Lou Dobbs on H-1B, and Ron Paul interview
Lou Dobbs on H-1B, and Ron Paul interview
Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 5:26 PM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1680 -- 4/25/2007 >>>>>
This week Lou Dobbs had two exemplary shows about the H-1B program. You can
view them here:
http://www.forthecause.us/ftc-video-CNN-H1B-Lottery_070423.wmv
http://www.forthecause.us/ftc-video-CNN-H1B_Visa_Increases_070424.wmv
The April 24th report mentioned Sen. Cornyn's attempt at shoving his SKIL
Bill down our throat by amending Reid's math and science bill. It was very
impressive that Dobbs brought up the subject of the F-4 visa because that's
an issue that has been ignored by the press.
The report the day before was even better. Dobbs and Bill Tucker had a
great panel of interviwees, and there were many good comments by Dobbs and
Tucker.
Towards the end of the show Dobbs gave presidential candidate Ron Paul two
minutes of time. Paul's comments about free trade were right on target, but
he sure blew it when Dobbs asked him a follow-up question about H-1B. Ron
Paul's answer was a total disappointment.
DOBBS: The idea that the United States, as Bill Tucker reported
tonight, H1B visas being used under the rubric of bringing in
bright foreign workers into this country, in point of fact, as
our research has demonstrated, more than half of those for
low-skilled jobs. What would be your position there?
PAUL: That I would not have as much concern about. But I think it
needs monitoring. My big concern are the illegals, I'm concerned
about all the enticements we give for the illegals, automatic
citizenship by being born here. And then just be here for a while
and you get in front of the line. Free medical care, free
education. No wonder they bring their families. So I would get
rid of all the benefits to the illegals and deal with that and
the legal entry, then it needs more monitoring, and looking
into these H1B and different categories that we have.
Too many politicians like to talk tough on illegal immigration but avoid
the H-1B issue. When it comes to the importation of foreign workers they
are either ignorant of the problems -- or even worse they support visas
such as H-1B. They often avoid the H-1B issue because they think it's not
important enough to bother with.
We can only guess what Ron Paul had in mind when he said the program needs
more monitoring but it seems to be that he thinks more study has to be done
about the different job categories it's used for. The H-1B program has been
around for 17 years so surely we don't need another redundant study! All he
needs to do is to go to the DOL website if he has any question what jobs
H-1B visas can be used for. What is he thinking?
Another possibility is that Paul has bought into the myth that the only
problem with H-1B is that there isn't enough enforcement.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0704/24/ldt.01.html
Aired April 24, 2007 - 18:00 ET
BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Senator John Cornyn won't give
up on the SKIL bill, more officially known as the Securing Knowledge,
Innovation and Leadership Act of 2007. Cornyn wants it to be attached as an
amendment to another bill which is intended to encourage American students
to go into math, science and engineering fields.
The irony is inescapable, because the SKIL Act would increase the H1-B visa
program by 77 percent, with automatic 20 percent increases every year
thereafter that the cap is hit. It would also more than triple the size of
the employment-based green card program to 450,000, exempting all immediate
family members from the cap. And it would vastly expand the foreign student
visa program now as the F-4 visa, allowing foreign students to work while
studying in the United States, giving them two years to find a job after
graduation, and put them on an automatic fast track for a green card.
JACK MARTIN, FED. FOR AMER. IMMIG. REFORM: The only thing that is backing
these proposed increases in both employer-sponsored legal immigration and
temporary workers is claims by business that they need access to these
additional workers.
TUCKER: And while corporate America pushes its cheap labor agenda, there is
growing concern over what appears to be Congress's priorities. GARY MAY,
GEORGIA TECH: It's puzzling to me there's not the same level of anxiety
about importing foreign talent that there is about importing foreign oil,
for example. I'm not a protectionist by any stretch, but I do believe that
there are resources here in the U.S., human resources, that can fill these
jobs if there is a shortage.
TUCKER: Corporate America doesn't need to worry, though.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCKER: Because ultimately, whether Cornyn's attempt to attach the SKIL
bill succeeds or not is immaterial. The Flake-Gutierrez legislation know as
the STRIVE Act already incorporates much of the SKIL Act numbers, and there
are several bills in both the House and the Senate to extend the H1-B visa
program, Lou. The theme of all of those bills, prioritizing foreign workers
over Americans.
