Some things are unclear. One can think about them and draw no conclusions. For example, an interesting article published this week presents a look back at software developers’ jobs in the USA and abroad, along with other skilled workers’ employment, focusing on a now-rhetorical question: How might a national discussion about Free Trade in the Digital Age affect the US economy and the lives of workers?
The article described the dilemma for USA developers and others two decades ago. (Hard to believe: this excerpt is from an article co-authored by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Paul Craig Roberts who served under Reagan.)
Two recent examples illustrate this concern. Over the next three years, a major New York securities firm plans to replace its team of 800 American software engineers, who each earns about $150,000 per year, with an equally competent team in India earning an average of only $20,000. Second, within five years the number of radiologists in this country is expected to decline significantly because M.R.I. data can be sent over the Internet to Asian radiologists capable of diagnosing the problem at a small fraction of the cost.
In an ideal world, Edward Snowden could come home.