17 Articles Worth Reading
17 Articles Worth Reading
Date: Monday, March 06, 2006 4:06 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
March 06, 2006 No. 1434
COMMENT FROM ROB: Article #11 is either hilarious or aweful depending on
whether he is serious or not. As you will see, the mainstream press is
clamoring for more H-1Bs and of course Bush is fanning the flames. The only
voices of sanity are found outside of the mainstream press on websites like
Vdare and Newsmax.
Article 1:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/feb/21visa.htm
Indian IT industry to ask Bush for more visas
India's IT industry will seek an increase in the number of H1-B
(non-immigrant) visas and a mechanism to refund social security taxes paid
by Indian professionals in the US, when President George W Bush visits
India early next month.
Article 2:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1631846,0002.htm
Nasscom to ask Bush to raise H1-B visa cap
The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) will
take up the issue of enhancing the H1-B visa cap for Indian IT
professionals during US President George W Bush's upcoming visit to India.
"Though there are no great issues with the US, we are concerned with the
existing cap on H1-B visas, which continues to trouble us," Karnik said.
"We intend to take up the issue with President Bush during his forthcoming
visit to India (March 1). Since the US administration too understands our
needs, we hope they address it."
Article 3:
http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=129&a=10703
H-1B is the Answer to Your Dreams!
THE H-1B visa program is the fundamental answer to every foreign workers
dream of working in the United States. Further, it is described to be the
critical solution for thousands of American employers desiring the services
of highly skilled foreign professionals.
Article 4:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32217
U.S. Free Traders Retreat on UAE Ports Deal
In a replay of congressional efforts last year that foiled a bid by a
Chinese company to buy a U.S. oil firm, a group of hawkish U.S. lawmakers,
citing national security concerns, are trying to block a deal that gives a
major Arab company control over a British firm that runs some U.S. ports.
The move contradicts a forceful U.S. thrust into the Arab world focused on
greater openness and free trade. The Bush administration has proposed a
Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA), which would link 22 Arab nations,
Israel and the United States by 2013.
Article 5:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13940642.htm
Bush insists outsourcing to India has its benefits
To people in Silicon Valley and around the country concerned about the
outsourcing of jobs to India, President Bush on Wednesday offered something
to make the practice more palatable.
Pizza.
It's just one of the U.S. products that India's rapidly growing middle
class is developing an appetite for.
Article 6:
http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_release2272006
Specter Amnesty/Guest Worker Bill Sets Up Immigration Showdown Between the
Senate and the American Public
As expected, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Penn.)
has put forward a proposal that makes amnesty available to nearly all of
the 11-13 million people who have broken Americas immigration laws,
allow unlimited numbers of new guest workers to enter the U.S. labor force
Article 7:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2006/02/american_it_job.html
American IT Jobs Give Bush Valuable Bargaining Chip In Talks With India
George Bush's visit to India this week provides the perfect high-profile
opportunity for the president to urge Congress to eliminate all numerical
caps on H-1B foreign worker visas. Such a move would help the United States
in a number of ways, while holding very little downside for the American
economy.
Article 8:
http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=181400284
Ericsson plans to invest $100 million in India
Swedish telecom equipment vendor Ericsson opened an R&D center in the
southern Indian city of Chennai. Ericsson proposes to invest about $100
million in the country, said Mats Granryd, managing director of Ericsson
India. But he did not specify how that investment would be deployed.
Article 9:
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0227chassisjockeys.html
'Spidermen' deliver unfinished vehicles across Mexico
Beneath the derring-do, there is a sobering lesson about Mexico: here, it's
cheaper to pay a man to risk his life than it is to ship a chassis by auto
carrier. Companies such as Mercedes-Benz, International, General Motors,
Volkswagen and Freightliner built a record 70,233 truck chassis last year
in Mexico.
Article 10:
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/06/front2453798.058333333.html
UAE buys British firm that runs U.S. military facilities
The United Arab Emirates intends to operate U.S. military factories. The
Bush administration has informed Congress of a review of the UAE
acquisition of a British manufacturer of engine components for U.S.
military aircraft and main battle tanks.
Article 11:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/24/otto_mexico/
America can lick the Asian peril by training Mexican smarties
Despite liberals and Ryan Seacrest, America remains the greatest country on
Earth. Like any paradise, however, we do have a couple of niggling problems
- namely illegal immigrants and a lack of skilled engineers. Thankfully,
I'm in the unique position to solve both of these issues - at the same
time. I want to see Wal-Mercado's Engineer Warehouses blanketing the
Mexican countryside. I want to see thousands of workers putting down
Tecates during their lunch break from the Dell House of Chip Design.
Smarties everywhere!
Article 12:
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060305/BUSINESS/60305007/1003
Bush on job loss: School is key
Outsourcing OK with economists
You lost your job. Its probably one of the most dreaded things youll
ever hear from your boss. Then you find out that your white-collar position
moved to the other side of the globe - to India. President Bush says he
feels your pain and that education - not trade protectionism - is the
answer to deal with the increasingly globalized world in which we live and
work. Bush discussed the politically sensitive issue in New Delhi on
Friday, wrapping up a three-day stay in India.
***** You must click link to read the following *****
Article 13:
http://www.vdare.com/roberts/060303_jobs.htm
Data Shows Americas Job Growth Benefits Immigrants, Outsourcers
By Paul Craig Roberts
Large corporations, which have individually dismissed thousands of their US
employees and replaced them with foreigners, claim that jobs outsourcing
allows them to save money that can be used to hire more Americans. The
corporations and the business organizations are very successful in placing
this disinformation in the media. The lie is repeated everywhere and has
become a mantra among no-think economists and politicians.
