Much of the public is aware that the folks in D.C. use a different form of mathematics than the rest of the world uses. Fred Barnes of ”The Beltway Boys” gives some good examples of this ”New Math” today in The Weekly Standard [Five Easy Pieces, By Fred Barnes, May 29, 2008 ]

Among the issues that Fred says should be easily dealt with in a single vote.

Double or triple the number of foreigners given H-1B visas to work in America. We need more highly educated and skilled workers from abroad, but only 65,000 H-1B visas are handed out annually.

The number of H-1B visas is already about double what Fred claims it is. The last reported figures under the current law for new H-1B visas were 116,927 in FY 2005 and 130,497 in FY 2004. So Fred, are we supposed to double or triple the 65,000 figure or the 116,927 figure?

Fred goes on to tell us,

This causes two problems: Jobs requiring special skill or training go unfilled, and those who might fill them migrate to other countries, which become more competitive at America's expense.

Computer workers account for nearly the majority of H-1B visas. Between 1999 and 2005 employment for U.S. workers grew by 332,660. Over that same time period the U.S. approved 330,524 new H-1B visas for computer workers. In the last reported year (2005), the U.S. approved 47,282 H-1B visas for computer workers yet employment for computer workers only grew by 19,950 that year. Apparently Fred is telling us that unless we import 2 or 3 H-1B computer workers for every computer job created in the country we are going to have unfilled jobs.

This problem could be solved by a single vote in the House and Senate boosting the number of visas to 130,000 or 195,000. One click.

It’s only when you use Fred Barnes' ”New Math” that problems like H-1B become very simple.