Posted on 02/04/2006 4:38:34 AM PST by Tyche
Making a strong pitch for America to stay competitive in the face of emerging economies such as India and China, President George W Bush has urged the Congress to raise the number of H-1B visas that allow companies to hire foreign workers for scientific and high tech jobs.
"Congress needs to understand that nations like India, China, Japan, Korea and Canada all offer tax incentives that are permanent. In other words, we live in a competitive world. We want to be the leader in this world," Bush said in a speech in Minnesota on Thursday.
To fill vacant jobs in the US, Bush urged the Congress to lift current limit on H-1B visas that allow foreign workers to get jobs in the United States. The Congress in 2005 capped at 65,000 the number of H-1B visas, a third of the 195,000 allowed during the technology boom.
"I think it's a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can fill the jobs that are having trouble being filled here in America, to limit their number. So I call upon Congress to be realistic and reasonable and raise that cap," Bush said, but did not say by how much he wanted the limit lifted.
He said that one part of the agenda to stay competitive was to study math and science, a theme he touched on in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday.
"It's one thing to research, but if you don't have somebody in that lab, well… And so I got some ideas for the Congress to consider. The first is to emphasize math and science early, and to make sure that the courses are rigorous enough that our children can compete globally," Bush said in a speech at the 3M Corporation.
He said there are more high-tech jobs in America today than people available to fill them. "So what do we do about that? And the reason it's important -- and the American citizen has got to understand it's important -- is if we don't do something about how to fill those high-tech jobs here, they'll go somewhere else where somebody can do the job."
"There are some who say, we can't worry about competition. It doesn't matter, it's here. It's a real aspect of the world in which we live," he said.
"And so one way to deal with this problem, and probably the most effective way, is to recognize that there's a lot of bright engineers and chemists and physicists from other lands that are either educated here, or received an education elsewhere but want to work here. And they come here under a programme called H1B visas," Bush said.
He said America should not fear competition. "It's important for us not to lose our confidence in changing times. It's important for us not to fear competition but welcome it."
Senior administration officials noted that the number of H-1B visas has fallen to 65,000 which in their estimation was 'too low' and that it was imperative 'to bump that up.'
". . . some of reports have called for increases of 10,000; others between 20,000 and 40,000. So there is a number of options on the table to be considered. But we'll work with Congress on that," said Claude Allen, assistant to the President for domestic policy.
Maybe force everyone to accept third world wage levels and working conditions or don't eat?
Its not worth wasting my time arguing with a government worker who probably belongs to a union of some sort, or at the very least benefits from one.
You can sell your home for any price you like, decline any offer for it, or live in it and use it as you please, and all profits or losses on it are yours. Yes you own it.
No I am not a first year economics student, I graduated a long time ago. In younger days I did work professionally as an investment advisor, but now I am in software.
Have you ever seen a bank's balance sheet? Ever owned bank stock? Have any idea how they work?
I have thought of starting a programming outsourcing company. How do you pay your Indians? Are they independent contractors? Are there special taxes or fees?
If not for the government protecting your particular job it would be headed overseas too.
You government workers get an iron rice bowl then start coming up with all kinds of cockeyed ideas.
Lets get in the real world for once.
You had your opportunity because opportunity was forced.
Unfortunately not everyone gets a government job.
Maybe you are not aware that many of the trade agreements we have made recently are set up so as to be mediated by the WTO or other world bodies. The WTO in many cases gets to decide whether we will have to issue more H-1B visas in order to be "fair" to our trading partner. This can result in international lawsuits aganst our corporations by our trading partners. Then pressure is applied by these corporations on our elected officials to make the needed changes. This is not always beneficial to the US.
"Americans are too stupid for this level of work and we MUST bring in MORE foreigners!"
Is that what the President is saying?
I can buy a soda for a dime and hamburger for a quarter. Dude I can live forever on a wage like that...
Hey, wait, there's inflation involved... its more complicated than a simple number.
You graduated from MIT... figure it out...
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