Bills to keep jobs in USA create uproar

USA TODAY ^

[Mick2000]

Just three years ago, Congress voted to allow more foreign workers into the United States. Times have changed.

Politicians are proposing tough — opponents say misguided — steps to keep jobs at home in the face of rising unemployment, a growing number of white-collar jobs being transferred to India and other countries and lingering anger over some U.S. allies' opposition to the war in Iraq.

The House has passed measures to require the Defense and State departments to buy a larger share of equipment from U.S. firms. The measure, which has provoked a corporate and political uproar, has not been approved by the Senate.

Legislators in several states are trying to bar the export of government jobs to foreign companies.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., chair of a Judiciary subcommittee, plans a hearing today on possible problems in the L-1 visa program, which allows companies to bring workers to the USA from their foreign operations. Workers complain that firms are using the program as a backdoor way to replace domestic employees with cheaper labor.

[Lazamataz]

I got a reply back that it was being added to the Chairman's daily report.

That's actually pretty good.

[RockyMtnMan]

What do you do for a living?

[Nowhere Man]

Some U.S. congressmen are actually trying to do something about the jobs loss to H1B, L1, and outsourcing

Thanks God, but I hope we can get this through and make it a law, that will be a challenge unto itself but I'm glad to see something moving here.

[misterrob]

But of course investors and Wall St. will cry about reduced profits and hence a lower the stock price which is how public companies are judged.

The fault lies with us.

[sauropod]

This is a Good Thing.

[HurkinMcGurkin]

If the American people could have successfully stopped manufacturing jobs from going overseas by boyocotting any company that closed upo shop here and moved, then this problem now with "white collar" jobs leaving probably would never have happened. But we as a people opted for slightly lower prices on shoes and VCR's rather than help keep our own families and friends employed.

I am all for a free market. We are reaping what we have sown. I have little sympathy for an out-of-work techie who is sitting around in his/her appartment full of junk made in thrid world countries complaining about not being able to find a job.

[RockyMtnMan]

This issue is a powder keg for both parties. The GOP claims they are creating jobs for Americans. To have a positive effect we have to create more jobs than we lose.

[Dr Warmoose]

These "multinationals" should be stopped from making campaign contributions and buying influence then, since they are beholden to foreign powers!

The horses are out of the barn. It was because our corporate income tax schemes taxed companies for profits made in foreign countries. There aren't too many countries that do that. Stanley Tools wanted to relocate their corporate headquarters to tax friendly Bermuda so that they could be competitive in the global market. Nope. The tax dependant congress critters were horrified at the thought that tax money would leave this country. Notice these politicians aren't horrified when jobs leave this country. Corporate taxes and regulations cause multinational corporations to come into being. Wouldn't it be better for a company to be in the most business friendly country? When the businesses of the world decide that the US is no friendlier than India or Communist China, then that should be a wake-up call to the rest of us to reconsider our legislative priorities.

[Ravenstar]

I would take a close look at this. The vast majority of Repubs and Demos are "Free Traders" (maybe that should be traitors)which means the elimination of all middle classes. The critical mass of the world is peasantry so when you compete third world standards of living against middle classes you don't get the middle classes lifting up the third world peasantry but the third world peasantry eliminating the middle classes. Then you just have the elitists left to rule the world granted a morally depraved and more impoverished world.

Ravenstar

[adam_az]

It's not easy to buy American, unfortunately. I don't know of any stereo or TV made in the US at any price.

I had to buy a new refrigerator last week and bought a Maytag, made in Iowa. But computer monitors? Motherboards? Microwave oven?

We sold ourselves out.

[adam_az]

When the businesses of the world decide that the US is no friendlier than India or Communist China, then that should be a wake-up call to the rest of us to reconsider our legislative priorities

BUMP

[Ayn Rand wannabe]

BUMP that!!

[Dr Warmoose]

The fact is, the US is considered a mature and saturated market, with the emerging markets in Asia and the former Eastern Bloc countries.

Of course, in a perverse way one can say that our peace-keeping missions around the globe are contributing to the destruction of the US economy. Not only are we footing the bill to protect other countries infrastructure, we are making it safe and profitable for US companies to move their operations to historically warring countries.

In other words we are using our military to destroy ourselves. And the Communists thought it would be our rope, when it ends up being our guns.

[HurkinMcGurkin]

We sold ourselves out.

Yep. And I doubt it can be undone. It could have been stopped thrity years ago, or even slowed down twenty years ago. I'm afraid its way too late. An entire generation has now grown up under these circumstances of pretty much accepting and not caring that most value added items are made elsewhere, only enriching a very small minority of wealthy elite(and I am definitely not playing the "class warfare" card) while a segment of American people have little oportunity to to better themselves.

[Mr. Bird]

Becdause teh flat pannels are not currently manufactured in the USA and they actually are critical to the defense of the USA maybe we do need some production capability here. What a concept.

Well, who's "we"? Start the sucker up, why don't you? Your government is trying to create a market for you, so why not take advantage? I'm sure you can convince me and the rest of the taxpayers that paying exhorbitant prices for your product, thanks to everything from payroll taxes to unionized labor, is a good thing.

Why don't we just shut the borders and start up all of the industries that have left? No imports, no exports, just one big happy country? Because it would suck, that's why. Feel free to peruse the history of Soviet command economies to get a taste.

[HurkinMcGurkin]

Bingo. And it didn't happen by chance or accident.

[wjcsux]

I don't like the government getting involved with regulating what businesses do. This however, is a good thing because these companies have outsourced so much at the expense of the U.S. worker. The best thing our government can do is create a better corporate climate for industry. They need to tell the eco-nuts, along with the rest of the anti-business idiots to f*ck off.

[SouthParkRepublican]

”Which is opposed by a Corporate America more concerned about the bottom line than the welfare of the country it supposedly resides in”

To be fair, this is exactly what Corporate America is about and if not then something is wrong with their business model. Generating profit and accountability to share holders is what should matter to companies.

It is the Fed that is responsible for governing international trade and it’s nice to hear that there are finally some rumblings in congress about this.

[SerpentDove]

Right after Sept. 11, there was a big debate at our company about whether or not to display an American flag in the lobby.

An uproar ensued, and Old Glory won out.

The argument had been that we were a "multi-national" organization.

[Redbob]

"Which is opposed by a Corporate America more concerned about the bottom line than the welfare of the country it supposedly resides in."

Funny that the CEO's and Board Chairman who comprise "corporate America" haven't figured out they have to live in the same communities as the rest of us.