DOBBS: It is absolutely incredible. We should put a couple facts before our
audience here this evening.
I know that Washington is averse to facts. The amnesty, the corporate
lobby, the open borders lobbies, all averse to the facts, but here are the
facts.
Fifty-six percent, as you reported last night, of H1-B visas are granted to
employees, foreign workers who are low-skilled workers. Fifty-six percent
of them.
Seventy percent of those H1-B visas are sought by Indian companies seeking
to outsource work in the United States to employees. And in many of those
cases, if not all, they make $12,000 less than the prevailing wage that is
of American workers.
Just to put a few facts forward. I know that will be very uncomfortable to
Congressman Flake, Congressman Gutierrez, and of course Senator Cornyn, and
others, and particularly my good friend, Bill Gates, who seeks unlimited
H1-B visas for the United States.
Bill, thank you very much. That is just enough to make you want to chew
nails.
Bill Tucker, thank you.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0704/23/ldt.01.html
Aired April 23, 2007 - 18:00 ET
The government created H1-B visas to attract, they said, the best and the
brightest workers from abroad. But as Bill Tucker now reports, the criteria
for importing that cheap foreign labor is completely -- this is your
government at work -- random.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The H1-B visa might just as
we'll be called the program of the completely random. With twice as many
applications as visas, the Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services doesn't look for the brightest and the best. It simply awards the
visas by random drawing.
TODD TOLLEFSON, WASHTECH: Bill Gates testified in front of the Senate last
month saying that we need the Einsteins of the world to come over here. If
it's a random process, how do we know we're going to get the Einsteins?
TUCKER: And according to a new study titled "Low Salaries for Low Skills,"
we aren't getting all Einsteins. More than half of the applications are in
the lowest skill range, and only five percent are in the highest skill
range.
The lowest skilled jobs are described in the visa application as "...
beginning level employees who have a basic understanding of the
occupation." If this is a visa for the brightest and the best, shouldn't
the statistics be reversed, with more than half being in the highest
skilled category?
When it comes to salary, 84 percent of H1-B visa workers earned wages that
were below the median U.S. wage. And wages for H1-B tech workers averaged
$12,000 less than U.S. workers in the same occupation and location.
JOHN MIANO, IMMIGRATION STUDY AUTHOR: The H1-B program is not doing what
it's supposed to be doing, and that is to bring in the world's best and
brightest to the United States. And what the report says is that we need to
change the eligibility requirements to clearly -- more clearly define who
should be getting these visas.
TUCKER: So, given the observed abuse of the H1-B visa program, why doesn't
the government change its criteria for awarding the visas?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCKER: Well, according to a spokesman for the agency in charge of
approving the applications, the random drawing is the fairest way to make
sure every application is treated equally.
Now, Lou, when we asked the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services why
they don't say maybe cull through the applications, sort them on priorities
in terms of qualification, salary, the response was, well, the program's
not set up to work that way.
DOBBS: At the risk of repeating myself, unbelievable. At what point will
Americans decide that this government simply is out of control and isn't
working?
Agency after agency, department after department, and to watch what is
happening with the H1-B visa and to listen to Bill Gates, as I have
commented more than a few times here, make those outrageously, ill-informed
remarks about the H1-B visa program -- and seven-tenths of those, we should
point out, of the ones that are coming into technology, seven-tenths of
them, 70 percent of them, going to Indian companies for low-skilled,
low-paid workers.
I mean, it's just -- it's nuts. At what the point is somebody in Congress
-- this is supposed to be a different Congress than the Republican
Congress. They're not supposed to be in the pockets of corporate America.
Is anybody about to wake up?
TUCKER: One would hope so. Grassley and Durbin in the Senate have a reform
of the H1-B legislation. Pascrell in House has similar legislation he's
about to introduce. But I've got to tell you, Lou, there are a lot of
people who think that reform is just preceding a giant increase in the
program.
DOBBS: Right. It's unbelievable.
And this idiotic amnesty legislation would bring in 400,000 more guest
workers into this country, no telling how many others. If the American
people don't awaken to the stupidity that is passing for leadership in
Washington, D.C., right now, I don't know what in the world will be
required. Or if anything will be required at some point, because it will
simply be too late.
Bill, thank you very much.
Bill Tucker.
