Quote:A lot has been made of the tech world’s growing involvement in politics — from accusations that social media sites such as Facebook are politically biased, to questions over certain Silicon Valley leaders’ endorsements, to the sector’s support of issues such as more high-skill immigration.

Republicans and other on the right bemoan that Silicon Valley tends to go blue. They’re confused. How could this hotbed of entrepreneurship and wealth creation be largely pro-Democrat? But Silicon Valley boasts a unique culture that emerges from an environment of competition, innovation, government involvement, and collaboration. As journalist Greg Ferenstein has written, these “hippies who dig capitalism and science” – many of them millennials – are hard to label. They go with the public policies that make their ventures possible.

So what is the “political philosophy” of Silicon Valley? And what do these tech leaders want from public policy? I sat down with Greg, editor of the Ferenstein Wire and author of The Age Of Optimists, a free book on Silicon Valley’s political endgame, available on Medium. Here’s some of our conversation, which you can listen at in full over on Ricochet.


http://www.aei.org/publication/what-does-silicon-valley-seem-to-love-democrats-and-dimiss-the-gop-a-qa-with-journalist-greg-ferenstein/

(05-26-2016, 05:21 PM)Dan Wrote: Here's an interesting interview about the i ideology of people in Silicon Valley.  It's from AEI, a conservative think thank but still interesting.

http://www.aei.org/publication/what-does-silicon-valley-seem-to-love-democrats-and-dimiss-the-gop-a-qa-with-journalist-greg-ferenstein/

Quote:A lot has been made of the tech world’s growing involvement in politics — from accusations that social media sites such as Facebook are politically biased, to questions over certain Silicon Valley leaders’ endorsements, to the sector’s support of issues such as more high-skill immigration.

Republicans and other on the right bemoan that Silicon Valley tends to go blue. They’re confused. How could this hotbed of entrepreneurship and wealth creation be largely pro-Democrat? But Silicon Valley boasts a unique culture that emerges from an environment of competition, innovation, government involvement, and collaboration. As journalist Greg Ferenstein has written, these “hippies who dig capitalism and science” – many of them millennials – are hard to label. They go with the public policies that make their ventures possible.

So what is the “political philosophy” of Silicon Valley? And what do these tech leaders want from public policy? I sat down with Greg, editor of the Ferenstein Wire and author of The Age Of Optimists, a free book on Silicon Valley’s political endgame, available on Medium. Here’s some of our conversation, which you can listen at in full over on Ricochet.


http://www.aei.org/publication/what-does-silicon-valley-seem-to-love-democrats-and-dimiss-the-gop-a-qa-with-journalist-greg-ferenstein/

(05-26-2016, 05:21 PM)Dan Wrote:

Quote:A lot has been made of the tech world’s growing involvement in politics — from accusations that social media sites such as Facebook are politically biased, to questions over certain Silicon Valley leaders’ endorsements, to the sector’s support of issues such as more high-skill immigration.

Quote:1. They are well educated. A high level of formal education used to be a proxy for Republican voting (look at the electoral map of the 1950s for President); such is no longer so.  The States that Eisenhower lost in either 1952 or 1956 included the least-educated States in America even if that meant that he would win Massachusetts and Minnesota. In 2012 Obama did not win any state that Eisenhower didn't win twice.

2. They strongly support formal education. If their kids are to stay in California and not be retail clerks or restaurant workers who must stay in the family McMansion because they cannot find work that can pay enough to live on, then they will need a high level of education.

3. They are very liberal on inter-ethnic sex. Many are in mixed-race marriages, even if the mix is 'only' white-and-Asian.

4. They are unlikely to be fervent Christians.

5. They like Big Government to keep the environment livable. They are environmentalists, and they see no reason for their environments to become moonscapes like former strip mines in Appalachia.  

6. They do not see cheap labor so much as a boon as a blight, the antithesis of the GOP. Much like most screen actors in southern California they are more concerned with the common people being able to buy their product than with keeping costs down.

(05-26-2016, 06:45 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: 1. They are well educated. A high level of formal education used to be a proxy for Republican voting (look at the electoral map of the 1950s for President); such is no longer so.  The States that Eisenhower lost in either 1952 or 1956 included the least-educated States in America even if that meant that he would win Massachusetts and Minnesota. In 2012 Obama did not win any state that Eisenhower didn't win twice.

2. They strongly support formal education. If their kids are to stay in California and not be retail clerks or restaurant workers who must stay in the family McMansion because they cannot find work that can pay enough to live on, then they will need a high level of education.

3. They are very liberal on inter-ethnic sex. Many are in mixed-race marriages, even if the mix is 'only' white-and-Asian.

4. They are unlikely to be fervent Christians.

5. They like Big Government to keep the environment livable. They are environmentalists, and they see no reason for their environments to become moonscapes like former strip mines in Appalachia.  

6. They do not see cheap labor so much as a boon as a blight, the antithesis of the GOP. Much like most screen actors in southern California they are more concerned with the common people being able to buy their product than with keeping costs down.

Quote:I have hired H1Bs before. It is rare for an H1B living here in the Bay Area to be considered cheap labor. Ones I've hired had advanced degrees and I paid them just like anyone else.

Quote: Every one I ever hired eventually got a Green Card and later Citizenship. That said, there are shops that are more into the "hired guns" mentality and don't have such a long term view.

Quote:Places like that tend to be sweat shops and are not the exciting sexy places according to the average Silicon Valley maven.

Quote:BTW - "Silicone Valley" is 300 miles south of here (AKA The San Fernando Valley, most of it is inside LA city limits). It's where they shoot porno and house many immigrants in cheap dingbat style apartment blocks.

Quote:Totally different animal from Silicon Valley.

Quote:An aside. I count myself among the original few hundred people who used the term Silicon Valley. I'm a 3rd generation techie, my Dad worked at one of the famous early semiconductor firms, back when most of them were concentrated in San Mateo County and the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County - San Jose was mostly still prune plum orchards back then.

Quote: Oh also, two of my H1B hires were Canucks ... EH!!!! Good day .... hosers!  

(05-27-2016, 06:15 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote: Well , since I lost my good job to some H1-B scum, I'm of course out for blood.

(05-28-2016, 12:09 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(05-27-2016, 06:15 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote: Well , since I lost my good job to some H1-B scum, I'm of course out for blood.

I'm surprised. I thought this crap was going on in places like Silicon Valley, where I live; but in Oklahoma?