Article 14:
http://www.vdare.com/guzzardi/060303_specter.htm
Meet the Senate Judiciary Committee -- Your Fate Is In Its Hands Right Now
By Joe Guzzardi
When I sat down to write my column, I planned to lead by saying that no
United States Senator is worse on immigration than the Chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, Pennsylvanias Arlen Specter (R). Based on
his tortured immigration proposals this week, I thought that was a safe
statement. Then I looked at the entire committee roster. Specter has a lot
of competition among the seventeen-man group.
Article 15:
http://www.vdare.com/roberts/060228_economics.htm
How The Economic News Is Spun - And Why
By Paul Craig Roberts
Readers ask me to reconcile the jobs and debt data that I report to them
with the positive economic outlook and good news that comes to them from
regular news sources.
Article 16:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/2/12/140521.shtml
The Economic and Political Gospel According to the 'New' Republican
Establishment
Diane Alden
The Gospel According to the Republican Establishment is creating a
cognitive dissonance for many conservatives. Along with the Hegelian ideal
of communitarianism, a smiley-face version of socialism combined with some
aspects of a secularized social gospel, we are stuck with the Bush
administration's addiction to crony corporatism. Capitalism it isn't.
Article 17:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/2/20/130745.shtml
Republicans, H-1B Work Visas, Immigration and Charlie Brown
Diane Alden
Of course, hope springs eternal. Pinning my hopes on future Republicans,
younger guys, I came away feeling like Charlie Brown recently. Remember
Charlie getting the football yanked from under him by Lucy? I discovered
that immigration reformist and concealed-carry proponent Minnesota Governor
Tim Pawlenty is promoting the H-1B work visa.
1. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/feb/21visa.htm
Indian IT industry to ask Bush for more visas
PTI | February 21, 2006 | 18:40 IST
India's IT industry will seek an increase in the number of H1-B
(non-immigrant) visas and a mechanism to refund social security taxes paid
by Indian professionals in the US, when President George W Bush visits
India early next month.
Currently, US issues only 65,000 H1-B visas (work permits). Since Indian
information technology professionals are the major users of this visa, the
cap on these visa has also been one that has troubling the Indian IT
industry, National Association of Software and Service Companies president
Kiran Karnik said on Tuesday.
"The 65,000 cap is far too low," he told reporters on the sidelines of the
second Sino-India Software Industry Cooperation Summit in Bangalore. "It is
something we share completely with US corporations who are equally
concerned."
Indications were that the US administration had understood this.
"Hopefully, they will do something. Some moves are afoot. We hope they will
work," he said.
At the peak of the tech boom, US had increased the H-1B visa cap to
195,000, but scaled it down following the IT slowdown in early 2000s.
While the figure of 195,000, which was the 'peak,' as cap is 'fine,' it can
be lower, Karnik said in response to a question. "It should be high enough
so that the cap does not become a constraint," he said, adding that it can
be left to market forces to decide the cap depending on the demand-supply
situation.
"We have a concern not only in the cap but also speed. H1-B visa takes far
too long (for processing and granting)."
2. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1631846,0002.htm
Nasscom to ask Bush to raise H1-B visa cap
Indo-Asian News Service
Bangalore, February 21, 2006
The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) will
take up the issue of enhancing the H1-B visa cap for Indian IT
professionals during US President George W Bush's upcoming visit to India.
The present annual cap of 65,000 H1-B visas for Indian professionals was
far too low and needed to be raised substantially to meet the growing
industry demand, Nasscom president Kiran Karnik told reporters in Bangalore
on Tuesday.
"Though there are no great issues with the US, we are concerned with the
existing cap on H1-B visas, which continues to trouble us," Karnik said.
He added, "This is something even the US corporations are concerned about
and share with us."
"We intend to take up the issue with President Bush during his forthcoming
visit to India (March 1). Since the US administration too understands our
needs, we hope they address it."
"Indications are some moves are afoot in this direction," Karnik said on
the sidelines of the second Sino-India software industry cooperation
summit.
Recalling how the number of H1-B visas for Indian professionals touched a
peak of 195,000 annually not long ago, Karnik said the Indian IT industry
would be comfortable if the cap was more than doubled from the present
level.
"We are looking at a cap substantially high enough to bridge the
demand-supply gap. We want market forces to be the deciding factor as the
Indian IT industry is the major user of the H1-B visa," Karnik pointed out.
The other major issue worrying Nasscom is the social security system or
totalization agreement for Indian professionals working in the US under
H1-B visa.
"Even the high fee structure for H1-B visas is concern for us because
Indian professionals are made to pay up taxes for social security without
any benefit. Since the H1-B visas are only for three-to-six years and
social security benefits flow only after 10 years, Indians stand to lose
out on them," Karnik lamented.
To overcome the problem, Nasscom has suggested the US government could
refund the tax deducted under the social security system at the end of the
work permit on the lines of some European countries.
"We are not against the deduction per se. Collect the social security tax,
but refund the amount when the person leaves for home, as is being done by
some Scandanavian countries like Finland and Sweden," Karnik affirmed.
In fact, Nasscom is in talks with more countries to introduce a similar tax
system for the benefit of Indian IT professionals going abroad on work
permit visas for onsite work or executing projects over a long period.
Nasscom also plans to bring to Bush's notice the urgent need to hasten the
process of issuing H1-B and L1 visas.
"We are not against safeguards for L1 visas, but new restrictions should
not be adverse. We agree L1 visas should not be misused. But the process
should not take too long," Karnik said.
While H1-B visas allow companies incorporated in the US to employ
professionals from overseas, L1 visas is more temporary in nature and is
issued for transfer of an employee from overseas to the US.
In this context, Nasscom hoped the opening up of a US consulate in
Hyderabad soon would benefit the Indian IT firms in reducing the time taken
to process their visa applications.
3. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=129&a=10703
February 19th, 2006
H-1B is the Answer to Your Dreams!