DOBBS: I strongly believe that most of us want to hear what presidential
candidates have to say on the issues and their specific position. And what
we're doing is offering a special series on this broadcast. We call it
"2008: Time For Answers". And we're giving all the presidential candidates
two minutes of uninterrupted airtime to address each critical issue facing
this country.
Republican Congressman Ron Paul, of Texas, joins us tonight. He is the
first candidate to accept my offer. And Congressman Ron Paul joins us
tonight from Capitol Hill. We're delighted to have you here.
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. It's good to be
with you.
DOBBS: Fire at will. The subject is so-called free trade.
PAUL: Free trade. I'm for free trade. Although I'm not for the type of
system that we have today because I don't believe it's my concept of free
trade. I do not believe that the Congress should ever have the authority to
pass this authority to the president. And on things like on fast track and
then president devises agreements that serve the interests of the special
interests.
So, I positively opposed to this transfer of power just as I am opposed to
the Congress transferring power to the president to declare war. So you can
be for trade. I follow the admonition of the Founders. They think we're a
lot better off if we trade with countries, rather than fight with them.
We fought with Vietnam through the '60s. It did go well. We left. Now we
trade with them. I think we do better trading. Where our problem gets into
are these managed trade agreements under the WTO and under NAFTA and the
plan for a North American Union. These are the kind of movements I think
are very detrimental to national sovereignty. I don't think it helps our
workers.
And in combination with our monetary policy we are now exporting our jobs
due to a flawed trade policy and actually a flawed foreign policy because
we have allowed too much power to gravitate to the executive branch, and
the Congress won't live up to their responsibilities. The Congress is
supposed to be protecting us, protecting and guarding against our
liberties.
At the same time, here we are once again in an undeclared war overseas,
that's going on endlessly trying to enforce U.N. resolutions, which is very
disruptive to our economy. It causes huge deficits. That is more disruptive
to our trade policies, as well.
Do I not believe we can solve all our trade problems unless we eventually
look at monetary policy. Because when we have the privilege of printing the
reserve currency of the world, we abuse this, we print the money and no
wonder the jobs go overseas because they take our dollars. That is coming
to an end because this war and our financial obligations has nearly
bankrupt this country. I think we're in for big trouble.
DOBBS: Congressman, you did it. I mean that's two minutes uninterrupted. We
appreciate it. Let me ask you a couple of follow-up questions if I may.
PAUL: OK.
DOBBS: First, let me ask you the question that is often asked of someone
taking the position you have on free trade. I want to remind everybody who
may be surprised as you speak about free trade you are a candidate for the
Republican nomination. Are you a protectionist?
PAUL: No, not really. Only when it becomes national security reasons. But
no, I think the more trade that we have, the better. I just don't like
privileged trades. I don't like international managed trade. I don't like
this NAFTA and WTO managed trade because I don't think the people are
served. I think the special interests are served because they have the
influence in these organizations.
DOBBS: Would you either rewrite or rescind NAFTA?
PAUL: I'd get rid of NAFTA and WTO, for that matter. I certainly don't want
a North American Union and I'm sick of these plans for this highway coming
through here that's going to go from Mexico to Canada. That's not my idea
of national sovereignty.
DOBBS: The idea that the United States, as Bill Tucker reported tonight,
H1B visas being used under the rubric of bringing in bright foreign workers
into this country, in point of fact, as our research has demonstrated, more
than half of those for low-skilled jobs. What would be your position there?
PAUL: That I would not have as much concern about. But I think it needs
monitoring. My big concern are the illegals, I'm concerned about all the
enticements we give for the illegals, automatic citizenship by being born
here. And then just be here for a while and you get in front of the line.
Free medical care, free education. No wonder they bring their families. So
I would get rid of all the benefits to the illegals and deal with that and
the legal entry, then it needs more monitoring, and looking into these H1B
and different categories that we have.
DOBBS: Congressman Ron Paul, we will leave a discussion of illegal
immigration to another time for greater examination. We thank for being
here tonight.
PAUL: Thank you.
DOBBS: Congressman Ron Paul. Well, as the presidential campaign continues,
we'll continue this special series on our broadcast. 2008, definitely it is
time for answers. Giving all the presidential candidates who want to take
us up on our offer two minutes of uninterrupted airtime to address each
critical issue facing this country.
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