President Blames Unemployment On Lack Of Tech Skills

IEEE ^

[Florida_Irish]

During a Wednesday morning (July 30th) press conference, President Bush was asked a question about jobs going overseas as a result of technological innovation. His response was:

"I fully understand what you're saying. In other words, as technology races through the economy, a lot of times worker skills don't keep up with technological change."

Many people have taken his response to mean that unemployment in the high-tech sector is the result of American workers who allowed their skills to become obsolete. This is an unacceptable explanation.

[TheSpottedOwl]

For god sake the answer is not more regulation it is less regulation. Protectionism will cause far more harm than good.

How is it protectionism to curtail the H1-B visa program, which was predicated on a condition that is no longer true, namely that there is a shortage of qualified IT workers in this country?

Dirtboy, have you taken a good look at luckydevi's screen name? Devi is an Indian name. I spotted that on the first post by this person. Hahaha, protectionism will cause more harm than good for my relatives in Bangladesh...

[Dane]

Dane, maybe you could do us all a favor and either show how I misconstrued Bush's comments or quit repeating yourself endlessly.

It has been poitned out to you on a plethora of replies on this thread.

All a person has to do is read the thread, but you go on and rant on with your doom and gloom dude, if it makes you feel good.

[wesdale]

I work in the IT industry. And I work with very valauable people that came here from other countries. They are not less qualified. They understand that their jobs are not protected. Everyday they contribute to our corporation and increase the value of our products.

If there are plenty of highly qualified American people who can fill these positions then I encourage them to try.

Nobody I work with (including me)has a right to their job.

Nobody is less of an American than someone who expects the government to provide one.

There is no conspiracy. There is only the value of what you do, every day.

[RaceBannon]

Riding the DOT.COM Bubble??

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/954156/posts

21 weeks and counting.

[wesdale]

Sometimes I'm not so sure.

[y2k_free_radical]

PREZ COMMENT IN CONTEXT-POST 45

[luckydevi]

it is actually meant to be luckdevil

[dirtboy]

It has been poitned out to you on a plethora of replies on this thread.

By people with whom I subsequently reached agreement on some of my contentions. But, then again, unlike you they were honestly interested in debate.

[RaceBannon]

Gimme Gimme???

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/954156/posts

[thackney]

And I agree H1-B need to be reduced. It did start under Clinton (not intending subject change or blame, just time line) which was a short term expansion.

http://www.h1visajobs.com/news_reading_room/news/18Oct_lleras.htm

Representative Thomas Tancredo's newest bill, H.R. 2688, introduced on July 9, 2003, seeks to eliminate the H1B program.

http://www.usvisa.com/immigration_updates.htm

According to this article, H1-B visa are down.

http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2003/0,4814,78095,00.html

And for more info:

http://www.h1b.info/

Sorry to those who see this as twisting the threads topic, but the author did that with the article in the first place.

[dirtboy]

What is your nationality? Do you have a vested interest in either H1-B visas, L1 visas or outsourcing?

[StolarStorm]

"They understand that their jobs are not protected. "

Yes, and if they are here on an H1-B visa you can not only fire them but force them to leave the country. I bet they work like slaves! Because they are. That is the problem. How do American's compete with people that are under the lash?

[TheSpottedOwl]

Right, this is the same person who supported welfare.

Of course I support welfare. Out of work families need to eat and keep a roof over their heads. At least here in Los Angeles, double shifts at Burger King won't get you a motel room.

Damn skippy....

[CWOJackson]

Darn, reading it in context sure does change things a bit.

Oh well, let's make up something else to attack the President on.

[Myrddin]

The short answer is that there is no difference between a worker with a skill that's not in demand and a worker with no skill at all.

The offshoring trend is making people with college degrees and good employment track records in computer science and engineering into people with skills that aren't in demand anymore. These people now become indistinguishable from an illegal alien picking crops...except the illegal has a job.

[Walkin Man]

Jeez... W is as out of touch with regular working Americans as his father was!

He is well on the way to being a one-term President if he continues to to blame Americans for their job losses and not the unfair trade laws and tech companies sending thousands of jobs to India.

[wesdale]

I'm not sure who you think I'm cheering for.

I was unable to read all of the post you linked but I'm pretty sure that there are answers to this problem that don't include the government coercing business to hire Americans.

Perhaps we should first look at ourselves.

[TheSpottedOwl]

it is actually meant to be luckdevil

Oh pleeeeze...

[ffusco]

"You had better live behind gated walls because if you don't you will live in a society that can no longer control young males of average or less intelligence by being able to give them secure futures"

Where have you been? The industrial economy has been contracting for 3 decades. The days of high paying, low skill blue collar jobs with security are long gone.

And what security does anyone really have anymore. My Dad lost his white collar job of 20 years after a merger. No gold watch either.

[clamper1797]

I once thought like your Dad. I was the person that invented something and of course I knew it better than anyone else. BUT I got laid off anyway ... right after I trained my Red Chinese replacement ... that's no joke. My friend Chris has 14 patents and a PHd EE ... he's been out of work for almost 2 years now