By: Attorney Shaun Setareh
THE H-1B visa program is the fundamental answer to every foreign workers
dream of working in the United States. Further, it is described to be the
critical solution for thousands of American employers desiring the services
of highly skilled foreign professionals.
Though H-1B visa has caught so much attention because Congress has set
limitations to the available numbers of workers it is still a highly-sought
visa for skilled foreign professionals.
Time Is of the Essence on April 1, 2006, thousands of applicants will vie
to have a slot on the 65,000 H-1B visas. However not all H-1B applicant is
subject to the cap. The H-1B visas will still be available for those
applying for H-1B extensions, transfers or amendments. Further, the H-1B
cap does not apply for aspirants filing H-1B visas through government and
non-profit research organizations and institutions of higher education.
Why is the H-1B visa good for skilled professionals? Because it is one of
the privileged visas that allow "dual intent". An H-1B alien can be the
beneficiary of an immigrant visa petition, apply for adjustment of status,
or take other steps toward Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status without
affecting H-1B status. This is known as "dual intent" and has been
recognized immigration law since passage of the Immigration Act of 1990.
During the time that the application for Lawful Permanent Resident status
is pending, an alien may travel on his or her H-1B visa rather than
obtaining advance parole or requesting other advance permission from
Immigration to return to the U.S.
Under the H-1B visa program the element of exclusivity is customary. H-1B
aliens are required to work only for the employer who petitioned them and
perform the job or activities described in the H-1B application.
An H-1B alien however, is allowed to change employers provided that Form
I-129 (H-1B) petition was approved for each employer.H-1B alien can change
an employer under the law called AC21 or American Competitiveness in the
21st Century Act. Though the entire process involved a similar application
in filing a new H-1B petition, the application is directly filed with the
nearest US Citizenship and Immigration Services office without a trip to
the H-1B employees US Consulate. The most important provision in a
"portability or change of employer" application is to establish that the
H-1B employee is filing a "non-frivolous" application.
4. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32217
U.S. Free Traders Retreat on UAE Ports Deal
Emad Mekay
WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (IPS) - In a replay of congressional efforts last year
that foiled a bid by a Chinese company to buy a U.S. oil firm, a group of
hawkish U.S. lawmakers, citing national security concerns, are trying to
block a deal that gives a major Arab company control over a British firm
that runs some U.S. ports.
The move contradicts a forceful U.S. thrust into the Arab world focused on
greater openness and free trade.
The Bush administration has proposed a Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA),
which would link 22 Arab nations, Israel and the United States by 2013.
A free trade agreement between the U.S. and Morocco went into effect on
Jan. 1, and a similar agreement with Bahrain was approved by Congress in
December and is expected to take force this March. Other trade agreements
now exist between the United States and Israel and Jordan.
At issue in the latest flap is a 6.8-billion-dollar deal reached on Feb. 13
that allows Dubai Ports World, a company based in the United Arab Emirates
and owned by the government of the emirate of Dubai, to acquire a British
firm in a transaction that would also give it rights to operate six major
ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and
Philadelphia.
The ports were run by the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Navigation Co., the world's fourth largest port operator, with operations
in over 85 ports in 19 countries.
But a number of U.S. lawmakers, responding to an outcry by right-wing media
outlets and talk radio shows, called for the Treasury Department to
carefully review the new arrangement and scrutinise all security issues
before control is turned over completely.
Some U.S. lawmakers went as far as to ask the George W. Bush administration
to stop the deal, calling the Arab nation -- the third largest U.S. trade
partner in the Middle East -- lax in the "war on terror".
On Friday, Senators Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Hillary Clinton of
New York said they would introduce a bill to ban the deal altogether.
"We wouldn't turn the border patrol or the customs service over to a
foreign government, and we can't afford to turn our ports over to one
either," Menendez said.
Senator Vito J. Fossella, a Republican representing the New York City
boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn, said the deal was inconsistent with
U.S. efforts to enhance national security.
"The lack of transparency has left many questions unanswered as to why the
UAE would be granted control of United States strategic assets," he said.
Another U.S. senator said that Washington should not trust the government
of the UAE, a confederation of seven emirates on the southeastern border of
Saudi Arabia, especially after the Sep. 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. landmarks,
in which two of the hijackers were from that country.
"The question that needs to be answered is whether or not they can be
trusted to operate our ports in this post 9-11 world," said Charles E.
Schumer, a Democrat from New York. "The administration needs to take
another look at this deal."
Earlier this week, Schumer sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff urging him to probe the security implications of the
takeover and to present a report to Congress within one month.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter T. King has reportedly met
with administration officials and may convene hearings to discuss it.
But some analysts say the loud protests in Congress bring into question the
U.S. push for global liberalisation and free markets and warned that it
could actually backfire because of the U.S. aggressive trade agenda in the
Middle East.
The United States' trade relationship with the UAE is the third largest in
the Middle East, after Israel and Saudi Arabia. The two nations are engaged
in bilateral free talks that would liberalise trade between the two
countries and would, in theory at least, allow companies to own and operate
businesses in both nations.
"There are legitimate security questions to be asked but it would be a
mistake and really an insult to one of our leading trading partners in that
region to reject this commercial transaction out of hand," said Daniel T.
Griswold, who directs the Centre for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato
Institute, a Washington-based libertarian think tank.
"This could not only be an economic mistake but a foreign policy blunder,"
he said.
Washington has championed open markets in the developing world through its
influence in international financial organisations like the
Washington-based World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as well as
the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation, as well as through its political
influence and aid programmes of the U.S. Agency for International
Development.
The protectionist streak in Washington prompted U.S. lawmakers last year to
oppose a bid by the China National Offshore Oil Corp. to acquire the U.S.
oil company Unocal on national security grounds. CNOOC finally dropped its
effort and left the company to be bought by U.S. firm Chevron Corp.
