Kucinich: The Bush Administration’s Outsourcing Disaster

[WilliamPitt]

http://www.kucinich.us/pressreleases/pr_021004.php

The Bush Administration’s Outsourcing Disaster

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 10, 2004

Dennis Kucinich has strongly criticized the position taken by the White House on the loss of American jobs overseas.

According to a report by the Los Angeles Times on February 9th, the White House has embraced the concept of “outsourcing” as a positive development for the American people and the economy. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors, prepared the administration’s newly-released economic report which welcomes the outsourcing of American jobs. This same report promises to create 2.6 million new jobs. “Outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade," said Mankiw in the Los Angeles Times article.

“Outsourcing” is a process in which American jobs, mainly in technological fields, are contracted out to countries where wages are significantly lower. According to the February edition of Wired Magazine, the typical salary for an American programmer is $70,000 a year. The typical salary for a programmer in India is $8,000 a year. U.S. companies are expected to ship 200,000 jobs a year to India in the foreseeable future in pursuit of these lower wages.

The Bush administration is embracing the loss of our technological base while promising to create 2.6 million jobs. These two realities cannot exist side by side. The continued loss of our ability to control the development of our technology, and the continued loss of hundreds of thousands of American jobs, are issues of national and economic security.

"The outsourcing of US jobs is being accelerated with the help of NAFTA and the WTO, which make it impossible to place taxes or tariffs on such work,” said Congressman Kucinich. “Canceling NAFTA and the WTO will enable the US to protect high-tech jobs from outsourcing. This, plus careful monitoring of H1B visa practices, will slow the tide of outsourcing.”

For more campaign information: http://www.kucinich.us

For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm

[no name no slogan]

1. The Eyes That See Through The LIES

"Outsourcing" sucks, especially when there are qualified people here in this country to do the job.

The tech support operation at my mother's company (IBM) has been "outsourced" to Asia recently. Now, instead of calling an internal number for the inhouse help desk, they have to call all the way to India, describe the problem, get an incident report, and try to fix the problems THEMSELVES via the phone. IOW, no on-site technical support. Can you IMAGINE a company in the computer business not having any on-site tech support?

She had a problem with the mouse port on her PC-- it died, for no apparent reason. She rebooted, reinstalled drivers, but finally ran across the street to Best Buy and spent $20 for a USB mouse, which worked perfectly.

She did this after repeated phone calls to the help desk, her repeated description of the problem (that it was hardware-based, NOT software-based), and STILL got the runaround. She tried to requisition a new mouse from her employer, but it would have taken WEEKS to get one. It was less frustrating to buy one on her own.

"Outsourcing" isn't just a problem that happens to other people-- it affects every American. If a company is well enough to headquarter here, or sell its goods here, it needs to EMPLOY people here, too. It's as simple as that.

You want to sell here, then hire our workers. It's only fair.

[WilliamPitt]

2. I kick in the chaos

[Zomby Woof]

4. BFEE! S&B!!!

You mean that kind of chaos? :evilgrin:

[Desertrose]

3. thank goddess for Dennis' voice...

and courage!! I know no matter what, this man will keep speaking up for Americans!

Go Dennis!!!!



Peace
DR

here's one for you too Will

[revcarol]

5. My less than exciting horror story:

I wanted to know how many inches around the waist and hips a pair of pants was, so I would be sure to get the right size.

You guessed it. The phone person was in INDIA and didn't have any idea of what I was talking about. That U. S. business is no longer getting my money.

We had a big demonstration against NAFTA, the convocation at a university sponsored by Governor Richardson and paid for by taxpayers in NM. We were surrounded by police from the campus, sheriff's department, city, and state police. Two paddy wagons were already positioned to take us to jail;only saved by the ACLU attorney threatening massive lawsuits against the University.(99% KUCINICH supporters!!)

I hope DK keeps safe. These corporate thugs will stop at nothing to advance their profits on the back of desperate people and child laborers.

[corporatewhore]

6. unelectable my ass everybody conservative or liberal loses their jobs

and they dont like it!!!

[redqueen]

7. It's our choice

How important is America's economic future?

[mmonk]

8. This needs

a kick:kick:

[bloom]

9. And when they say people need to be "retrained"

What are they supposed to be trained for? :shrug:

[Gadave]

24. Don't you mean reprogrammed.

Of course we can always go to the soylent green factories. Oh, you think I meant as employees, how quaint.

[MuseRider]

34. OMG!

My husband keeps bringing up soylent green. Creeps me out.

[Terwilliger]

10. Kerry will also promote outsourcing once he's president

They're all working on a globalization agenda, and they're chomping at the bit to initiate it.

[goodhue]

11. another most excellent press release

outsourcing is indeed a political hot potato.

Recent stories in MN about outsourcing state government work put administration on the defense. Then Kerry drops phone banking company placing calls through Canada.

Outsourcing is the most potent way to frame the free trade debate.

