Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: laura_bush who wrote (437761)	8/3/2003 8:35:19 PM
From: Sidney Reilly	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

It's 15 pages but worth the time to read. It's about the government "non-investigation" of why the twin towers collapsed when they should not have and initially appeared they were strong enough to enter by the fireman. members.aol.com

To: laura_bush who wrote (437761)	8/3/2003 8:46:18 PM
From: Lizzie Tudor	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

well Laura, Since I am on the business side of the house in terms of technology management, my job isn't leaving. The difference is that I have to manage people in India vs. here now. I am not happy about that. However, this fact remains. We have seen this over-outsourcing trend before. We saw it in the 80s in manufacturing, and in the early 90s with PCs. Now software is getting hit, but this is the first wave. My experience based on what I am seeing is that the quality in outsourced tasks is poor. Nothing innovative or cutting edge works. This is not because the people in india aren't smart, they are. The problem is they are too far away from the source. As someone on another thread said once, if you have to use your business people (me) to write specs that are so detailed a monkey can code it, you might as well hire a monkey here, because this puts a deep strain on the visionary resources you have locally, and that was always the weak link. In my business supply chain software, prior to the software collapse in 2001, Manugistics was able to trump a much larger competitor I2 based in part of I2's over-outsourcing to india. Bottom line is, there is a limit to what can be outsourced and imho some companies are over the line right now. That is cutting edge technical. As far as call center and administrative workers, the future looks bleak. My suggestion is kill the visas immediately, and shift payroll taxes to other segments of the economy. Maybe corporate income taxes. Repeal the dividend tax cut and probably the capital gain exclusion on house equity, and return the estate tax. In other words raise other discretionary taxes to compensate for removing the payroll tax. We just can't have a payroll tax and be globally competitive with jobs. As far as social security/medicare we need to raise the retirement age to 70 and put some SS money in the stock market or other investments. That would be my plan. As far as taking a hard line with visas, I am not sure which party is more in my camp. Here is a republican who I agree completely with. Maybe this is a bipartisan issue? Congress upset as white-collar work exits U.S. We are experiencing a coring out of American manufacturing and service jobs," says Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Ill. "At this rate, no one will have good enough jobs to be able to afford products and services in our country, no matter where the work originates." Manzullo, who chairs the House Small Business Committee, has made restoring America's industrial base his top priority. On June 18 -- the same day EDS announced its layoffs -- he turned his committee's attention to the service industry. Temporary work visas targeted Unemployment among electrical and computer engineers is at an all-time high, testified Hira, representing the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA. In 2000, Congress responded to complaints about a high-tech worker shortage by increasing the number of skilled foreigners allowed to work temporarily in the United States. Hira says these H-1B visas, as well as widespread use of L-1 visas for intra-company transfers, "accelerated movement of work offshore as temporary workers in management positions outsource work to overseas colleagues, and as temporary workers who have returned home use their knowledge and connections in the U.S. market to competitively bid for outsourced work." Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., thinks Congress "should initiate a thorough and detailed re-evaluation of the various guest worker programs." She is a co-sponsor of a bill introduced by Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., which would prevent IT consulting firms from using L-1 visas to import workers for contract work with U.S. companies. atlanta.bizjournals.com

To: laura_bush who wrote (437761)	8/3/2003 8:49:58 PM
From: Lizzie Tudor	Respond to of 769667

I should also say that I don't care about Iraq, I think it was a horrendous costly mistake to go there, and I want out, I am not interested in donating any more american lives to the cause. If Bush spends much more time on Iraq and doesn't focus on the real issues regarding global jobs migration, fixed currencies and trade, I will vote for anybody but him, even if it is Howard Dean. I think the entire west coast agrees with me, I think Bush is going to be shocked in 04. I also doubt very seriously the republicans get the house and senate again unless they get us out of iraq or iraq loses focus in some way.