An Open letter to President Bush (End run vs. Outsourcing)

You don't know me, nor do I expect you to. But I'm one of those voices out here in the ether that actually did vote for you. I'm not one of those seminar caller types nor a Democrat pretending at being a republican to subvert the party faithful in dishonest fashion because their ideas aren't popular enough to win them anything. No, I'm a life-long republican who cherishes the memory of Ronald Reagan and who thought highly of you right up to the time you sunk a knife in my back economically.

Sir I understand it's a hard job being president. I also understand that in IT my job causes me to have to think on my feet and respond to an everchanging environment just to keep it. And while I was busting my behind for a company I happened to love doing a job I happened to love, you decided it's a good thing to do an endrun around equal protection and hand my job to a Mexican worker at 1/3 of the rate I'm being paid. Sir, Retail employees get paid more than that Full time and they're earning below the poverty level. The Job I hold for the moment requires a lot of hard work and problem solving skills, it requires good customer care skills, and it requires a long knowledge of Computers and software I didn't get from a degree but from practical experience.

I worked long and hard for years looking for the break that would get me in the door with my current employer. And I currently have a carreer with them. Or had, rather. I've worked for EDS for nearly 4 years. I will lose my job just short of that anniversary or just after it depending on how the breakdown happens.

I have a handicap that keeps me from driving a car. Not an official handicap, because it's so rare a problem that 1/2 of 1% of Americans have the condition so it doesn't rate being called what it is. I'm a blip on the screen. But, it means I have to live close to my employer and sometimes rely on others to help me get things done. I've lost everything and put my life back together 3 times in 15 years sir. And having just accomplished it again after 4 years with my employer, your policy has killed any protection I might have otherwise enjoyed from having my job destroyed by foriegn competition. And it puts me right back on the brink again. Sir, if I don't stand a chance of winning, it isn't competition - it's fish in a barrel. Where is my equal protection under the law?

The "competition" didn't get hired because of race or creed; but, because of national origin. They got hired because their cost of living is low enough that they can be paid sub-poverty wages to do my job. They are taking my job because they aren't constrained by the laws we have in this country to protect us and preserve our liberties. Lower cost of living, and no laws to constrain them. See, we used to have what was called ANTI-DUMPING laws on the books before Nafta to prevent the subversion of our economy by those who would attempt to compete on an unfair basis and put American firms out of business. We aren't a global economy, the globe is not the United States of America. They don't respect our rights, our Constitution, our laws or ourselves. The average citizen of the world might; but, we aren't dealing with them, we're dealing with the leaders who have their boots on the neck of the citizen of the world.

It seems today that I have to be a Mexican to get a fair shake in America. There are some 8 million of them here illegally as a tax on our system and working here taking jobs that Americans can do; but, which apparently, nobody wants to offer a fair wage for as long as they can get slave labor off the books. That isn't enough though. We need to employ More workers from Mexico, India, China.. As long as we're doing it, sire, why not be obvious and lets put Sally Struthers on the TV to advertise IT Jobs for the people under repressive regimes in africa who can live on 52 cents a day, "the price of a cup of coffee." I don't care what color their skin is, No citizen of the United states could live on that and shouldn't be asked to compete with it. It's too blatently obvious that it's unfair. And that seems to be why it's "good for us all".

Your policy sir. It's you on the tube telling me it's good for me to lose my job to a Mexican worker outside of our system and in a manner with which I cannot compete. There isn't a job comparable to it here that I can take to make up the difference cause those are being outsourced too. Outsourced. How about endran. Because sir, that is what is happening - it's an end run around our system - around our rights, our laws, our constitutional provisions and protections. Your policy has relieved me of my job without due process. It tied my hands before I had a chance to respond. And so many businesses are being forced to do the same thing, that I don't stand a chance any more than those earning 3 times what I do in the same field who have lost their jobs already and have had to take 11k a year Retail jobs just to eat while their houses go up for sale.