The U.S. lawmakers' protests against the small but rich country of the UAE
come even though the deal has already been approved by the Committee on
Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an official inter-agency
committee chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Treasury with a mandate to
review foreign investments in the country on national security grounds.
Sen. Mark Foley said the UAE was a dubious partner because it has
reportedly been pursuing a free trade deal with neighbouring Iran, a
country the United States views as a threat to Israel and to U.S. strategic
interests in the Middle East.
"This was done in the dead of night," Foley said. (FIN/2006)
5. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13940642.htm
Posted on Thu, Feb. 23, 2006
Bush insists outsourcing to India has its benefits
By Jim Puzzanghera
Mercury News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - To people in Silicon Valley and around the country concerned
about the outsourcing of jobs to India, President Bush on Wednesday offered
something to make the practice more palatable.
Pizza.
It's just one of the U.S. products that India's rapidly growing middle
class is developing an appetite for, Bush said in a speech to the Asia
Society as he prepares for a trip to India and Pakistan next month. While
acknowledging the individual trauma of Americans who lose jobs when
companies move operations abroad, Bush said India's economic growth is an
overall plus for the U.S. economy.
``India's middle class is buying air-conditioners, kitchen appliances and
washing machines, and a lot of them from American companies like GE and
Whirlpool and Westinghouse. And that means their job base is growing here
in the United States. Younger Indians are acquiring a taste for pizzas from
Domino's, Pizza Hut,'' Bush said to laughs from the audience at a
Washington hotel. ``Today, India's consumers associate American brands with
quality and value, and this trade is creating opportunity at home.''
But Henry Rowen, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution in Palo Alto,
said economic growth doesn't exactly balance the drawbacks of outsourcing.
``Certainly there's some positives and some negatives. The net is a little
tricky,'' said Rowen, who co-edited an upcoming book titled ``Making IT:
The Rise of Asia in Information Technologies.'' ``The consumer benefits
from all of this, but there's an impact.''
Outsourcing is a delicate issue for the Bush administration. Its top
economic adviser came under fire in 2004 for calling it ``just a new way to
do international trade,'' comments that Democrats often cited during the
presidential campaign as evidence Bush didn't care about workers.
Bush acknowledged the difficulty of the outsourcing debate Wednesday.
``It's true that a number of Americans have lost jobs because companies
have shifted operations to India. And losing a job is traumatic. It's
difficult. It puts a strain on our families,'' he said. But instead of
responding with ``protectionist policies,'' Bush said the United States
needs to improve education and job training for displaced workers.
He lauded the U.S.-Indian economic relationship and the benefits of
outsourcing for both countries. Bush also praised cooperative efforts to
fight terrorism, promote democracy worldwide, and address health and
environmental issues.
The speech, which also addressed U.S. relations with Pakistan, wasn't all
complimentary. Bush urged India to do more to open its markets. And he
called on India to separate its civilian and military nuclear programs,
bringing the civilian portion under international safeguards.
India and the United States announced an agreement last summer to share
civilian nuclear technology and are trying to finalize details before
Bush's trip.
India's ambassador to the United States, Ronen Sen, said Tuesday that he
was optimistic the nuclear issues could be resolved. Sen also praised the
growing economic relationship between India and the United States. Trade
between the two countries increased to about $27 billion last year, but Sen
said that was ``way below the potential of our two economies.''
Bush made the same point Wednesday as he prepared to become the fifth U.S.
president to visit India. President Clinton traveled there in 2000.
``More than five centuries ago, Christopher Columbus set out for India and
proved the world was round. Now some look at India's growing economy and
say that proves the world is flat,'' Bush said, referring to Thomas
Friedman's bestselling book about globalization, ``The World Is Flat.''
Bush said U.S. exports to India increased 30 percent in 2005, and asserted
the growing economic ties between the two countries are making American
companies more competitive while helping stabilize South Asia.
In touting the benefits of India's economic growth, Bush noted that the
Indian middle class is estimated at 300 million people, larger than the
entire U.S. population.
6. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_release2272006
February 27, 2006
Specter Amnesty/Guest Worker Bill Sets Up Immigration Showdown Between the
Senate and the American Public
Washington, DC-As expected, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen
Specter (R-Penn.) has put forward a proposal that makes amnesty available
to nearly all of the 11-13 million people who have broken Americas
immigration laws, allow unlimited numbers of new guest workers to enter the
U.S. labor force, and offers the American public little more than vague
promises that the government will enforce immigration laws in the future.
Specters amnesty/guest worker proposal, ironically, was unveiled a day
after a new study revealed that American workers have seen a steady and
significant decline in their wages in the past several years.
The Specter bill closely mirrors the open borders policies advocated by
President Bush, and contrasts sharply with an enforcement-only bill
approved by the House of Representatives in December. The Senate bill
offers nearly all of the estimated 12 million illegal aliens in the U.S.
the opportunity to gain legal status and would allow an unlimited number of
new guest workers to enter the country.
"It is dismaying, but not surprising that this is the direction that
Senator Specter has chosen to take," commented Dan Stein, president of
FAIR. "There is a huge disconnect between the Senate and the American
public. The American people want our immigration laws enforced and their
jobs protected from a torrent of foreign workers entering the country. What
they are getting from the Senate and the Bush White House is a plan that
will severely diminish their job prospects and security.
Under the legislation proposed by Chairman Specter any foreign national who
proffers a claim to having been in the U.S. illegally prior to 2004 would
be eligible to obtain guest worker status. Since it will be a virtual
impossibility to investigate and verify millions of claims, passage of this
proposal would also invite massive fraud that could significantly increase
the number of people receiving amnesty.
"While countless Americans see their real wages falling, and are struggling
to maintain a foothold in the middle class, Sen. Specter and President Bush
are cooking up a plan that will lead to their marginalization," said Stein.
