Outsourcing as an Issue in 2004?

[Eric J in MN]

What should the candidates say about the outsourcing of jobs to other countries?

Should they propose that any company which outsources more than 1% of its jobs be ineligible from federal contracts?

[mikehiggins]

1. laws

I don't think laws can be passed to stop it. The most a President can do is issue some Executive orders, but they are also subject to being knocked down by Congress.

Clark's position is pretty simple. We can't stop companies from shipping our economy overseas. The best we can do is make it somewhat less profitable for them by eliminating the parts of the tax codes, and those special visas that facilitate such practices. Credits and regulations that encourage companies to start up or remain in the US are other avenues that can be investigated but what we really need to do (this is my opinion, not Clark's) is put the money behind some massive project under the defense budget (like Bush's moon colony) that can be conducted within the United States and kept here as a matter of national security.

The fact remains though that thanks to the Internet, a programmer in Jahore can do the same job as a programmer in Tulsa, and how do you stop something like that? The WTO box has been opened and there is no way to stuff the demons back inside.

So, tax reform, new technologies and dramatic ventures such as space exploration are some routes to take. Bringing back the jobs that have been sent out of country, however, seems all but impossible.

And keep in mind it was not ONLY the Republicans who are responsible for this stuff.

[Eric J in MN]

2. Why should companies that outsource lots of jobs get federal contracts? nt

nt

[gulliver]

4. "those special visas that facilitate such practices"

Those visas, the H-1B and L-1 visas are being abused, and they truly are facilitating outsourcing. American IT practices and success vary widely among companies in the United States. The reason is that some companies have invested in, worked for, and earned superior IT capability.

Now H-1B and L-1 visas are facilitating the export of this hard-earned capability overseas. It is a detriment to the United States future competitiveness and it rests on abuse of these visas for illicit purposes not envisaged by the creators of the laws.

For example, H-1Bs are used to employ foreign workers whose skills are currently readily available in this country. There is no preference shown for American workers in layoff or hiring situations in practice. And in practice H-1Bs have little choice but to accept lower than prevailing wages. Enforcement of the prevailing wage provision is a joke.

L-1s are used even more abusively. These foreign workers are paid far less than H-1Bs, and the do the same work. At least most of the H-1B workers want to remain in the United States, obtain citizenship, and get American mortgages.

I do think this is a major issue. The manufacturing sector should serve as a warning to white collar workers. Some of them would quickly become ex-Republicans if they knew what their representatives are doing with their jobs.

[caledesi]

3. Absolutely, espcially in the mid-West. Is this partriotic? *sarcasm*

[Lover of Liberty]

5. The candidates should

pass tariffs to protect every threatened industry from steel to food production.

The only candidates I can really trust on this are Gephardt and Kucinich, but almost all the candidates have been somewhat protectionist (that ain't a bad word to me) in their rhetoric recently.

The exceptions of course are Lieberman and Clark. Clark's insistence that free trade is good (he's possibly more pro-outsourcing than Bush for Christ's sake) is really disgusting. Seriously, this guy thinks he's Bill Clinton; and when it comes to this issue, that is no compliment.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. The problem with tariffs

is that they are inflationary. they put up the price of imported goods; if they work, then they don't raise much revenue (because people stop buying the imports) and so you still have to keep income tax at the same rate. Instead, people have to buy the more expensive home-produced goods.

I think America, as a rich country, is, overall, better off without tariffs - because it already has money, tariffs allow it to take advantage of cheap labour abroad. If you want to redistribute this advantage, do it with a progressive income tax.

[yankeedem]

6. Make it a security issue

Our medical records and financial records are being managed in places which don't have the security standards that we have. How can we protect the homeland when we freely send all the tools to undermine our security to other countries?

[WhosNext]

7. Dean should make it one

and wrap it up in his "deficits are evil, govt must balance budget every single year" talk and win some more Perot votes :P