Bush urges US Congress to lift H-1B visa limit

PTI ^ | February 03, 2006 | Sridhar Krishnaswami

[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.

[Bigun]

Frankly, I dont see a comprehensive plan being put forth in DC to address these issues, but maybe Im just out of the loop.

If by "these issues" you mean all of the things on your list in an earlier post I don't either but in the tax reform arena there certainly IS a comprehensive plan, with a bill before both houses of congress (HR25/S25. All we need to do is make them pass it and you can learn all about that effort right here!

[antisocial]

"We can fall to the lie of "free trade" and reap global socialism, or we can reinstate our Constitutional rights and defend our COUNTRY and our fellow AMERICANS from the threat of supranationally controlled global trading systems."

Well said my friend. Sadly there are many here that refuse to see how our sovereignty is being eroded by these trade agreements. Too many accept the term "free trade" at face value and don't bother to find out who decides whether it really is free trade or not.

[Nowhere Man]

Ditto, ditto, ditto. I know many Dems who would vote GOP based on cultural issues, but hesitate when they see the pro globalist fraction in the GOP who would outsource everything in sight just to eek out an extra percent in the quarterly profits. What burns them even more is many former globalist types become lobbyist for overseas competitors on international trade issues after they retire from the government. These globalist would sneer at us and tell us that this is the nature of the world, and tell us to grow up. We respond by saying, I don't see former Chinese, Korean, Japanese, European officials retiring and working for the US lobbying against the trade laws of their homelands. The Dem globalist are no different except they want the US to submit to an International World government. I think one day the Conservatives and Reagan Democrats will wake up and unite to form a Third Party or revolution will occur in this country in our grandchildren's generation. We unfortunately may live long enough to see it.

My father has been saying that since the 1970's and said to me, "you'll be old enough to see it and fight it." Well, his timing is a bit off, he was thinking of maybe the 1985 to 2005 time period maybe but I was born in 1966 and I'm knocking on the door of middle age here so depending how thing pan out and how fast they do, he might be right nevertheless. I use to think things would break down over cultural and social issues which will till be a part of it but economics plays a big part too when you try to feed your family while getting screwed at one end and scambling on the other. With those factors, you'll end up with the Michael Douglas movie, "Falling Down" on steroids.

I do pray things are more peaceful like a third party, I'm very game to that idea, the Democrats betrayed usa long time ago when they abandoned the Henry "Scoop" Jackson, FDR, JFK and Hubert Humphrey ideals they had and the Republicans, I feel just as betrayed by them too. It seems like between those two, we have a choice between "World Soviet" or "Mega-World, Mega-Lo, Corporate Mart," hmmm, what a choice, let's see, should I get shot in the left hand or the right one, hmmmm..... Speaking of movies, there are times I feel like we are in "The Matrix."

Now if things get really "mofugly," I don't really think any of us want apart in that, but if things get that bad, well, maybe it is a bit like hitting Civilization's reset button. Civilizations go in cycles, they rise up from the ashes or slavery, get tough, grow, get bigger, get apathetic, get stupid and lazy and then crumble and it goes on. Maybe we deserve to fall so we rise from the ashes, I know it is a shocking thought to ponder but when you look at history, from Altantis (OK, myself, I do believe there was a technical civlization prior to our history, I'm an Art Bell junky, deal), Sumeria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, British Empire and so on so we might have to go through a fall ourselves if it means in going back to the fundementals and have the fear of God put back in us. Trouble is, it is painful and whose to say that we were meant to last forever and be King of the Hill for all time?

The last paragraph, I'll leave it up to God Himself, but I just wanted to share my thoughts. Still though, we all must band together and do the right thing that will benefit as many Americans as we can. I just think the Democrats with their social liberalism and disguised globalism do NOT represent our interests nor do the Republicans with their open globalism. Yes, at least they get it militarily and on social issues much less so, but if we got the globalist route, why bother anyways?

[GregoryFul]

The basic TRS80 had 64k, and upgrade 128k as I remember. I used Forth on mine. It was quite snappy.

[TomasUSMC]

Good Tagline. Savage is an America First thinker. He won't run for anything though. He's to high strung. Tancredo is good but doesn't have enough self confidence.