[redqueen]

12. Vote Kucinich!

:kick:

[cheezus]

13. 60k+ starting out of college my ass

When I started that was very true. Now 5 years later everyone I know is having trouble finding an entry level programmer position. I'm trying to get a little freelance tech support business going, but I can't afford health insurance (the flaw in bush's entrepeneur argument) unless I stay in school. So now I'm trying to get into a grad program that I'm not really interested in. Recently married, don't know when we'll be able to afford children. The way things are going we could end up living in my in-laws' basement :shudder:

[redqueen]

14. Outsourcing Opportunity

Welcome to neo-liberal America

[ThirdWheelLegend]

23. You could..

You could move to India, get paid 1/10 the wage and then ship your kids off somewhere to work for pennies making tennis shoes?

Its the Neo-American way!! I HAVE A DREAM!!

TWL

[bobthedrummer]

15. Kick.

:dem:

[Stuckinthebush]

16. We really need Dennis in the eventual Democratic cabinet

He is a true progressive voice and is always concerned with the working public.

[redqueen]

17. Give me a break

Because he's a true progressive, he'll never be considered by the 'electable' dems.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

18. Agreed, once the 'major' candidates can get rid of Kucinich..

His progressive voice will be shut out. Dean, Kerry, Edwards; they will all jump to the center as soon as they have to stop talking about the real issues.

TWL

[redqueen]

19. Predictable as rain.

Just about nobody in either party wants what he's selling. :)

[dawn]

20. Yeah! Go Dennis! nt

[Armstead]

21. Boot

:kick:

[Mairead]

26. yab

[DjTj]

22. Does anybody know the history of H-1B's?

...or how new the outsourcing problem is?

Did this start under Clinton? Reagan?

[Gadave]

25. Outsourcing is not new at all

What do you think happened to the textile industry? Same thing, different field. Now its the high wage earners turn, so finally something will be done about it.

The H1-B visa program hit high gear when the Y2K fraud happened.

The problem, they never scaled it back. I wrote my Repuke congressman about the program and how it was foolish to bring foriegn nationals into the country when we are in a resession. He sent me back a canned response basically accusing me of being racist, and "simplistic". That the current unemployment problem is "complicated".

The thing is I said in my letter that I think if people are actually working toward American citizenship it should be ok, but these people are specifically prohibited from becoming citizens.

[redqueen]

32. The more 'paranoid' among us,

and yes that includes me, see this as a deliberate attempt to kill the middle class. Once you have no middle class, you can begin a return to serfdom. Rich and poor, and no middle ground. If there is a middle class, you have to worry about poor people climbing the ladder to power and changing things.

[LWolf]

27. Outsourcing is becoming

a more mainstream concern; I've actually spotted it in a few newspapers lately.

America as a whole is just beginning to notice that this is more than a fringe issue. Since they are waking up and starting to think about it, they need to see this press release. They need to know, before the primary hits their state, that Dennis Kucinich is on the job.

This is an issue where Dennis can shine for all parties; republicans, independents, and other voters all need employment, too.

[redqueen]

28. Which is why they're trying to shut him up

If it's bush vs. 'electable' dems, there's no reason for corporate interests to worry, because they can trust that their interests will be looked after.

If it's Kucinich vs. bush, though... look out, baby, Americans are ripe for his message on jobs. :)

[LWolf]

33. Just another reason

he's the best choice to send against Bush!

[Zomby Woof]

29. gotta kick it

[Mairead]

30. yak

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[eridani]

35. THE reason why 'unelectable' is BS

Kucinich is the guy Carl Worden is looking for.

http://sierratimes.com/03/12/29/ar_carlworden.htm

I am a Christian conservative who voted for Bush in 2000, and I write for a largely conservative and excellent Internet news and opinion publication called The Sierra Times. Remarkably, the positive responses I received from that article ran 8 to 2, 2 being those who said I was dead, absolutely DEAD wrong. The fact that largely conservative readers responded as positively as they did, means I am not wrong, and I am sticking to my prediction that Howard Dean will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.

The issue that I believe will put Dean right over the top will be his condemnation of NAFTA/GATT, free trade, and his pledge to end our participation in the World Trade Organization. If Dean wants to win by a comfortable margin, all he has to do is THAT. The massive number of red states that voted for Bush last election will turn to blue, and Dean will waltz into the White House like a halfback who strolls untouched into the end zone. End of game.

Of course, I have no idea what Dean’s position is on free trade, NAFTA/GATT or the WTO. As far as I know, he hasn’t said. Maybe he’s saving that for the finishing shot. I’m speculating of course, but Mr. Dean, if you are reading this, I just gave you the keys to the White House.

[corporatewhore]

36. conservatives and liberals AGREE: they dont like their jobs goin to india

[eridani]

37. Kick

[Eric J in MN]

38. Don't rely on Wired Magazine for wage data.

Visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Computer programmers in the US make an average of $25/hour which comes out to $50,000 a year.

Wired Magazine probably got it's figures from the Information Technology Association of America, which is a lobbying group which inflates programmer salaries to justify H1B visas.