Obama softens his tone on offshoring

[durkermaker]

Obama softens his tone on offshoring
All that's missing is a plan for the H-1B visa
By Patrick Thibodeau
November 10, 2010 06:00 AM WASHINGTON -- A few months ago, Congress raised the fees on H-1B visas, and midterm election candidates -- the Democrats in particular -- pummeled opponents over offshore outsourcing. These actions had the Indian government and its IT industry on edge and worried about new restrictions on the visa.

But in India this week, President Barack Obama reshaped offshoring as part of international trade. Instead of complaining of jobs moving to Bangalore, as he did last year, the president's message to India's leaders was soothing, emphasizing how trade works both ways.

Said Obama: "I want to be able to say to the American people when they ask me, 'Well, why are you spending time with India? Aren't they taking our jobs?' I want to be able to say, 'Actually, you know what? They just created 50,000 jobs.' And that's why we shouldn't be resorting to protectionist measures; we shouldn't be thinking that it's just a one-way street. I want both the citizens in the United States and citizens in India to understand the benefits of commercial ties between the two countries."

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9195722/Obama_softens_his_tone_on_offshoring

[ananda]

1. It's so nice that we're helping promote slave labor in other countries.

While our own citizens go without jobs or have to work for slave wages
at menial jobs themselves.

[durkermaker]

2. or worse yet, very heavy responsibility for slave pay and hours

with very heavy education prerequisites

that's what the remaining tech jobs are becoming

[earth mom]

12. Meanwhile...in the good old U.S. of A...The Great Depression 2 continues! nt

[flyarm]

3. Quelle surprise!...NOT!

[durkermaker]

4. maybe he can do a cameo on NBC's 'Outsourced' comedy

with a personal message at the end to be patient, that this actually is creating jobs for Americans

and also to admonish Americans for their stereotypes of Indians taking their jobs

[L0oniX]

17. +1

[SHRED]

5. With the advance of the Indian and Chinese "middle class"...

....and the decline here at home, soon they won't need our consumerism.

When people here claim, "yeah but they need us because we buy things",,,welll,,,not in the near future.

Then what?

[durkermaker]

6. 'They just created 50,000 jobs'

too bad we've lost millions of jobs

[durkermaker]

7. 'It's not what it looks like'

The mystery of where the milk went to was soon cleared up. It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash. The
early apples were now ripening, and the grass of the orchard was littered with windfalls. The animals had
assumed as a matter of course that these would be shared out equally; one day, however, the order went forth
that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness−room for the use of the pigs. At this
some of the other animals murmured, but it was no use. All the pigs were in full agreement on this point,
even Snowball and Napoleon. Squealer was sent to make the necessary explanations to the others.
"Comrades!" he cried. "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and
privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these
things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain
substances absolutely necessary to the well−being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole
management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It
is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs
failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades," cried Squealer
almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, "surely there is no one among you who
wants to see Jones come back?"
Now if there was one thing that the animals were completely certain of, it was that they did not want Jones
back. When it was put to them in this light, they had no more to say. The importance of keeping the pigs in
good health was all too obvious. So it was agreed without further argument that the milk and the windfall
apples (and also the main crop of apples when they ripened) should be reserved for the pigs alone.

[ladjf]

8. If Obama's tone gets any "softer", he will become silent. nt

[L0oniX]

16. Maybe he should try knitting and Canasta.

[durkermaker]

9. Obama supported raising H-1b to 180,000 per year in 2007

From page 2 of that article

"If Congress acts to increase the cap on H-1B visas, then Obama is likely to support it. Obama supported an H-1B cap increase of up to 180,000 from 85,000 as a senator in 2007."

[JVS]

10. This is going to make it into political ads against him in 18 months.

[Edweird]

11. Support for RW pro-corporate anti-labor policy is no surprise.

It will dovetail quite nicely with a 'Reagan the 2nd' illegal immigrant amnesty as a part of some bullshit "reform".

[sarcasmo]

13. There should be No H-1B visas until the unemployment number drops drastically.

[Poll_Blind]

14. +1

With some minor reservations but, basically, yes.

PB

[L0oniX]

15. "trade works both ways" Muhahahaha ...oh I see ...we are taking their jobs too now huh.

[durkermaker]

18. i tried to smash the bug on my screen nt