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

Me | Me

[Havoc]

Dear Mr. President,

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.

[XBob]

12 - "Now the Republican Governor of Florida has come out in support of millions of illegal aliens, and now wants to offer these criminals legitimate drivers licenses. The neo-cons are basically declaring war on the middle class."

Florida's Bush just lost re-election for governor, and my Republican family in Florida, along with many others, will now vote for someone else.

[Southack]

"Since Democrats no longer have a majority in the Senate and there is no way Bush would sign it, that would be a rather stupid thing to do, now wouldn't it ?"

No, it is an election issue, per you. If Senator Kerry submitted a bill to repeal NAFTA, then every Senator and Congressman would be put on the spot just months before their elections. Kerry could use it as a club to bash his fellow free trader Bush.

But here's the rub that has to stick in the craw of union rank and files: Kerry supports NAFTA. He ain't submitting a bill to repeal it because he likes NAFTA. He knows that his union bosses will carry (pun intended) his water on this issue, too. With a single phone call Kerry can have union bosses claiming that Kerry is against NAFTA even though he won't submit so much as a bill to repeal it.

[ARCADIA]

U.S. exports would become radically cheaper and more competitive globally, and the U.S. economy would boom as it switched over to making the goods and services domestically that it was formerly importing before the collapse of the value of the Dollar.

Wouldn't the US then have to pay a premium to buy Euros in order to procure oil imports? What would we gain by that?

On the one hand you freely admit that the international free market is corrupt structure which is freely manipulated by China and India to our detriment. But, you seem perfectly willing to stand by and allow the perversion of the system to continue. Give me one good reason why we shouldn't simply sever all trade with China and India right now; and why do you continue to blame US workers and work environment for what results from a foreign currency manipulation?

[Southack]

"Give me one good reason why we shouldn't simply sever all trade with China and India right now; and why do you continue to blame US workers and work environment for what results from a foreign currency manipulation?"

The one good reason not to sever all trade with China and India is that it is in everyone's best interest for China and India to be trading rather than fighting. On the other hand, I'll live if all such trade is halted.

And I hope that nothing that I've posted could be construed as blaming U.S. workers for the current unfree Market situation. U.S. workers rock! We're the most productive workers on the planet in all of history.

Foreign governments are to blame for hoarding Dollars in order to prop up our currency. Our propped up currency makes their exports to us look artificially cheap, so we buy more of their goods and services in today's manipulated Market than we would in a free market system. That's clearly not the fault of U.S. workers.

And our Fed is pursuing a policy that will cause the Dollar to fall back down to its real value one day. Once we are back on a level playing field, then U.S. workers will reap enormous benefits.

Heck, we're still competitive even with the deck stacked against us. Level the playing field and we'll rock the world!

[XBob]

23 - "selling dynamite filled planes to terrorists? That's just a pretty bold statement. "

Just a good free trader - can't restrict that right to make money.

Can we give the successful bidder your home address for where to deliver it?

[XBob]

31 - what a crock:

"The automobile cost the jobs of people who took care of horses or made saddles, carriages, and horseshoes. "

Tell me how, moving crock pot manufacturing to china makes more jobs here in the US?

Crock pots are crock pots. The only thing we gain/lose are jobs.

Those horsey manufacturing jobs didn't go to china, they went down the street, and many horsey people started building cars. The money and the work stayed here.

[Southack]

"On the one hand you freely admit that the international free market is corrupt structure which is freely manipulated by China and India to our detriment. But, you seem perfectly willing to stand by and allow the perversion of the system to continue."

Then I'm a poor communicator because I've been trying to say that I want to see the Dollar drop back down to its real free market value rather than remain at its artificially propped up, foreign government manipulated price.

I do *NOT* want the international manipulation of the Dollar to continue to prop up its value. I want that perversion to be ended as fast as our system can handle the change.

[Southack]

"Sure, go ahead. Halve the value of the dollar. Then watch the Fed have to increase interest rates to double digits to sell 30 year bonds the way it did back in the 70's."

Somehow you and I aren't communicating.

The Dollar is artificially propped up today by foreign governments. I want that manipulation to end. I estimate that to end it we'll have to let the Dollar drop an additional 20% against most major foreign currencies. It's already fallen 20%, so the total drop will end up being 40%...not half.

