Being a Canadian in the United States for the last nine years has been an interesting adventure, to say the least. Although our nations are neighbours, there can be two more different approaches to the same problem so close to each other.

I can’t claim to be an expert on how Canada processes new immigrants, but I can say that it has to be better than what has happened in the US.

Nine years ago, I started out on the NAFTA Free-Trade visa, the TN-1. This is a non-immigration visa, which is restrictive in the occupations that you can work in, but essentially allows highly-skilled Canadians, Americans, and Mexicans to work in the free trade zone, a term I use very loosely in this context.

In 2001, my status was migrated by my previous employer to an H1-B. This is a much more formal visa and is used for skilled workers from around the world. It is also infamous for its quota system, and is the bane of most (if not all) high-tech firms who insist on recruiting the best talent from around the world to work in the Unuted States.

In some respects, while the off-shoring trend that was so big a concern a few years back (still?) is founded on a number of different economic realities, the driving force was the restrictive nature of the H1-B visa. I encountered a version of this when I changed employers and transferred my H1-B from employer A to employer B. When I did this, I could not leave the US, for any reason, until I had my new H1-B without forfeiting the entire process.

One of the conditions I had for switching employers was that employer B would start the Green Card process for me and my family. This process alone has taken 3.5 years, and from what I can tell, being an employment-based application from a Canadian means that I haven’t had to wait nearly as long as some of the people who apply under other circumstances or from “less friendly” nations.

This process is approaching (we hope) its final phase, as there is talk from the people assisting us that there is a chance that we may be processed through the final stages in late 2008 or early 2009. But, as with all things related to this process, this is still very much speculative.

Whew.

So, as a citizen of the United States reading this, you are likely saying “So what?”, or “How does this affect me?”. Frankly, it doesn’t. But, in a fundamental way, it does.

As a nation built almost completely on immigration, the United States has become increasing isolationist, especially in its immigration policies. Mostly at a political level. Where the conflict appears to be developing is between the political agenda and the economic needs of the US economy. US firms are reliant on importing the best and the brightest from around the world. These same firms are now finding increasing resistance from these highly-skilled employees who are looking at the current state of the US economy and the incredibly restrictive immigration criteria, and choosing to walk away, or choose other more lucrative and less restrictive opportunities.

As a person involved in this process, I can say that up until late last year, when I recieved my EAD, I was in effect an indentured serf, beholden to the company for which I worked, which none of the options or flexibility that my US colleagues had available to them.

I own a house. My children go to school in the town where I own my house. I pay US, not Canadian, taxes. I pay property tax.

However, in the eyes of the United States government, I am considered “three-fifths of a person”. A person bound to this country but not of this country.

The truly American among you may say “Shut up and become a citizen”. I chose not to. I have chosen to retain my personal Canadian Identity, those things that I hold dear that separate Canadian and Americans. I retain my Canadian passport. My youngest son holds dual-citizenship.

I have chosen to make a life in the United States. However, the process that I have been involved in does not allow me to recommend this path to any other Canadians.

To other Canadians, I say: Stay home. Make Canada the best it can be. Make it a truly integrated player in the Global Economy.

To the United States, I say: Wake up. Your destiny has come, and gone. And the way you treat your immigrants is a clear demonstration of that.

Some have said that the United States is a fading empire, most-often compared to the Roman Empire. However, as this piece in the LA Times states, even an ancient empire, in its fading glory, understood how you become great: You become more than the sum of your parts.

The Network World article on telecommuting appears to be getting a lot of play this morning on the RSS feeds.

I agree with Daemon at the Web Worker Daily: Yeah, and your point?

I learned a long time ago that I would NEVER be happy as a do-nothing management hack (whoops! did I say that out loud?). Career advancement to me is an out-dated way of life, and those that are desperately hanging on to this ideal are this generation’s answer to The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit or The Organization Man.

What does career advancement mean in a world that is mobile, engagement-based, driven by accomplishment, not by success? Career advancement is a growth in the respect in which you and your skills are held. Titles become meaningless; generating buzz and delivering on it are what define your success.

Time to raise the controversy element: The people who see telecommuting as a career negative are those that can only survive in a herd. Those who cannot generate their own motivation. Those who need to be away from themselves, to not hear the voices in their heads.

