The Feb. 18 Letter of the Day ("Our gain in immigrants' talents is also a loss to home countries") makes a valid point. However, the blame for much of the brain and talent drain from home countries must be placed squarely on the political, economic or social environment back home. If the home countries offered a better environment and better opportunities, the desire to remain in the United States wouldn't be as strong.
A professional woman I know moved to Egypt after finishing college here in Minnesota. She married and started a family there. She has a good job with a large multinational company. Egypt has been her home since 1988. Yet she and her family are seriously considering leaving due to the unrest there since the revolution two years ago, which has included violence against women in the streets of Cairo and other cities, as documented in a recent commentary ("Women in Egypt are running a gantlet," Feb. 16).
Who can blame her for wanting to leave?
ROBERT W. CARLSON, Plymouth
