looks can be deceiving. In fact, both Ramaswamy and Musk are, thankfully, walking back their ill-advised duet.
That's because outside of nouveau-right sushi hotspots in Palo Alto, nobody in the America First Trump coalition thinks replacing American workers is a boffo concept.
The Department of Government Efficiency, with which President-elect Donald Trump has entrusted Musk and Ramaswamy, has to understand that our country is not a corporation, or as Musk put it, an NBA team looking to win.
The role of the government of the United States is to ensure the right of Americans to live as they see fit, not to fit as a cog into the machinations of billionaire geniuses, domestic or foreign. And Americans have a right to ensure that the institutions they pay for are actually advancing Americans.
This is a learnable moment for two bright, brilliant and brash stars who embrace freedom to understand that life and liberty are a pulsing heart rate, not a bottom line.
This unfortunate moment was an unforced error, but no serious damage was done. Sometimes the math guys need a dose of the humanities, or at least a trip around the block.
American college grads deserve a fair shake; They shouldn't have to compete with H-1B visa competition, and no American should be training their cheaper H-1B replacement.
The first order of business for the Trump administration is to close the border and deport criminals. After that, the nuanced negotiations over legal immigration can begin.
But there must be one important caveat. The American worker has to be treated with respect. Because without him or her, we have no country.
Americans don't celebrate Boxing Day, and we don't celebrate rich people knocking the working man. Hopefully, for Vivek Ramaswammy and Elon Musk, this unforced error is a lesson learned.
Interesting concept. The entirety of the GOP needs to learn it and stop dividing civil liberties, rights, and suppressing freedoms of the Others who help pay the 'bills' of this nation.
Conservatives cannot criticize one another without "walking it back".
Musk is not going to change, nor will Ramaswamy.
A lot of Americans dont want to be engineers or AI entrepreneurs . They want to have a good family, hang with their friends , and watch football or The Bachelorette. Pay everyone a decent wage and stop leading us into oligarchy and dystopia.
I do not know who David Marcus is, but kudos on a well-written (sophisticated) article!
Surprisingly, he's a columnist on Fox News.
It is a well-written article, indeed. Very savvy.
My 14 year old granddaughter who I am helping my single daughter raise will be a freshman in high school next year. She intends on being both a engineer and AI entrepreneur. She already does and gets paid to do computer graphic artwork for her friends and classmates. She is very much aware of the cutthroat completion she will face and knows she has to do it better. She is a straight A honor roll student who is taking and breezing through high school algebra and plans on going on to geometry and trigenomics next year. She came to the realizations of what she needs to do mostly on her own with some input from me. She says after she gets her PhD she plans on making as much money as possible and retire early. She will probably do it. Not bad for a 14 year old from a small town on the Southwest border.
She sounds like she has what she needs to have a successful and rewarding life.
Here is one thing I would try to get her to realize. The goal should not be to make a bunch of money to retire early. Rather, it should be to have a career that is rewarding to her personally. That is, a career in which she wakes up energized to get to work because she enjoys what she is doing and believes she is making a difference. If she is focused on the results of her work, the money will come naturally (given she seeks to be in the AI field). And, importantly, one who makes early retirement a key goal will prioritize money over productivity and that (in a scientific / technical field) is generally counterproductive.
If early retirement is her main goal, she should get into finance or pursue entrepreneurship. From what you wrote, it does not seem that this is truly what will drive her during her career. Seems to me she is a creative / productive type and thus should have actual important accomplishments as her top priority.
The deeper question is this: Why has'nt Elon Musk bought himself a small country somewhere on the planet already and installed himself as its ruler? Why does he need our country (and us with it) as his prize?
Same reason George Soros hasn't.
Musk doesn't want to be ruler of the US. He just wants to conduct business here; and ensure his assets are safe. And unlike Soros- his companies actually producing something beneficial to the US.
Maybe you should you look at what power DoJE really has. Outside of making suggestions it can't do a damn thing. It still relies on Congress to pass bills; and the President to sign them.
All of the pearl clenching by leftists over Trump, Musk, and Vivek being against the CR was for nothing. A very slimmed down, streamlined, not as pork laden version passed. Proving that Congress can indeed pass a bill when needed w/o all of the rampant pork.
Politicians don't deserve shit (especially Democrats) after running this country into a ditch. Also, if the ACA is so damn great why do Democrats want to get back onto the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program?
Also, look up Obama's Gang of Eight- they had the same power as DoJE does. Their bipartisan reforms never made it out of the starting block in Congress.
We will see how far Establishment Republicans and Democrats go to enact DoJE reforms. Given the amount of resistance to Trump's Administration and cabinet nominations- no one should be holding their breath.
No, thank you!
When Trump, Musk, or Vivewhatever treat workers with respect, it will be for the first time.
All are former Democrats- so that explains it.
Democrats have never treated US workers with respect.
The “former” part makes sense. If it were inherently a Democratic trait to disrespect workers, they’d all still be Democrats.
They’ve pretty much supported workers’ benefits, protections, and safety; and been allied with unions for decades, so you’re just making shit up now.
And then?...
And then we can all be happily surprised. Don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen, though.
You are talking old school Democrats- they left the party long, long, long, ago.
New school Democrats support illegal immigrants that steal US jobs from citizens- either for working for less; or taking pay off the books.
Workers lose bargaining leverage with so many illegal immigrants in the country.
So, you might notice I didn't bring up Democrats. You did. My response was just an application of logic to your comment on the party. My focus is not on parties. That's irrelevant. It's on the specific men, and the things they have done and/or said that reveal a general disdain or disrespect for people who work for or with them. Their attitudes are developed not through political ideology, but through narcissism, self-interest, and sociopathy.
What an interesting PERSPECTIVE on Haitians, since it goes against the running narrative that Haiti is 'just' a shithole with implications of laziness and backwardness.
(Who would/should want to employ 'those' people around? /s)
Running narratives bag and steal truth 'away' all the time nowadays. Even though the truth is staring us all in the face!
Democrats/leftists defending illegal immigrants.
Typical.
Screwing US workers in favor of criminals that willingly violate our laws.
In the upcoming new year I will be dedicating myself to defense of liberty, freedom, and rights for people who do other people minimal harm with their actions and activities. I suggest others do an assessment and consider doing the same. After-all, hatred is a disease and is harmful to everyone it infects—politically.
Does that mean you will be taking some illegals into your home?
IDS (Illegals Derangement Syndrome) is not in any way, shape, or form a consideration in my comment.
Neither is actually putting your money where your mouth is an helping them in any way shape or form.
These foreign billionaires are Trumps appointees! Trump jumped in and agreed with Musk! Trump has admitted to hiring many foreign workers at his golf courses and hotels. Trump backed the Musk argument about H1B visas for workers but Trump actually hires H2B visas for less educated foreign workers for his many properties. MAGA voted for this by backing Trump in everything says or does. Trump chose these foreign billionaires so sit back and enjoy what's coming because it won't be stronger American Union Labor. Just look at how Musk has treated his own workers. Musk hates American Union workers and the formation of workers unions.