Zakaria says US must fix immigration to thrive

(L-R) Krishna Kumar, CEO April Media, Savita Vaidhyanathan (Rotary Club of Cupertino), Fareed Zaharia, acclaimed CNN host and political scientist and Dick Henning, founder of the Celebrity Forum Speakers Series -Photo Sandeep Mohankumar - Sandeep Mohankum

CALIFORNIA: At a time when recession has caused job-loss by the thousands and there is a general apathy towards migrant workforce, noted television host and foreign and strategic affairs expert Fareed Zakaria believes that the US government must actually work on fixing immigration issues as it could thrive in future by doing so.

Delivering a keynote at the Flint Center in Cupertino as part of the Celebrity Forum, Zakaria said the contrary views to migration of workforce was a result of the fact that we globalized the world, but forgot to globalize ourselves. "We should strive to ensure that we are not in such a situation when historians sit down to write about us."

The three Celebrity Forum Speakers Series are sponsored by the Foothill/De Anza Community College District which presents seven different speakers, one a month from September through April or May at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on the De Anza College campus in Cupertino, California.

The organization was founded by Dr. Dick Henning, He reminded audience that historically the United States had caught up with the early industrialized world by following an aggressive immigration policy by opening its doors to the best minds. "When the entire world, to which the US taught free trade, has started growing and embracing globalization, America is halting in its tracks and considering a step backwards."

It is trying to shut itself off from the world and this is a dangerous trend, he observed adding that the United States must continue to take the lead in removing trade barriers across the world and ensuring free movement of goods and services. "The worst thing that could happen as a response to the economic crisis is that a country becomes fearful of change, about being open, to foreign goods, foreigners and foreign ideas," he said to prolonged applause.

"If we become fearful, we are sunk," Zakaria quipped and reminded the listeners that the financial crisis was actually a silver lining and a wake up call. He said the meltdown would actually help Americans think and go back and create new jobs and work on the basics, instead of depending a whole lot on credit cards that encourages living beyond one's means.

He cited the case of the success of a low budget movie like Slumdog Millionnaire at both the box office and the Oscars and said 'who would have thought that they would bag seven Oscars?' "But, the story of the world is headed that way -- A story about Mumbai in India, a film crew that is multi-cultural, a director who is from Britain and a movie that is funded by Hollywood -- The world is heading that way with diversity and we have to welcome it," Zakaria noted.