[Cartoon: Hugh MacLeod]

Some of the people I hold in highest regard have no title, and would be seen by corporate types as “drop-outs”.

Guess that makes me a drop-out. Bully for me.

I’m with Kevin Burton on this.

The more restrictions they place on air travel the more our economy will suffer – which means the terrorists win.

Technorati Tags: Terrorism, capitalism, ryanair, economic+terrorism, relative+victory, Political+capital, politics

At my real job, we monitor and report on the performance of a number of different e-commerce verticals.

[I will now try and stop using marketing-speak.]

In the retail index, the Gap has been down for nearly 3 weeks. Well, they have come part way up, but it is flaky, and they don’t have a search function.

No search function? Oh yeah, let’s go shop somewhere else.

Anyway, Erick Schonfeld at Business 2.0 just linked to a story at adfreak about this little re-design outage.

20 days. And counting.

This is unheard of in the Internet economy. Well, not unheard of, but the only other site I know that had a similar re-design outage was Wal-Mart back in 2000.

The Gap is a savvy online retailer. Why couldn’t this been done in a more intelligent way? What has made this re-design so problematic?

Here you go. Read this.

New Orleans has exposed the lie that is the Melting Pot.

The United States is one white, christian nation, indivisible, except when profit is to be made.

Then slave labour is allowed.

Don’t you love this country?

Bush lifts wage rules for Katrina

President Bush issued an executive order Thursday allowing federal contractors rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to pay below the prevailing wage.

Oh, and in the arrogant, rich, white people category, the award goes to Jefferson Parish near New Orleans. It seems that the righteous folks there have decided to re-water parts of New Orleans so that their area can get up and running faster. [here]

Remind me again why the United States continues to think that they are the moral leaders of the world community.

Back in March I commented on some things that Dave Winer said about California Schools. [here]

The main point of the discussion was that the California Public School system is in a near third-world state (with apologies to the oppressed in the third-world) due to the short-sightedness and greed that grew out of Proposition 13.

Today, Tom Foremski chimes in with pretty much the same point. [here]

It is shocking to me that the world’s sixth largest economy can have a public education system that is the shame of the nation. When I explain to people in Massachusetts, when they complain about schools here, that teachers have to ask parents to supply paper towels and toilet paper, they are shocked.

California has a beautiful veneer over a core that is disintegrating and changing rapidly. This morning, I heard a story on NPR [link to follow later] about a South LA school torn apart by racial conflict — latinos against blacks. Many will chalk this up as a city issue, one unique to LA. It’s not. The latino population of California is growing, and the public school system is failing these children.

What to do?

It comes down to one thing — avarice. Until the people of California can overcome their greed, the children of California will wallow in a public education system that is the shame of the industrialized world.

Spent Saturday prepping for a yard sale, and today we executed on the plan. Lot’s of geek books went cheap to deserving homes: a former full-time Linux admin who has been downgraded to working in a liquor store by the economy, and a grad student who nearly cried when he saw what I was selling cheap.

Also sold the 1970 iPod (Pioneer S-3500 Receiver/Turntable), and a bunch of records.

It’s amazing what people will buy.

Off to bed…

Received my order of LiveStrong Yellow bracelets on Friday. I am wearing mine right now, despite something that Samantha found. She flipped it over, and said “Oh look, Made in China“.

My heart sank. I m a firm believer in the global economy, but you woulda thunk that Lance Armstrong could have supported some US firm, somewhere. A firm out there somewhere in the US or Canada would have been happy to donate some time or resources for this cause.

Just disappointed, that’s all. Will still wear the bracelet.

Great article on how FedEx needs automated customer tools, and humans too! [here]

The Takeaway.

For every anxious caller that FedEx diverts to its Web site, the company saves as much as $1.87. FedEx says its call centers handle 83,000 fewer calls per day than in 2000—currently 470,000 calls per day—a saving of $57.56 million per year. FedEx also claims that its Web site handles an average of 60 million requests to track packages per month. These requests cost FedEx 3 cents each or $21.6 million per year, but would cost over $1.36 billion per year if all those people called. Still, by allowing its customers to keep calling reps like Steward, FedEx spends nearly $326 million per year.

Can you imagine an economy of scale that allows you and your organization to save $1.87 for every call your call centre does not have to answer?