H1B's are guaranteed workforce for a number of years with low turnover.
I was thinking about it the other day, but it may be it's own form of japanese salaryman, except its for positions not many would work in that arrangement.
Maybe it helps companies that couldn't be sustainable, be that way (artificially).
I remember after Hurricane Katrina, the silly notion I had in my head that the government can protect us in emergencies evaporated and never came back. I anticipate that any large nationwide emergency such as a nuclear attack would be total chaos for a very very long time.
Makes for a great warning