I don't have a degree. I don't get retraining. I just get to lose my job at the whim of your policies and will likely lose more than that in the end. You see, I bought a new home too - a year ago. This job made it possible for me to do that. And as with my Job, I had to get a huge break to be able to pull it off. I've been behind you and a cheerleader of yours since I first heard you speak. I understand that the tanking economy isn't your fault. I understand it isn't your fault we were attacked. I understand and agree with pretty much everything you've done to date, sir. This however is in my mind beyond sickening. It is a betrayal of myself, my coworkers and every other hard working IT worker, Auto worker, etc that has lost their job due to this. It is a betrayal by their government and their employer. And it's a distrust you've earned by subverting them and me. For me, it's not just my Government, it's my own party.

Now I've heard all the arguments for outsourcing and all the copout phrases about what we do about companies that have outsourced to the US. Tell me, sir, how many of them outsourced to do an endrun around their system of government, their constitution, their laws and their workers. How many of them outsourced to us to produce goods for their home market. That isn't an argument that flies with me in the face of doing an endrun around us. They've built plants in our land and are working within our market, within it's rules, within our laws, within the constraints of our constitution and are paying a competative wage. Our companies are doing the opposite. And any way you cut it, it is economic and constitutional tyranny. I'm not a single issue voter sir, until that single issue is my life and livelihood.. until members of my own party call me a robber and a thief for expecting to keep my job when I've worked my behind off to do so.

I did it right. I've busted my backside under an ever increasing workload, kept my promise to my employer and my client. Never missed a metric, never dropped the ball for either of them and have always exceeded expectation as a member of one of the best teams on this planet in my humble opinion. My job is gone not because we didn't produce and not because either couldn't afford it; but, because Mexicans work cheaper and don't have our protections, laws, rights or constitution. I have a strong work ethic and a loyalty to my company that even now makes me shudder to say a bad word about them. I have no illusions; but, I was raised that if you do your best it pays off. I know now that if you do your best, you get kicked in the teeth just as hard, and if you get ahead a little bit, the government will be there to kick you back down. I appreciate how hard your job is. Mine is pretty dang hard too. But how about you and everyone in government work for $600 a month from now on like the Mexican workers replacing us. How about you all work for the income you're forcing me into. If it's good for us, it should be good for you too. You, and all the ivory tower types in our party that hiss at me for being upset over losing my job and wanting to defend myself. How would that be, sir? I'd just as soon see little Tommy Daschle and Ted Kennedy go fly a kite as hear them spout one more offensive evil lie about you. But I'd just as soon, too, see you join them holding the string if you're gonna ruin me and tell me it's good for me. How about if we just outsource your jobs too - oh, wait, that would be unconstitutional too, wouldn't it.

The government forcing someone to hire an american worker, at the expense of their company, is tyranny. You may be a Republican but you certainly are not conservative.

Oh, I'm conservative as they come. But thanks for misrepresenting what I said. Policy has put businesses in the position of outsourcing or losing their contracts because others have already done it and are bidding against these companies based on the slave labor rates they can get overseas. So, yes, the Government is indirectly reponsible for what is happening. I didn't pass Nafta and I didn't do away with Anti-dumping laws or pull an endrun around the constitution for all this free-traitor crap. I did my job. And for it, I'm being handed my hat.

Quit your whining and sniveling reach down and grab your boot strapes and start over in a job or trade that wont be taken over by a Mexican or someone else been their done that 35 years in the electronics field. Time for a change doing truck driving for an oil company and loving it.

Dont worry, Im sure the free traitors will show up on this thread soon and explain how this is actually a GOOD thing, probably using a buggy-whip maker analogy. Or maybe the ice delivery man vs. refrigerators (false) analogy. And don't forget the ever-popular bromides (slaps-in-the-face):
1. Start your own business (with no money)
2. Relocate to where the work is (where is that, India?)
3. Get a job, any job (just throw away everything you ever learned or worked to have)
4. If they can't adapt, screw 'em (i.e., let them eat cake)

See how easy it is to view things from the black-and-white free trade mantra point of view (especially if you are not the one hit...yet)?