"What they are trying foist upon the American public as immigration
reform will be a fraud-ridden amnesty and unlimited numbers of new guest
workers to compete for the jobs American workers still hold. If this bill
should ever be enacted, the America that most people know will become
unrecognizable as a result of the most massive wave of immigration in
history."
The Specter-Bush immigration plan is based on two blatant
misrepresentations, accused FAIR. The first is that there are "jobs
Americans wont do," and the second is that the only options for dealing
with mass illegal immigration is to deport them all overnight, or grant
them legal status.
"Americans will do any job that needs to be done in this country, provided
they are paid a fair wage," Stein said. "We see it every day Americans
doing difficult, even dangerous jobs to support themselves and their
families.
"Dealing with the illegal aliens already here is not a choice between mass
amnesty and mass deportations. The choice is between mass amnesty and
diligent enforcement of immigration laws at the border and in the interior
of the country. The House has offered a rational approach that, over time,
will convince many of those here illegally to leave. The Senate and the
White House are offering capitulation and the demise of the American middle
class."
7. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2006/02/american_it_job.html
American IT Jobs Give Bush Valuable Bargaining Chip In Talks With India
By Paul McDougall
Feb 28, 2006 at 10:21 AM ET
George Bush's visit to India this week provides the perfect high-profile
opportunity for the president to urge Congress to eliminate all numerical
caps on H-1B foreign worker visas. Such a move would help the United States
in a number of ways, while holding very little downside for the American
economy.
India-U.S. cooperation is at an all-time high on several fronts--but thorny
issues remain in the areas of trade, nuclear proliferation, and regional
security. An offer to eliminate the H-1B cap -- currently at about 60,000
workers per year--could extract some welcome quid pro quos from the
government of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
India benefits greatly from the H-1B program and would love to see it
expand. Through the program, its graduates gain invaluable experience
working with U.S.-based IT teams at some of the world's best run companies.
As India's own IT sector grows, more and more of these workers are
returning home to share that knowledge with their countrymen and start
wealth-generating businesses of their own.
Elimination of the H-1B cap would also benefit the United States. There is
mounting evidence that this country is facing a shortage of skilled IT
workers, a shortage that will only get worse as boomer tech professionals
retire. A study released last week by the Association for Computing
Machinery notes that "more IT jobs are available today in the U.S. than at
the height of the dot-com boom."
If Bush offers to help kill the cap, what should he insist on in return?
There are a number areas where India could make concessions that would
provide real benefits to the United States. Much of India remains
desperately poor, but its middle class is about the size of the entire U.S.
population -- 300 million. That's a significant market for U.S.-made goods
and services. India needs to reduce tariff and nontariff barriers that
limit access to this market in lucrative sectors like agriculture and
financial services.
The United States also needs India to fall closer into line with the 1970
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Presently, India makes little distinction
between its civilian and military nuclear programs and has blocked
international oversight of its atomic technology.
Some movement by India on this issue would help ease tensions on the
subcontinent. It would also give the United States more leverage in its
efforts to compel Iran to open its nuclear program to inspection. Also on
the security front, India needs to pledge to better manage its relations
with neighboring Pakistan to ensure cross-border cooperation in fighting
the war on terror in a region infested with al-Qaida operatives.
Opening our own borders to more Indian IT workers as a trade concession
could help the United States realize at least some of these benefits.
What's there to lose?
8. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=181400284
Ericsson plans to invest $100 million in India
K.C. Krishnadas
(02/27/2006 6:39 AM EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=181400284
BANGALORE, India -- Swedish telecom equipment vendor Ericsson opened an R&D
center in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Saturday (Feb. 25) that
will focus on creating value-added applications for the multimedia- and
prepaid-phone segments of the wireless-phone market.
Ericsson is also setting up its global services delivery center here.
Speaking at the opening ceremony for the center, Dayanidhi Maran, Indias
minister for communications and information technology, said the government
hopes to see more IT companies set up R&D facilities in India.
Ericsson proposes to invest about $100 million in the country, said Mats
Granryd, managing director of Ericsson India. But he did not specify how
that investment would be deployed.
Ericsson, which is a supplier to leading mobile-service providers in India,
also has a factory in Jaipur, where it makes radio basestations.
9. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0227chassisjockeys.html
'Spidermen' deliver unfinished vehicles across Mexico
Chris Hawley
Republic Mexico City Bureau
Feb. 27, 2006 12:00 AM
TEPEJI DEL RIO, Mexico - As the sun sets over Mexico's Interstate 57,
barreling down the road comes a bizarre sight: a man balanced on a wooden
seat, zipping along on what appears to be nothing but four wheels and an
engine.
It's a "spiderman," one of hundreds of daredevil drivers who shuttle
unfinished trucks and buses, or frames, between factories in Mexico. With
no windshield, seat belt or even a bumper, it's like riding a go-kart at 70
mph, an adrenaline junkie's dream job.
"I used to be a paratrooper in the army. This is the closest I can get to
jumping out of airplanes," said Lucio Ceja Hernandez, who has been a
chassis jockey for eight years. advertisement
The bare-bones vehicles he drives are called chasis araqas, or spider
chassis, because their sprawling axles and exposed wires make them look
like giant bugs. Truckers call the drivers araqeros, or spidermen.
"But mainly they just call us crazy," said Fidel Rammrez Legazpi, who has
been wrangling spiders on Mexican highways since 1987.
Beneath the derring-do, there is a sobering lesson about Mexico: here, it's
cheaper to pay a man to risk his life than it is to ship a chassis by auto
carrier.
And it's a growing, business. Companies such as Mercedes-Benz,
International, General Motors, Volkswagen and Freightliner built a record
70,233 truck chassis last year in Mexico. Of those, 11,224 were turned into
buses or minibuses by Mexican subcontractors such as AYCO, Hidromex,
Eurocar and Marco Polo.