Who will lead us and not sell us out.

[TXBSAFH]

That is what the globalist and free traitors want.

[Nowhere Man]

The basic TRS80 had 64k, and upgrade 128k as I remember. I used Forth on mine. It was quite snappy.

I know you cna go to 64K on those with the expansion box and the Model III's and Model 4's could go that high too, the Model 4 already had 64K IIRC. Mr George had one in our high school class as a network controller although he had a 64K Model III in the beginning. My Apple //e has 128K of RAM but used bank switching since ith ad an 8-bit microprcessor and I think the TRS-80 did a similar thing since 8-bits can only address 64K of RAM. Did you use TRSDOS on yours?

[Tired of Taxes]

But skilled people eager to come here legally, with an employer ready and waiting for them, are exactly the thing that built the country - you can't deny it, it is pointless to try. They hurt nobody, they help everybody. And the title of the thread is about expanding that class.

My only disagreement with your posts is your claim that H1Bs are hired because they're more intelligent, more talented, and "geniuses" compared to their American counterparts.

The real reason they're hired is that they're willing to work for a much lower salary. Companies and sometimes "bodyshops"/third parties even send H1Bs to classes here in the U.S. to educate them further in their field with the expectation that they will work more for lower pay. That means they're not bringing "expertise" here to the U.S. They're merely being educated here so they can be cheap labor.

There's nothing wrong with hiring the person who will work more for less. But, why not hire and train U.S. citizens who are willing to work more for less? Require foreigners to become U.S. citizens in order to work here. Right now, H1Bs are being educated here through American companies only to eventually take all of that knowledge back "home" with them to their country.

Also, India and China don't have a monopoly on genius. H1B is just a political football to keep both American companies and other countries happy.

[Nowhere Man]

Good Tagline. Savage is an America First thinker. He won't run for anything though. He's to high strung. Tancredo is good but doesn't have enough self confidence.

Yeah, I know. I miss Chuck Harder, he was like Savage except he played more of the "good cop" role.

Who will lead us and not sell us out.

That's the crux, I feel like we are being sold out be all ends of the equation here at least those who have any power to do something. We do need a modern day William Jennings Bryan, but none seem to be on the radar scope.

[GregoryFul]

That's now CoastToCoastAm. Too bad George has such trouble with English, eh?

[Toddsterpatriot]

What about inherited wealth?

How is inherited wealth exploitation? Is that in the Bible too?

[Toddsterpatriot]

Correction...160 is mean PLUS 3.3 sigma only...duh...the other tail of the curve would be severely mentally handicapped.

No need for more at the other tail of the curve, we have enough Democrats already.

[A. Pole]

How is inherited wealth exploitation?

It depends. If a one group of people controls most of nation wealth/resources/land etc because of inheritance it can lead to the exploitation. The examples are Latin American oligarchies and parts of Europe before WWI.

[GregoryFul]

Did you use TRSDOS on yours?

Hardly ever - I was contracted to implement a Database management and transaction processing system in Forth on a Model III, I think it was. We developed a pretty neat system based upon an earlier APL based system developed in a college environment on a Xerox (something) running CP-V, a good time sharing system. It was in 1981-82, and unfortunately our corporate sponsor decided to abandon the project when DBMs started appearing on the market. I still think we were ahead of the market, but needed to marshal more resources to complete the project, and put it on the IBM PCs that were appearing at that time.

[A. Pole]

My only disagreement with your posts is your claim that H1Bs are hired because they're more intelligent, more talented, and "geniuses" compared to their American counterparts.

A question to JasonC. If they are so smart, why do they need to be trained by the people whom they replace?

[Toddsterpatriot]

It depends. If a one group of people controls most of nation wealth/resources/land etc because of inheritance it can lead to the exploitation. The examples are Latin American oligarchies and parts of Europe before WWI.

Has America ever been an example of this?

[A. Pole]

" The examples are Latin American oligarchies and parts [...]" Has America ever been an example of this?

It can get there, especially if free trade and the merger with Latin America continues.

[1rudeboy]

It's pretty hard to imagine a new employee for any job who does require some form of training.

[GregoryFul]

Huh, Mr George? I used to have a high school teacher named Mr. George - civics, or history I think, I'll have to look that up.