[CLUE-Talk] Proposed HR 2688 -- Wondering about opinions on H-1B visas

[G. Richard Raab]

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On Wednesday 23 July 2003 06:24 pm, Sean LeBlanc wrote:
> On 07-23 13:39, G. Richard Raab wrote:
...

> You know, I wonder more and more about this very topic every day. *Is* the
> current globalism model really free enterprise in the full sense?  Yeah,
> trade and capital is encouraged to be more and more fluid these days and
> can flow ever more easily across national borders. But labor is not
> encouraged, and in practical terms, cannot flow at all. Is that a free
> market?  Seems to me that only 2/3 of the equation is there.
>
> I think that until and unless labor is truly free to flow like capital and
> trade, then protectionism should be considered. I know that sounds like
> heresy coming from a Libertarian, but it doesn't seem that the current
> globalism is really free, either. If I don't like the damage the labor
> market here takes due to the strength of the dollar and living standards,
> etc., I cannot (easily) uproot and move to India.
>
> *snip*

Don't move. Change.

Look, our best bet as a nation is to change rapidly. In many ways we are being 
screwed all around.
 Ashcroft's deal with MS was a total joke and allows them to absolutly screw 
this country (by keeping the monopoly going here, but other nations will stop 
it by enforceing that MS can not actively block linux development). 
W's deal with the Steel workers was a blatent attempt at buying votes. 
Other countries have tight laws about labor or about imports (china comes to 
mind). 

The nice thing is that over the last 30 years the manufacuering base has 
degraded here, but the tech base has boomed. If we start useing our brains, 
we will take advantage of rebuilding our manufactuering base, but in an 
automated fashion.
Likewise, there is a new industry in the Linux world. MS (and somewhat Apple) 
has such a strangle hold on its base, that ppl will have no real place to go, 
but to Linux. Now is the time to develop software. Many of you are unemployed 
coders. Build a company around that. Others are working, but hate the job or 
are aware that you will be losing it over the next couple of years (anybody 
here work for JDE, Sun, HP, or IBM). This is right now the opportune time to 
use that tech skill and build companies. Companies that export. Or improve 
our efficiencies. I had to laugh at the use of a GPS tractor in Australia to 
go over the same tracks. I talked about the idea of useing a train approach 
out in fields to run a engine over. They are now thinking about it (energy 
and labour costs are some of the highest costs).

Our cozy jobs are dieing, but that always happens. 
In the early 80's, I headed into Bio-technology and did genetics/micro-bio. I 
worked for CDC in Ft. COllins and several other places. Once the fuhuer came 
into power, he had much of the civil work stopped. Our projects were 
converted to DOD work. At first it was cool, as we were defense. Later, we 
figured it out that we were not defense, but offense. I left that industry 
and went into coding (at that time, I had ethical problems with it; now I 
have less issues).  Some of you will be forced out, but use it wisely. Do not 
just move to something simply because... .



- -- 
cheers
g.r.r.
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