Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday it will open a software development center in Vancouver, giving it a place to employ skilled workers snagged by U.S. immigration quotas.

It may signal the start of a new hiring trend, with other U.S. high-tech firms following in Microsoft's footsteps to Canada, where lawyers say it is easier for foreign nationals to obtain work credentials.

So, okay, we think it's okay to go elsewhere to work, but we don't want them coming here. We can go there. So we're developing centers over there so they won't develop centers over here. Neither will we because they're over there. Who's on first? Blahblahblahimmigrationblahblahblah. Outsourcingblahblah. Educated/non-educated, skilled/unskilled, tomatoes/tomahtoes, let's call the whole thing off.

The last thing we'd want to do is encourage meaningful employment in the U.S.