Don't forget

#6. I save a couple of cents on the dollar screwing my fellow Americans

or

#7 MY job depends on screwing fellow Americans out of their jobs

Or

#8 The're not YOUR jobs ... they belong to the company (all the while neglecting to acknowledge whose tax money went into building the roads and other infrastructure which enable that the company to function and whose blood was given in protection of their free traitor a$$es

Yes Benedick ... they are OUR jobs (spelling on purpose)

My 2 cents. I was born and spent part of my childhood in the Soviet Union. The gov't, pretty much, guaranteed everyone a job and there was virtually no unemployment and everything was subsidized. That meant that while the average monthly salary was 150-200 roubles (mid 80's), a brand new car went for 6,000 (no cheaper) - 9,000 roubles.
Any questions?

I love my job at EDS and my bosses have treated me like Gold in my local facility. I consistently outperform my requirements and they actually gave me a raise after announcing I was losing my job. A little gauling and befuddling; but, ok.

And I worked for Walmart for 4 years as assistant dept manager over a 3-4 million a year electronics dept. It took me 4 years to get from the hire in rate to 7.50 an hour for the same reason they wouldn't hire more than a skeleton crew in the store I was in. They are bigger tightwads than anyplace I ever worked for in my life. How many electronics stores would have the gaul to tell you after 4 years you weren't worth more than 7.50 an hour to them when McDonalds across the street was hiring at 7.50 an hour. Unless Walmart has changed their operational practices, I wouldn't send my dog to work there.

Hey, didn't EDS lose $1.6 Billion last year on the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet? You would think that a company could make money on the biggest IT contract in history....unless they overdid an underbid.

An interesting writeup of this was in a recent Wall Street Journal. In a nutshell: there were no controls on the contract.

For example, the Navy ordered desktops for some people. Well the individuals that would of received them said that they wanted laptops. However EDS already ordered the desktop and configured it. EDS pretty much had to eat that and order a laptop. Do that enought times and you have a warehouse full of desktops that can't be unloaded.

There were other logastical problems too, like EDS contractors being denied entry onto a military base as they lacked credentials. While that's not a major obsticle, its another sign that there was a lack of attention to detail.

Right, start a new business with nothing while I'm going bankrupt and losing my home. That sounds like it will work. Heard this one before too. Care to shine light on how a guy trying to save the money to put new water lines in before he loses his job can afford retraining, schooling in general - or - much less - STARTING A NEW BUSINESS. Do you guys think before saying this stuff. And yes, the government is responsible. The policy of the government lost me my job due to forces that would not have otherwise been there. I don't think the government owes me much more than the constitution provides; but, it does owe me more than pulling the rug out from under me when I get on my feet.

But, in general, the protective system of our day is conservative, while the free trade system is destructive. It breaks up old nationalities and pushes the antagonism of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie to the extreme point. In a word, the free trade system hastens the social revolution. It is in this revolutionary sense alone, gentlemen, that I vote in favor of free trade. ...

Karl Marx

No offense, but now that you've got this off your chest, what exactly do you want President Bush to do about it? P.S. President Clinton was the one who signed NAFTA.

Perhaps President Bush should repeal it.

I am all for free trade; But, not at the expense of my country.

One thing many IT people don't take into consideration is that the great successes in the industry have pushed a lot of the occupations into obsolescence. I can do things from my desk today that may have required five employees just 10 years ago. And at least one of those five would have been a techie to do things my machine does now.

IT departments were golden, invaluable to businesses just a few short years ago. What does it tell you that some of these same businesses will now entrust the function to Mexican workers, hardly the cream of the academic crop?

I honestly hope you bounce back and enjoy great future success.

Right, start a new business with nothing while I'm going bankrupt and losing my home.

The government is responsible for you over-extending yourself to the point you can't keep afloat with unemployment compensation long enough to stop whining and start doing something?

Don't worry my friend companies have started hiring Americans again ... I'm finally back to work designing chip again after my long downtime. I know it's tough (been there) but don't listen to these braying jackass free traitors ... they will eventually have their time too.

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