How high are you figuring Chick-fil-A's total lifetime revenue from a top-1% customer might be?
The big research university near me charges foreign STEM students over $50K/year in tuition.
And comparing the physical facilities of that university to the local Chick-fil-A location - I suspect the university's business model is considerably more lucrative. Even though students generally graduate and leave.
Do you really, actually, not comprehend the difference between a national STEM economy and a fast food restaurant, and how the two situations are not at all analogous, or were you just trying to come up with something snappy?
Are you referring to the taxpayer support of state (not private) colleges, which subsidizes the tuition of in-state students? Foreign student don't get that subsidized rate.
Or do you mean the taxpayer-supported research - that anyone with an internet connection can download the results of, from anywhere in the world, without paying a penny of tuition?
If we were to compare it to a transaction, I think something like California exporting alfalfa to Saudi Arabia might make more sense. We've only but so much water to use and it's far from absurd to question if it makes sense to let our limited resources get drained for exporting things elsewhere.
