Shifting grounds and what to worry about:
The King Abdullah University of Science & Technology has started its operation with a $10 billion endowment.
MIT's endowment just got to over $8 billion
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/09/mit_endowment_r.html
One of the largest issues facing us in the near future is to have access to a large enough high tech work force in the US to keep high tech manufacturing jobs here.
Former president's science advisor John Marburger stated in a discussion during the celebration of the National Nanoscience Initiative in Washigton D.C last week that without immigration reform nothing can be accomplished within a reasonable time frame.
I can think of no quicker and better way to grow the US high tech workforce than by increasing the number of H1B visas and actively promoting legal immigration of scientists and engineers to the US. We already educate a lot of bright young people from developing countries in our top universities in science and engineering. Take a walk through the corridors of MIT, Stanford or USC's Swearingen building...this is the most important resource for our immediate future and we send them home?
We need these bright young kids because we need a wave of innovation and commercialization to maintain our quality and standard of living.