And that 40% impacts 4% of our GDP (i.e. 1.6% of our total economy...or put another way, an inflation rate of .8% each year for the two years it will take to finish this currency revaluation).

But .8% additional inflation is *not* going to cause the Fed to introduce double digit interest rates.

What it will do, vis-a-vis the drop in the Dollar, is make offshore outsourcing price prohibitive in all but a few extreme cases.

[XBob]

34 - "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."

Bush is doing exactly the opposite, he is expanding it, with the Carribbean countries added, and then the rest of of the Latin American countries.

Idiodicy.

Perhaps he should repeal it - LOL - Bush has lost my vote.

Give his drivers lisence to a Mexican.

[XBob]

37 - "I have really bad news. I heard they are going to start outsourcing whining. You're screwed."

I see you have already outsourced your brains.

[XBob]

42 - "Bravo. It's that kind of uncompromising, uncaring spirit that could very well propell John Kerry to the White House. You free traitors don't see the big picture very well, do you?"

They, the free traitors seem to be uniformly dumb and without feelings, and in what they think are secure jobs.

dumb, de dumb, de dumb, de dumb !!!

[XBob]

43 - LOL - "If you're not interested in competing, that prepare to be replaced by someone younger, more skillful, brighter, and more energetic that can fill your "void"."

When you grow up you will figure it out. How's school? What grade are you in now?

[XBob]

43 - Hey, puppy - I think you need to quit school, as we are tired of paying taxes to support you. Go out and get a job.

[XBob]

48 - "Ahem, let's be Americans about this and NOT wish ill-will towards folks even if we disagree with them. "

Sorry - I get irate when fools are trying to kill my friends. What if we were to just kill them, instead of insult them, the free TRAITORS. I vote for hanging, for attempted murder.

[XBob]

59-"It's that kind of uncompromising, uncaring spirit that could very well propell John Kerry to the White House.
I'm not voting for John F. Kerry, dude."

You really don't have a clue, do you?

What's your IQ, about 12? You better try 'healing' your brain.

[XBob]

61 - LOL - "Then in December you can whine and wonder what's going to happen to your portfolio under Kerry."

Boy, all these free traitors are really pushing for Kerry,

they are sooooooo dumb.

And so is Bush - he is throwing the election.

[XBob]

71 - "That is what sunk Bush Sr. The economy
If by that you mean the steady drumbeat of lies coming out of the major media (at the time, the only media) regarding a tanking economy when it was in fact growing, you'd be absolutely right.
The economy didn't sink Bush Sr. Slick Willie, his submissive media whores, and H. Ross Perot's psychotic followers sunk Bush Sr."

Sorry, it wasn't the media - it was Bush 1. He hadn't a clue. I very distinctly remember when he lost my vote, it was in one of the debates, and between repeatly looking at his watch, he said "Recession? What recession?"

Duh!!

Right then, millions of votes went to Perot, and Xlinton 'won'.

[XBob]

74 - "And the seperation pay I will get is going to be taxed at, ready for the amount - 45%. Yep, the money I would have to work with after my years of work, the government is taking half of it up front. Nothing like kicking a guy when he's down after kicking the guy down in the first place, huh. "

Sorry to give you another kick, but check with an accountant, and see if they have changed the IRS laws or not. But when I was caught in the oil crash in Houston in the 80's, and had to sell my house (before it was forclosed on) in a very down market, I found out that while I had to pay taxes on the gain in value, if it increased, the $25,000 decrease in sale price from what I bought it at was not deductible. So, I couldn't use the drop in value as a loss to counteract the taxes I had to pay.

That was a another real kick to me.

[XBob]

77 - "I am a free traitor, deal with it.) "

Well - tell us what your job is, so we can send it overseas, so we can save money on your salary and improve your productivity immensely.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Florida's Bush just lost re-election for governor, and my Republican family in Florida, along with many others, will now vote for someone else.

Good for you. We hung Gray Davis with a political rope. He left his political career in complete disgrace. If Schwarzenegger trys to do the same thing, we'll recall that SOB to. Good luck with your Republican neocon Governor in Florida. Dump him!