H-2B Cap Exemption Introduced in Senate (SPECTER)

NumbersUSA ^ | 2/17/09 | N/A

[Kimberly GG]

Just doing the jobs Americans NEED.

[Kimberly GG]

From a NumbersUSA email I received:

Sens. Mikulski & Specter push to break cap on H-2B low-skill workers — keeping more Americans unemployed

The federal government released the numbers for jobless claims from the first week of February on Thursday and the numbers jumped another 170,000. Yet, as American workers continue to lose their jobs, Senators Barbara Mikulski, Arlen Specter and 23 other cosponsors have proposed legislation exempting tens of thousands of former H-2B holders from the current cap of 66,000. If passed, S. 388 could triple the number of less-educated foreign workers in the country taking jobs away from less-educated American workers.

Take action now by visiting your Action Buffet. You’ll find new faxes to send hammering the Senators that have cosponsored S. 388 and faxes to thank those Senators that have not sponsored the bill. Stop Congress from taking jobs away from young American adults and the undereducated. You can also read Roy’s blog on the topic that uses Dr. Steve Camarota’s recent report showing how unemployment is impacting the less-educated

Thanks,
Chris Chmielenski
NumbersUSA Website Editor
Sens. Mikulski & Specter’s H-2B bill multiplies less-educated foreign workers to keep less-educated Americans unemployed
By Roy Beck, Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Latest data reveal 1.6 million American young adults (18-29) with only a high school degree who are looking for a job but can’t find one. Yet, Sens. Mikulski and Specter have introduced a bill to double or triple the visas for less-educated foreign workers over the next three years. And 24 Senators have already co-sponsored the bill!

[Steelfish]

See here too:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2191135/posts

[TomasUSMC]

Who are the 24 traitors that voted for this bill?

[WildcatClan]

If we are in a crisis and unemployment is rampant, then there are no jobs for these people. If there are, in fact, jobs, then let’s give them to our own citizens and attack those unemployment numbers.

[Kimberly GG]

OOPs....sorry Steelfish....I am the WORST searcher.

Moderator, duplicate thread.

[kamikaze2000]

Dear Pennsylvania, PLEASE vote this turd out of the senate next election. I don’t care who you replace him with. I would rather have a democrat than a turncoat republican who keeps stabbing this country in the back. Republicans need to cut the dead wood out or they’ll all be dragged down.

[MNSlim]

Do you really think conservative priorities would have been better served by Democrat Joe Hoeffel if he had beat Specter in 2004? Seriously?

Hoeffel had a 8 ACU lifetime rating and would not have moved SCOTUS candidates like Roberts and Alito or any number of conservative appeals court nominees through the Judiciary Committee for ultimate confirmation and seating. Specter did. Specter voted for tax cuts and national security priorities. Would Hoeffel?

I don't know, I'd take a Republican who satisfies some of my conservative priorities over a Democrat who satisfies none.

[Kimberly GG]

COSPONSORS(24), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort: by date)

Sen Barrasso, John [WY] - 2/5/2009
Sen Bennett, Robert F. [UT] - 2/5/2009
Sen Bond, Christopher S. [MO] - 2/5/2009
Sen Burr, Richard [NC] - 2/5/2009
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] - 2/5/2009
Sen Carper, Thomas R. [DE] - 2/5/2009
Sen Coburn, Tom [OK] - 2/5/2009
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME] - 2/5/2009
Sen Crapo, Mike [ID] - 2/5/2009
Sen Enzi, Michael B. [WY] - 2/5/2009
Sen Hatch, Orrin G. [UT] - 2/5/2009
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [HI] - 2/10/2009
Sen Johnson, Tim [SD] - 2/6/2009
Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] - 2/5/2009
Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [LA] - 2/10/2009
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] - 2/5/2009
Sen Levin, Carl [MI] - 2/5/2009
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] - 2/5/2009
Sen Reed, Jack [RI] - 2/5/2009
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] - 2/5/2009
Sen Specter, Arlen [PA] - 2/5/2009
Sen Thune, John [SD] - 2/10/2009
Sen Voinovich, George V. [OH] - 2/6/2009
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - 2/5/2009

The usual Rhinos.

[Kimberly GG]

I curious, do you support this bill? If so, why?

[MNSlim]

The bill is of no real interest to me. I don’t have an opinion about what the optimal number of H-2B visas made available to foreign nationals should be. I prefer to let business owners work that out in the course of their endeavors. I consider labor a fluid and competitive economic resource no different than capital, raw materials, energy etc. Like all assets and investments any business owner manages, labor assets should be deployed subject to the rigorous tests of competing successfully in global markets. If I have a guy in India who is a better option as a software engineering recruit than any guy I can find in the American labor pool then I think I should be able to hire the Indian guy without a lot of government red tape. It’s my company, my job, my capital and my accountability.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

I'm with you. I do not see how this does our cause any good to have the most liberal rather than the most conservative.

It's losing slowly. Actually, right now, it's moving very swiftly but those who did not want to vote McCain feel very superior, morally.

I look at it that our side has use of a liberal Republican. They still add to our numbers and we must get into the majority someway.

Our country is being ravaged right now. If we had even one or two more RINO senators we would not be in this fix.

[MNSlim]

So Enzi, Coburn, Burr, Thune, Crapo, Hatch and Bennett are RINOs?

Looks like this bill has conservative support.

As I've said, the term RINO becomes utterly meaningless when people label guys like Tom Coburn, Richard Burr and Mike Enzi as "RINOs".

They are Republicans IN FACT and PRACTICE. The reflexive RINO labeling at FR has become absurd. It doesn't mean anything.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

Ditto!!

[Diogenesis]

So you back the bill, and especially Specter, newbie.

[Diogenesis]

"The reflexive RINO labeling at FR has become absurd. It doesn't mean anything."

Specter = Traitorous Pimp RINO

[investigateworld]

Suggestion: Why not move to India where you’ll find lots of folks happy to work for five bucks a day?

[AuntB]

BTT!

[o2bfree]

I wish Specter would go choke on a pretzel.

We have multitudes of unemployed technology workers, and fewer jobs because of the economy. And he thinks we need more non citizen applicants for the few jobs that are left?

This idiot must thinks he’s in the Indian parliament.

[Political Junkie Too]

H-2B visas are given to seasonal employees in non-agricultural related fields that experience high-peak times such as amusement parks and ski resorts.

Right. These are clearly the types of businesses that will be seeing an increase in business during this economic downturn, requiring more foreigners to run them.

What's the real reason for increasing the caps on these workers?

-PJ