To get the "spiders" from truck factories to bus factories, then to
dealerships, the industry relies on ferry companies. Each employs dozens of
drivers, but only veterans are assigned chassis runs.
"It's very risky, so we want people who know what they're doing," said
Amirica Rosas, route supervisor for ferry company Multitraslados y
Servicios.
Night riders
The spidermen prefer to drive at night, when it's cooler and the traffic is
lighter. So late every afternoon, men like Ceja and Rammrez line up at
factories such as the Mercedes-Benz plant in the industrial city of
Monterrey, in northern Mexico, or the International plant in nearby
Escobedo to pick up their spiders.
The bare chassis are hard to drive because they're so light. The most
dangerous are bus chassis, the long kind with heavy diesel engines in the
rear. Those like to fishtail.
"They lack weight, they lack stability, and if you take a curve too fast in
rain they skid. They skate across the road and you can't control them."
Ceja said.
Workers at the truck factory nail together a makeshift seat out of
two-by-fours behind the steering wheel. The seats are notoriously rickety;
Ceja carries 3-inch nails and a hammer to reinforce them before he hits the
road.
Some drivers bring their own leather seat belts, but most don't use them.
"It's safer that way," Rammrez said. "If you flip, you'll get crushed
under the chassis itself. If you don't have a seatbelt, you can jump, or at
least be thrown off."
Mexican law requires each chassis to have two headlights and two
taillights, known somewhat morbidly as calaveras, or skulls. Most drivers
carry their own portable lights and hook them up to the exposed wires. Some
drivers attach a piece of plywood to the dashboard to help protect against
the wind.
The trip from Monterrey to the AYCO factory in Huehuetoca, 60 miles north
of Mexico City, takes between 12 and 17 hours, depending on whether a
driver stops to catch few hours of sleep.
It's a grueling ride through mountains and deserts. Ice coats the roads in
winter. In the summer, the sun beats down on the uncovered chassis.
Blinding rainstorms short out the drivers' lights and drench their clothes.
When it's cold, truckers sometimes slow down and let the chassis drivers
tuck in behind them for a momentary respite from the wind.
Bandits prowl the highways at night, but they rarely bother the chassis
drivers because there's nothing to steal. Most drivers carry little more
than a plastic bag containing the chassis' hood ornament, such as the
three-pointed star of Mercedes-Benz or the orange, diamond-shaped logo of
International.
There is no CB radio or stereo to listen to, just the howling wind for
hours on end. But drivers can't let their minds wander.
"You don't have time to think," Ceja said. "You're accelerating, you're
braking, you're watching out for this guy, another guy is cutting you off.
You can never relax."
On many Mexican highways, slower traffic is expected to straddle the edge
lines so that other vehicles can squeeze by them in the right lane.
That leaves the chassis jockeys driving on the shoulder of the road, just
inches from the edge of the asphalt.
For this ordeal, chassis drivers earn about 6 cents a mile. That's $30 for
the exhausting 510-mile journey from Monterrey to Huehuetoca.
Still, it's more than regular truckers earn in Mexico. And chassis drivers
don't have to wait around while cargo is loaded. Most drivers make three or
four trips a week.
The delivery fee is a pittance compared with the chassis themselves, which
can cost $35,000 to $60,000 and usually account for two-thirds of the cost
of a bus.
Vehicle-makers could have the chassis delivered on trucks, but that
requires special unloading equipment, said Javier Benmtez, AYCO's plant
manager. In the time it takes to fill an auto carrier, a chassis jockey can
be 100 miles down the road.
Risky business
Spidermen tell horror stories of comrades who were launched like torpedoes
in crashes or stoned by flying gravel from passing trucks. But the Mexican
government doesn't differentiate between trucks and bare chassis when
counting accidents, so it's hard to know exactly how risky the job is.
Still, no one doubts the danger of Mexican roads, which are often in bad
shape and plagued by speeders and spotty law enforcement. There were 35.7
deaths per 100,000 vehicles in Mexico in 2000, the latest year for which
statistics are available. That was nearly twice the U.S. average of 19.3
that year.
The most dangerous areas were the border states of Baja California and
Chihuahua.
As the highways get more congested, some vehicle-makers say they're getting
worried about the liability of sending spidermen down the roads.
"They leave a lot to be desired in terms of safety," Benmtez said. "We've
been trying to get them to change by working with the (truck and bus
manufacturer's association), but it's a long process."
Because of the pressure, most ferry companies now require helmets and some
sort of protective clothing, like a leather motorcycle suit, said Rosas,
the route supervisor. There are mandatory rest stops, and the companies
will pay for hotel rooms on long trips.
"It's not like before. Before, you had nothing but a ski mask and goggles,
and you had to use hand signals," said Manuel Andrades, who has been
driving for seven years. "Now we've got turn signals and helmets, so it's a
little bit safer."
Eventually, Mexico's traffic and labor laws may catch up with the United
States and put an end to the spidermen. But for now, business is booming.
The number of bare chassis produced in Mexico rose 28 percent from 2004 to
2005. Exports of finished buses to other Latin America and Caribbean
countries quadrupled, and the industry is expecting another strong year in
2006.
"They need us because we move these vehicles fast and with no hassles,"
Rammrez said. "It's hard work, and it's risky. It's not for everybody,
but I love it."
10. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/06/front2453798.058333333.html
UAE buys British firm that runs U.S. military facilities
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, March 3, 2006
WASHINGTON - The United Arab Emirates intends to operate U.S. military
factories.
The Bush administration has informed Congress of a review of the UAE
acquisition of a British manufacturer of engine components for U.S.
military aircraft and main battle tanks. The British firm operates nine
factories, including military production facilities in Connecticut and
Georgia.
