I spent 6 months in 1999 working in Stuttgart at a enormous German telecoms equipment supplier. Given what I saw there I am not surprised to discover that skilled IT experts are emigrating to the US.
At the place where I worked most of these people were either direct immigrants from eastern Europe or Russia or the children of such immigrants. They were technical experts but were not treated well judging by US standards. The management team was mostly German males with a few German females. No immigrant of any kind was in a position of authority in the organization which I worked with, not even in the technical leadership such as architects. A 'class ceiling' appeared to be in place for these people.
I don't doubt that Germany has good universities and that they give good training. But the system also has to make it professionally and economically rewarding for top people to stay in Germany.
I frequently saw German people without much experience be mean or insulting to the people under them, who had much more valuable experience but with the handicap of not being 'real Germans'. When those people go to the US they get a real chance to rise to the limits of their merits.
Should the US be grateful? I am grateful to the individuals who have immigrated to the US and who added a great deal to our cultural richness as well as being economically valuable. This has been happening since the 30's - it's no new thing.
Am I grateful to Germany? Not really. It's not a free gift by Germany to the US. It is because Germany cannot seem to value many 'auslanders' as they should be that this happens. These people own themselves - Germany doesn't own them. When they choose to come to the US or go elsewhere that is their right as human beings.
Commenting by HaloScan
