Adam Greenfield, in a SXSW wrap-up, talks about a possible U.S. brain drain because of the government's efforts to control that which brings the most vitality and robustness to human society:
America hasn't had its Kristallnacht - yet - but even so the buzz around New Zealand in a few circles of my acquaintance is enough to put one in mind of the brain drain Germany bought itself in the mid- to late 1930's. And as Florida might have it, if I were a smart politician just about anywhere on the planet - one interested in economic vitality and quality of life - I might be egging the Ashcrofts on. All those smart Americans will be looking to settle somewhere that supports and encourages them in who they are, and they'll bring their truest assets, their creative minds, right along with 'em.
If I were a smart politician, I wouldn't merely be egging Ashcroft on, I would be thinking of ways to lure the American (and European and Asian and Middle Eastern and Indian, etc.) creative class to my country, creating a home of the more free, a land of more opportunity, a country for the 21st century just as America was for the 20th.