The stark reality facing America’s youth is grim: millions are falling behind in foundational skills, yet the establishment seems content to look the other way. Why? Because, as a renowned MIT economist now bravely asserts, the H-1B visa program offers a convenient, cynical bypass, allowing the educated elite to ignore the rot in our K-12 system and bypass the urgent need to invest in our own.
Daron Acemoglu, a Nobel Prize-winning economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, isn't holding back. He argues that the H-1B visa program has actively "drained the incentive for complacent politicians to fix the broken K-12 system used by many millions of ordinary Americans." It's a damning indictment from within the very institutions that often champion such globalist policies.
Acemoglu revealed this uncomfortable truth to fellow economist Tyler Cowen, stating unequivocally that the elite "has given up on the education of Americans because they think that they can fill any skill gap with importing those skills [via the H-1B program], whether they are nurses, whether they’re doctors, whether they’re programmers. That’s the problem." This isn't just an economic theory; it's a profound statement about the abandonment of America's own future.
Despite being an ethnic Armenian who himself used the H-1B program to migrate from Turkey to the United States, Acemoglu's loyalty to the American social compact shines through. He expressed a desire for "skilled immigration," but only alongside a renewed "social compact of America such that the influential people, be they politicians, journalists, or tech barons, really have a commitment to the education of Americans." It's a call for prioritizing our own citizens first, a cornerstone of the America First agenda.
When challenged by the zealously pro-migration Cowen, Acemoglu laid bare the tragic facts: "Well, about half of people in the United States in middle school read and write a couple of grades below [standards, and] we’re not doing anything about that despite the fact that everybody recognizes that we are moving into the skills age where we are going to need more and more human capital. We’re not doing anything. We’re just giving up on these people. I think that is what really bothers me, that somehow we have, as the most powerful, arguably the richest, country in the world, have resigned ourselves to give up on the education of about a third to a half of the youth." He concluded, "We’re throwing money at it, but we’re not really dealing with the root causes." And somehow, they still expect Americans not to notice.
Predictably, Acemoglu's honesty has drawn the ire of the open-borders establishment. Adam Ozimek, a pro-migration economist aligned with pro-migration investors at the Economic Innovation Group, scoffed, "If you are looking for bad Acemoglu arguments, consider his criticism of skilled immigration, that it somehow is stopping us from improving the education of the bottom half or third of students???" Their solution? Always more visas, never accountability for America's failures.
The globalist Economist magazine joined the chorus, "slamming Acemoglu" for his "populist shift." One anonymous economist blasted his policies as "tried before and failed," while pro-migration blogger Noah Smith openly declared he'd been "yelling about Acemoglu for literally a decade." It seems speaking truth to the globalist narrative is a quick way to become an outcast among the 'smartest people in the room.'
Acemoglu's new book, "What Happened To Liberal Democracy?", while cautiously navigating the immigration debate, does acknowledge that "Throughout the last several decades, about half the U.S. population has been concerned about immigration, especially illegal immigration … Mainstream politicians haven’t paid much attention to these concerns for most of this period." It’s an admission that the political class has, for decades, deliberately ignored the will of the American people.
Even more tellingly, on a recent streaming show, Acemoglu carefully avoided mentioning the 1924 immigration reform. This pivotal historical moment directly led to decades of sustained, shared prosperity and wage growth for American workers because companies were forced to hire from within the nation, creating a "hunger for labor." This critical historical context, conveniently ignored by many in power, perfectly illustrates how prioritizing American workers truly benefits all.
I don’t know of any example in history of sustained shared prosperity which works through anything other than sustained wage growth … That’s exactly what happened in the United States starting in early decades of the 20th century. So much so that many companies … were sending their [hiring] agents all around the 50 states to find people that could work … because there was such a hunger for labor. It was that hunger for labor that was at the root of shared prosperity, and [the] disappearance of that hunger [is] due to technology, organizational changes, and other economic changes.
Acemoglu’s critique extends beyond just the H-1B program, hitting at the very core of modern political realignment. He candidly noted that "Dems have ceased to be the workers’ party long ago, owing to their support for digital disruption, globalization, large immigrant flows, and ‘woke’ ideas." This observation perfectly aligns with why President Donald Trump's America First message resonates so deeply with working Americans.
These revelations are not isolated. Another Nobel Prize-winning economist, British-born Angus Deaton, famously reversed his support for mass migration, recognizing the many "Deaths of Despair" caused by government policies that prioritize foreign workers over citizens. Deaton powerfully articulated in 2024: "I also no longer defend the idea that the harm done to working Americans by globalization was a reasonable price to pay for global poverty reduction because workers in America are so much better off than the global poor … I had also seriously underthought my ethical judgments about trade-offs between domestic and foreign workers. We certainly have a duty to aid those in distress, but we have additional obligations to our fellow citizens that we do not have to others." That part should not be complicated.
Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen echoed this sentiment, lamenting how "a combination of DEI and immigration have basically cut out of the loop for the last 50 years" for bright American kids. He starkly challenged the narrative: "If you’re a family… where I grew up [Wisconsin], and you’ve got a smart kid, and you think you’re going to get them into a top university in this country… there is no chance." He added, "What level of untapped talent exists in this country that a combination of DEI and immigration have basically cut out of the loop for the last 50 years? And how long can we have this story to everybody in the Midwest and the South that says, ‘Sorry, because of historical oppression, your kids are SOL.’" The message is clear: the American Dream is being dismantled for many by policies designed to benefit global elites.
For over a decade, 4ever News has meticulously documented this systemic issue, exposing the devastating impact of "Extraction Migration" on American wages, productivity, and housing. We have consistently highlighted how political elites subordinate the welfare of American citizens to the agendas of investors and migrants.
Acemoglu's surprising candor serves as a powerful reminder that America’s strength lies in its people. Prioritizing the education and opportunities of American citizens, not importing labor from abroad, is the only path to genuine prosperity and national renewal. It's time for politicians to rediscover their commitment to the American social compact and finally put America First.