Officials said Dubai International Capital has acquired the London-based
Doncasters Group for $1.2 billion. Doncasters produces engine components
and turbine blades for military platforms, and its clients include Boeing,
General Electric, Honeywell and Pratt and Whitney, Middle East Newsline
reported.
"It's a standard business deal by a consortium that seeks opportunities,"
an official said. "But it also fits in well with Dubai's plans to create an
aerospace industry."
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States completed a
standard 30-day review and last week decided to extend the investigation
for another 45 days. Dubai International is part of Dubai Holding, the
third-largest shareholder in DaimlerChrysler.
The latest reviews by CFIUS came amid sharp opposition in Congress to the
panel's decision to approve the UAE takeover of operations of six U.S.
ports. In January, CFIUS approved the $6.8 billion takeover of Dubai Port
World of a British company that has long operated the American ports.
Congressional sources said the Senate Banking Committee was informed of the
CFIUS investigation of Dubai International on Feb. 27. The committee was
also informed that the Treasury panel has ordered a 45-day review of a
proposed Israeli takeover of a U.S. contractor for the American
intelligence community.
On Thursday, Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt said the additional
review of Dubai International stemmed from what he termed unresolved
security questions. He would not elaborate.
Officials acknowledged that CFIUS has reduced security reviews of foreign
companies that aim to establish a presence in the United States. In 2005,
65 foreign companies were investigated, compared to 204 in 1989.
"We clearly have to do some things inside the departments, and we clearly
have to do quite a bit in finding ways to provide you more promptly with
the information you need," Kimmitt told the Senate Banking Committee.
Officials identified the Israeli suitor as Check Point Software
Technologies, a company traded in Israel and the United States. Check Point
has offered $228 million for the Maryland-based firm Sourcefire, which
supplies security software for the Defense Department and intelligence
agencies.
"Check Point and Sourcefire are both committed to working cooperatively
with the committee during the investigative period," Check Point said in a
statement.
Earlier this week, Congress was informed that CFIUS would undertake an
additional 45-day review of Dubai Port World. The first review lasted for
the standard 30 days.
"Dubai cannot be trusted," House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep.
Duncan Hunter said. "I intend to do everything I can to kill the deal."
11. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/24/otto_mexico/
America can lick the Asian peril by training Mexican smarties
By Otto Z. Stern
Published Friday 24th February 2006 11:02 GMT
And ninthly We will add that the working class in the United States,
because of its high standard of living, does not clearly see the
contradictions existing in US society. To the US working class, these
contradictions, which are blunted, appear incomprehensible and they cannot
gain clear consciousness of their own exploitation as long as they continue
to get the crumbs that US imperialism tosses to them from the feast -
Ernesto Che Guevara
Despite liberals and Ryan Seacrest, America remains the greatest country on
Earth. Like any paradise, however, we do have a couple of niggling problems
- namely illegal immigrants and a lack of skilled engineers. Thankfully,
I'm in the unique position to solve both of these issues - at the same
time.
Out of pure humility, I've been holding back on the particular proposal at
hand. I felt certain that someone else would come up with the idea sooner
or later. It's lonely at the top, and it seemed better to share the glory
for fixing America's social ills.
I can wait no longer.
Diving into the immigration crisis first, we find a prickly problem. The
most common thesis around illegal Latin immigrants suggests that we desire
their labor and want them here but can't admit out loud to having open
borders. Americans have grown too fat and happy to serve water at
restaurants, mow lawns or paint houses. So we let the Mexicans do it - to a
point.
That's because just behind the veil of laziness we find the fear of
unemployment. God forbid we let so many Mexicans in that they start taking
classier jobs at cell centers, banks and - breathe deep - office buildings.
The illegals can have the back-breaking labor, but they had better stay
away from our coffee service and Friday doughnuts.
Frankly, I find the idea that we're too soft to perform an honest day's
work repulsive. I used to slice pig fat on holidays and harvest corn with
my teeth for kicks.
All that said, we're left with a scenario where we tolerate the immigrants
that can sweat their way across the border, but we're not going to mail
invitations to Mexico for help depleting our real, valuable workforce.
We actually find a weird variation on this scenario when examining the lack
of engineering talent here weighed against the millions of engineers
churned out by India and China.
Americans, it seems, have also grown too lazy to bother obtaining an
electrical engineering or computer science degree.
How this surprises anyone is beyond me. You can float through four years of
undergraduate classes sucking beer out of co-eds' navels, pick up your
philosophy degree and then head to law school. Or, if you're one of those
pathetic young Democrats, you can pretend to work hard at your politics
classes, shoot a few rounds of golf for the school team and then whore
yourself for millions in Washington. Less ambitious types can work hard
enough in a grade inflation rich system to interest a Fortune 2000 company,
flag down an MBA and then spend thirty or so years collecting a nice
paycheck.
You'd have to be a real asshole to try and succeed in the difficult
engineering and science classes, which will always be dominated by people
much smarter than you. The reality of our fatness leaves America pumping
out about 50,000 geeks a year. We choose to make matters worse by
complaining about the jobs Indians and Chinese are stealing from us, when
in reality, we're too drunk and sophisticated to do anything about the
situation.
Now, here's the solution to both issues.
Let's have the likes of Wal-Mart and Dell keep pumping billions to the
East. The Asian peril can focus on making us shoes, belts and TVs. Let's
also have the likes of Microsoft, Intel, HP, IBM and Oracle transfer as
many engineering jobs to India and China as they like. Flood the market.
Make their smarties soft.
At the same time, let's require companies such as Wal-Mart and Dell to
dedicate their manufacturing prowess to creating an empire of engineering
and computer science academies in Mexico.
In the US, for example, Dell has forced North Carolina to create classes at
community colleges to teach youngsters about servicing its PCs and servers.
That's in exchange for Dell putting a factory in the state. Dell knows how
to get these types of things done, and the time is right for the government
to require Dell and others to take such a system to the next level in
Mexico.
