1st, as has been repeatedly noted, the H1-B program was a governmental intrusion into the free market. We permitted a half million non-citizens to come over here to the US and take US jobs -- no other country (other than a few oil states) permits the reciprocal action. Try going to Canada, for example, to compete for a job there.
Impact: loss of US jobs to US citizens, drop in tax revenue. Most of these jobs were the taxpaying equivalent of the engine on the train, paying a lot of taxes. That is gone. More on this in point 4. And of course as has been previously pointed out, there is a trickle down job effect. When the higher paid workers get cut, they don't take their kids to the Chuckie Cheese birthday parties, Chuckie Cheese lays off a worker. They paint their own house, local painting companies all lay off a worker. They cancel the addition to their house, the home renovation company lays off a worker.
2nd, outsourcing is a separate and old issue. I think "free market" economics should play out here, except for industries that are clearly supported by foreign governments who intend to capture market share by wiping out competition. In that case our Constitution permits us to use tariffs to balance the playing field and they should be used judiciously to do so. IMO.
3rd, when US corporations move offshore to avoid taxes, they are expecting the best of two worlds. First, they get to do business in the US, sell to US customers, take advantage of a tax subsidized infrastructure (roads, rail, criminal justice system, civil justice system, and so on), but then not pay taxes to help support the very infrastructure they are taking advantage of. This is an issue. I do not offer a solution but point out that there is a conflict between a corporation that considers itself "multinational", and the civic ethics of the American consitutional nation state.
4th and finally, our military expenditures are greater than the next 7 to 10 highest funded militaries combined. Because of our military strength, our "allies" can afford to not spend money on their militaries (Canada is a perfect example), and so they can either subsidize their industries or cover their social programs at a lower tax rate if they so choose. In any case, as point 1 indicated, replacing a half million of our more highly salaried workers cuts into the tax revenue to support this military.
Dear Ann Coulter:
Please write a book about these traitors who object to helping American job seekers.
Thank you,
American citizen
P.S. I vote and so does my family
This is the WRONG way to go about it!
IF the gubmint wants to make a helpful, meaningful change, they will cull all those regulations and laws they have imposed on American businesses that have driven them offshore.
Indians, Chineeeeze, Russians, etc, do NOT have to pay confiscatory taxes, make exorbitant reports to the government every time they exhale C02 into the atmosphere, and prove that they hire the proper quotas of tri-plegic martians in their workforce.
American corporations would have no trouble at all competing in the world market if they didn't have a subversive, socialistic government riding on their backs.
It's not the government jobs we need to protect. Foreigners can't be any less productive.
It's the industrial and technology jobs we need to protect.
Instead of repealing the laws and regulations that make it difficult for US companies to compete on a global scale, they want to make matters worse by passing legislation that will almost certainly result in increased costs of materials purchased by the government and correspondingly higher taxes for us.
The reason that jobs are leaving the US is oppressive US laws, regulations and an abusive tax system that make US companies unable to compete on an equal basis with foreign companies. All that forcing US government departments to buy more products from US companies will do, is drive up costs, since knowing that they don't have to compete, the price of those US products will most certainly be higher. Of course, why should the government worry about paying higher prices? They can always raise taxes to pay the difference.
On the other hand, they could encourage enormous job creation here in the US, by repealing the laws and regulations that punish US companies and replace the income tax with a National Retail Sales Tax. Of course, our elected officials on both sides of the aisle wouldn't do that, because it would mean that there would be no problems left for them to solve.
So alas, once again, it looks like the DC politicos get the gold mine and we, the taxpayers, get the shaft.
How foolish I was to think that having a GOP controlled Congress would make matters better.