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Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tom M who wrote (21411)	3/11/1998 3:43:00 PM
From: Knighty Tin	Respond to of 97611

Tom, I take another point of view. With pc makers facing commoditization, I say a pox on all there houses and I will buy them when they sell for single digit pe ratios, like other commodity cos. I do think Compaq is pretty smart, but I don't see what they have to offer in services that can't get its butt kicked by the hundreds of other service cos. out there. -g- MB

To: Tom M who wrote (21411)	3/11/1998 5:24:00 PM
From: WeisbrichA	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 97611

TM, RE: With Gates & other co's testifying to over 375,000 tech openings that can't be filled, I'd want to have a large pool of this increasingly rare-and-costly-personnel-for-hire on my balance sheet. I think the number of openings is grossly overstated. Part of the number could very well be the turnover rate is underestimated. I think Gates and others in DC earlier this month really don't want to TRAIN (or even try to retrain) existing resources in the US, they want to raid the talent from the international pool. I think other parts of the world hear a giant "sucking sound" coming from the US. What the industry seems to want is young, under 35 years old with tech degrees and little need for big salary. ComputerWorld or CRN just did a piece on that. I remember a "Baracero" program in my state that resulted from Agribusiness here claiming a shortage of field workers while at the same time we had a large welfare problem. Similar problem but NOT the same. Workers were imported and supposedly left at the end of season. These major tech companies, however, have a problem. Why should they train or retrain someone only to have that person be hired by a competitor? Training is big cost item. If no one does it, you have no choice but to try import talent at a reduced price. India, Taiwan, and soon PROC have large cheap pools. While, as an American, I do not believe in "Buy American", I do believe that one should utilize US labor pool better and first. RW