If your country were to become communist...

[Lancer]

...and bright young people were to be college educated by the state, should they be allowed to emmigrate so that they might persue carreers under a system that allows them to become wealthy?

If not, should they not be allowed to travel?

[Agathon]

Only the dumb young people would leave a communist society, thereby increasing the average IQ of both communist and non-communist nations.

[Lancer]

not an answer.

[Spiffor]

Re: If your country were to become communist...

Originally posted by Lancer
...and bright young people were to be college educated by the state

You don't have to be a communist country to do that. Most European countries work this way.

should they be allowed to emmigrate so that they might persue carreers under a system that allows them to become wealthy?

Yes, but there should be a mechanism that has them pay back their studies.

Brain drain is a minor problem in developed countries, but it's a real killer in developing ones, where gobs of money are wasted on the education of people who'll leave.

[Lancer]

Spif, if they leave, and presumably become citizens of a democracy, how can you force them to pay the communist country back? If it's a communist country the smart over achievers can never own anything because everybody owns everything. So whether it's a developed country or not really doesn't matter. Anyone who believes he can compete will want out in order to succeed in a place where they can enjoy that success. How do you keep them in?

[Dr Strangelove]

I think that th commie government would probably feel compelled to nuke my home town, or haul everyone off to a gulag, my hometown being what it is. We make Kansas look like Berkley or San Francisco by comparison.

[Pekka]

Spiffor, I always was a year in the army for free. Is that good enough for letting me study without huge tuition cost? PS. I still buy my own food.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Agathon
Only the dumb young people would leave a communist society, thereby increasing the average IQ of both communist and non-communist nations.

Excellent answer comrade

[Lancer]

UR, it may have been witty, but it was no answer.

[:) Smiley]

Rather than not let people leave, the government should simply encourage people to send back remittances- such programs make up the largest sector of "exports" of many developing nations.

[DaShi]

Millions would die under radically foolish reforms or in forced labor camps under the thumb of a brutal and paranoid dictator. That or the people would go crazy and start killing eachother in some seriously ****ed up ways, while burning art and other national treasures.

[Lancer]

Yes, the Philippines gets something like 40% of its foriegn capital from remitances. However this is a third world country. Is your country third world Smiley?

Could the Soviet Union have survived on remitances if they allowed their best and brightest to leave after educating them?

Remitances aren't a realistic basis for economic survival of a major power. Also, a brain drain to a democracy would not permit a nation already hampered by communism to compete in any manner, including militarily.

[Az]

Spif, if they leave, and presumably become citizens of a democracy, how can you force them to pay the communist country back? If it's a communist country the smart over achievers can never own anything because everybody owns everything. So whether it's a developed country or not really doesn't matter. Anyone who believes he can compete will want out in order to succeed in a place where they can enjoy that success. How do you keep them in?

Why is the constant thought that you have to own something to feel really good about something + why do you think that one wouldn't be able to own anything, like a huge house and nice cars, in a socialist economy?

This is just poppy talk. With government corporations instead of pure command economy, both of these goals are very very achievable.


Moral of the story: In ANY country, if you don't do ****, your government won't work, and you'll suffer. With free discussion, you just have a whole lot more of control, and that's why it's so important.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Brain drain is a minor problem in developed countries, but it's a real killer in developing ones, where gobs of money are wasted on the education of people who'll leave.

he's right. there is no direct corrolation between increased spending in secondary education and in HDI or PPP/capita growth in developing countries.

[Sir Og]

Originally posted by Lancer
Yes, the Philippines gets something like 40% of its foriegn capital from remitances. However this is a third world country. Is your country third world Smiley?

Could the Soviet Union have survived on remitances if they allowed their best and brightest to leave after educating them?

Remitances aren't a realistic basis for economic survival of a major power. Also, a brain drain to a democracy would not permit a nation already hampered by communism to compete in any manner, including militarily.

Yugoslavia was doing very well by letting its people work abroad and send money back. It was one of the best countries in the communist block too.