Dean's Speech at Nationals

[Mr. Lim]

Automobile plants moved to Mexico

Call centers moved to India

What ISN'T manufactured in China nowadays?

Will we be upset when our FIRST (Inter)National Championship Awards start getting "outsourced" to other countries like Canada, Japan, South Korea, China, or even Iran when the day comes when they too have FIRST teams?

like these:
http://www.robocup.org/games/03Padova/3174.html

Shouldn't a person or group be rewarded and recognized for their efforts, regardless of the colour of their skin, race, creed, religion, nationality, or which side of what border their house lies? Are these not the founding principles of our "nation"? Should they not be echoed by FIRST? our governments? our corporations?

Why do we talk about our "nation" losing 1000 jobs from outsoucing, yet fail to realize that 1000 more people half way around the world have gained jobs, often with a much larger and far reaching benefit.

Maybe WE can't buy that over-sized, excessive, top of the line, $60000 SUV anymore, because we've lost our IT jobs to someone in India. But this Indian will use his/her $30000 to provide food, shelter and life's amenities for himself and his poor extended family.

Doesn't trading an unnecessary SUV for one person in exchange for food and shelter for many seem reasonable? Does it hurt even more that this Indian probably has a much more extensive education, and will perform the job, not only cheaper, but much more effectively than his/her American counterpart?

Why does it make us feel hurt? Are we working toward making THE world a better place? or just OUR world a better place?

Why is one nation more important than another...?

Why is our nation more important than yours?

Ask yourself these questions... because I'm asking them over here, and millions more in the Middle East are asking too...

-Shawn...