There's not much call for that kind of work as it is.
And now, Indians take advantage of the L-1. Will it ever end?
If we displace blue collars who make furniture and textiles to China, and we displace white collars with engineering and technical degrees to India, et al... then WHO IS LEFT? Management, I suppose. And plumbers, electricians, convenience store workers. Americans are have difficulty filling American jobs these days, while Bush wants to import Mexicans by the metric ton.
And yet, my conservative, capitalistic principals tell me there is no easy answer to the problem. Stop illegal immigration for one. Beyond that, should the government really impose regulations regarding the employment of Americans exclusively? I dare say so-- already the trend in is place and most companies won't be able to compete with other companies that use the cheap labor.
America will simply continue to consolidate the wealth further into fewer hands at the top of companies and into the company treasury, leaving a starving white and blue collar middle class to rot. Once they smell rising wages in India, they will move to Indonesia. Or Siberia. Pick the second world economy of your choice. Although that may sound like a liberal speaking, it's merely an observation of the effects of these trends.
"Retrain" is often heralded as a solution. Even Greenspan mentioned it. But for what field of endeavor? Hundreds of thousands if not millions of competent engineers, scientists, programmers and analysts will become.... plumbers? Electricians? Landscapers? Whatever isn't portable overseas?
I'm struggling to see the solution. Maybe I'll sign up for auto mechanic 101 at the local community college. Indeed, such is better than working midnight shift at the local 7-11.
P.S. - Thank you, Mr. Bush for proposing to pump gov't dollars into those schools. Where is your mind, exactly? I suppose the word "retrain" has been bantered about the oval office. >removing tongue from cheek<
Regardless, a conservative will adapt... despite my extraordinary dissapointment with the prospect of losing the work I was "Called" to do, and do well.