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.
Very disappointing that the GOP is taking this route of immigrants legal and illegal and letting down Americans and all for votes. Libs have dead people voting and Republicans have illegals voting and this my dear friends is a new Country still called America.
The almighty V.O.T.E. shhh the secret is the GOP would have won without the help of illegals!!! IF they listened to their faithful base of voters like our family and your family who have voted R for generations. I am getting to old for this.
My kids don't regret it either.
They were hardwired at birth, I think. In any event, I have a most interesting home since they decided to bring us into the 22nd Century.
Now, if I could just find out how to answer the phone, I'd be fine. I learned how to get out the front door last week.
Not all of them, but most.
True enough.
"Encourage students to major in science and engineering so that they can compete with an unlimited number of foreign imports willing to work for less. Good plan, Mr. President."
I was thinking the same thing.
He's turning into a chronic BS'er pretty quickly.
"Speaking with a forked tongue" comes to mind.
Anything that draws us closer towards the anti-sovereign NWO and dilutes "American" is fine with the President.
The "unemployment rate" is people claiming UI benefits. They fall off of that in 6 months or so.
Would Jorge Arbusto like to drop US taxes to the place they will compete with India taxes? .... I thought not
My kid was heading down the engineering path. He had the pre-req Calculus courses and the science courses under his belt, but decided to change majors...due to job outlook.
He spoke with several engineering profs, business professionals, read business and tech articles and then talked to the advisers at the School of Business at his University. There is a Business degree that requires Calculus, so he figured he'd be a leg up by enrolling in that major which includes some business, some management courses, and IT courses. He'll also complete that degree by the time he's 20 (he was early admission) and then can get his MBA.
He'll graduate with the Masters at about the same time he'd have had his engineering degree.
At first we were against it, but the more his dad and I thought about it the more we agreed. (His dad is an engineer who's moved into management and hires other engineers., and when a job is posted he can't believe the level of "overqualified" applicants who are willing to work below the pay level that they should be making with their credentials.)
"This is so unbelievable it just defies description. Americans going to college to get educated, their parents sacrificing to send them to college so when they get out they can have a bright future and earn a good income and our President insists he prefers NON-Americans! I am increasingly getting angrier about his love and support for non-Americans."
There is a serious disconnect with this President and the "people on the ground". He seems to only pay attention to big business and to hell with "working Americans". Why in Gods name would anyone encourage their sons / daughters to get a degree in Engineering or the sciences if he's going to flood the market with foreign workers?
His lack of interest in securing our borders reflects this same attituda. 80%+ Americans want a more secure border NOW. All he can do is offer up Chertoff the sock puppet to schmmooooze us back to sleep.
Conservatives have been waiting 30+ years to be in control of the House, Senate and Presidency...and now, to a large part, it's being squandered.
On a brighter note....he's been excellent with his S.C. appointments.
If the high school degree required 4 years of math, 4 years of science like they require 4 years of english, our students would be way better off upon high school graduation and wouldn't be so scared of math in college. My daughter almost threw in the towel on her business major because the math was so hard, she was going to compromise and become a journalism major! We got a tutor and she made it through and is so happy she did.
"And Microsoft will open another office in Bangelore."
Let them. Their products are already the Mcdonalds of the computer world.
They got so rich and confident, kids stopped taking engineering and went into business and finance. By the early 1990's, their engineering surplus grew into a shortage. Nonetheless, they were able to deal with it due to sensible immigration policies-- there was no cap on skilled visas, but there was a catch-- companies were required to pay a 10% premium over the prevailing wage to get these people. The justification was simple: (1)Japanese companies would not displace a Japanese worker for economic reasons if they had to pay a premium for a foreign worker and (2)The foreign worker needed more to live a comparable lifestyle with his Japanese co-workers due to additional expenses such as travel, learning the language and a reduced range of choice in housing and such.
By the late 1990's, the surplus of business graduates (among other things) in Japan had resulted in a stagnated economy from which she is only now recovering. One of the reasons for the emerging recovery is (surprise!) more young Japanese going into science and engineering because many of the forign workers (including this one) went home during the last decade (many of them taking the skills they learned to develop their own economies) and there is, once again, a strong demand for graduates from Japanese universities well-grounded in science and math.
My youngest has an a sociology/anthropology, and business (management), and engineering degrees.
The party of dean amnesty retaking the house?
Look at the last immigration bill in the house.
Republicans voted for the border fence and dems voted against it.
The dems are the party of affirmative action.
Last year the house blocked these visas. They will block them this year as well. Bush isn't running again we need to compare mike pence to nancy pelosi.
Enough of Bush already. He has no say what goes on in congress. He is a lame duck who isn't running again. I am so tired of his position being used against all republicans. Get over it.
So then American engineers simply have to be smarter than everyone in two of the most populous countries on this planet and if they are they have nothing to worry about. Right. Isn't Social Darwinism grand ?
A system in which no one with less than an IQ of 170 can expect to find good work is a bad system for America.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.