I want to see Wal-Mercado's Engineer Warehouses blanketing the Mexican
countryside. I want to see thousands of workers putting down Tecates during
their lunch break from the Dell House of Chip Design. Smarties everywhere!
And now the true brilliance of this plan emerges.
Will we let all of these engineers into the country once they've completed
the courses? Hell no!
The Mexican engineers and computer scientists will have to slog it out and
cross the border just like the busboys and gardeners. We'll end up with the
hungriest, fittest and most creative workforce on the planet. Our Mexican
smarties will put the Indian and Chinese weaklings to shame.
Best of all, if you make it across the border and pass a stringent computer
science or engineering test, then you get your papers on the spot. It's a
win, win situation.
I urge you all to write to your senators and congressmen backing my
proposal. Tell them Otto sent you. Tell them you want to put the EE back in
Meexican. .
Otto Z. Stern is a director at The Institute of Technological Values - a
think tank dedicated to a more moral digital age. He has closely monitored
the IT industry's intersection with America's role as a world leader for
thirty years. You can find Stern locked and loaded, corralling wounded
iLemmings, developing strong Mexican engineers, masticating beta culture,
following Jimmy Wales, nursing an opal-plated prostate, spanking open
source fly boys, wearing a smashing suit, dropping a SkyCar on the
Googleplex, spitting on Frenchmen, vomiting in fear with a life-sized
cutout of Hilary Rosen at his solar-powered compound somewhere in the Great
American Southwest.
12. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060305/BUSINESS/60305007/1003
Bush on job loss: School is key
Outsourcing OK with economists
JEANNINE AVERSA
Associated Press
March 5, 2006, 4:18 am
WASHINGTON - You lost your job. Its probably one of the most dreaded
things youll ever hear from your boss. Then you find out that your
white-collar position moved to the other side of the globe - to India.
President Bush says he feels your pain and that education - not trade
protectionism - is the answer to deal with the increasingly globalized
world in which we live and work.
Bush discussed the politically sensitive issue in New Delhi on Friday,
wrapping up a three-day stay in India. The countrys rapid growth has
created anxiety among Americans, especially as they have seen call center
jobs, back-office administrative work, software programming and other
white-collar jobs move there.
"Its painful for those who lose jobs," Bush said. "But the fundamental
question is, how does a government or society react to that? And its
basically one of two ways. One is to say, losing jobs is painful,
therefore, lets throw up protectionist walls. And the other is to say,
losing jobs is painful, so lets make sure people are educated so they
can find (and) fill the jobs of the 21st century," he said.
Rep. George Miller of California, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House
Education and Workforce Committee, argued that Bushs failed trade
policies and his lack of vision are hurting U.S. workers. "American workers
all over the country are watching as their jobs disappear and their
paychecks shrink while their government sits by and does nothing," Miller
said.
Last year, 11,375 U.S. workers were laid off because their jobs were moved
overseas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In many of those
cases, Mexico and China were cited as the place where the jobs were going,
a bureau official said.
In 2004, 16,197 workers were laid off because their jobs were moved
overseas. The figures dont capture all layoffs - only the bigger ones,
the official said.
For American companies seeking to compete on a global scale, India is a
magnet - especially for white-collar, service-sector employees - because of
the lure of lower-wage, highly educated workers who also are fluent in
English, experts say.
Indias outsourcing industry alone is expected to bring in $22 billion in
revenue this fiscal year, much of that generated by U.S. companies.
Blue-collar factory jobs in the United States, meanwhile, have been more
likely to be moved to China or Mexico, experts say.
Although many Indians live on less than $2 a day, the countrys middle
class has swelled to more than 300 million - which represents an attractive
market for U.S. companies to sell their goods and services.
The United States should see this rapidly growing nation as a land of
opportunity instead of a threat, Bush said. Americas best response to
globalization is not to erect economic barriers to protect workers, but
educate them to make sure they can compete on any stage, Bush said.
Economists and other experts agree that education - especially in math and
science - is a critical way for workers to stay competitive.
"The United States has a lot of catching up to do," said Jacob Kirkegaard,
an economist at the Institute for International Economics.
In 2004, China graduated about 500,000 engineers, India, 200,000 and the
United States, 70,000, according to a report called "Rising Above the
Gathering Storm" issued last fall by an advisory panel of the National
Academies.
The report also found that 12th-graders in America performed below the
international average on a test of general knowledge in math and science.
Even with an emphasis on education, workers cant be guaranteed that
their jobs will stay in this country, some economists said.
Moreover, U.S. workers also face the challenge of trying to figure out what
the jobs landscape will look like in the future.
"Any attempt to forecast what skills will be needed 10 years from now is
just folly," said Josh Bivens, economist at the Economic Policy Institute,
a liberal-leaning group. "If 10 years ago someone told you financial
analysts were a job that was going to be exposed to intense global
competition, a lot of people probably would not believe it, but that
definitely seems to be a possibility today."
Thus theres much risk on the shoulders of individual workers, he said.
Global competition - while painful to people who lose jobs - has economic
benefits, economists said.
As the global market grows, there are opportunities for U.S. companies to
create new jobs.
The addition of millions of lower-wage workers from China, India and
Eastern Europe has helped to hold down labor costs and thus make inflation
lower than it otherwise would be in the United States and elsewhere.
For Americans, that has meant the Federal Reserve hasnt had to be more
aggressive in raising interest rates to keep inflation in check.
Information technology workers in the United States earn about $80 an hour,
compared with $22 an hour in India, according to a report last year by
Evalueserve and the National Association of Software and Service Companies,
an Indian trade group.
The differences can be even greater for workers at specific skill levels.
Hiring an experienced systems analyst will cost $53,000 a year in the U.S.
and just $11,000 in India, according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
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