In recent months, President Obama reversed his campaign promises on trade issues -- first by dropping his pledge to renegotiate NAFTA and then by pushing to pass NAFTA-style trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. Now, with the unemployment crisis persisting, the key jobs question is once again front and center in American politics. Specifically: How do we create jobs here at home and build our most valuable 21st century industries?
The first and foremost answer is that our government should stop doing stuff like the program described in this stunning new report from Information Week:
U.S. To Train 3,000 Offshore IT Workers
Despite President Obama's pledge to retain more hi-tech jobs in the U.S., a federal agency run by a hand-picked Obama appointee has launched a $22 million program to train workers, including 3,000 specialists in IT and related functions, in South Asia.Following their training, the tech workers will be placed with outsourcing vendors in the region that provide offshore IT and business services to American companies looking to take advantage of the Asian subcontinent's low labor costs...
The outsourcing program (is) sure to draw the most fire from critics. While Obama acknowledged that occupations such as garment making don't add much value to the U.S. economy, he argued relentlessly during his presidential run that lawmakers needed to do more to keep hi-tech jobs in IT, biological sciences, and green energy in the country.
Now look, I'm all for a robust foreign aid budget -- we don't do nearly enough to help the developing world. However, using foreign aid money to specifically help private corporations "take advantage of low labor costs" in the developing world -- that's not "aid," that's rank taxpayer subsidization of for-profit exploitation.
Right now, even if we do not reform our atrocious trade policies that incentivize the ongoing wage-cutting race to the bottom, the least we should be doing is investing every single available dollar we have in job training and job creation here at home. Doing the opposite -- actually using public dollars to intensify that wage-cutting race to the bottom -- is grotesque.
George W. Bush's administration was rightly criticized by progressives for publicly endorsing job outsourcing, and Obama's administration should be similarly taken to task for now putting taxpayer funds behind the previous administration's endorsement.
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This is one of the most important statements made by President Obama. That he holds to the ideas that we know will bring us to that viable semi-social-democratic country we all pine for. The world must go this way or climately speaking, it will be gone in a few years regardless of our pititiful and childish behavior as progressives. It is very important to "get it" that if repubs regain power all the progress, however little, will be lost.
However, small we percieve our agenda's advancenent, many have been made that will be discussed as history; against a backdrop of the failure of conserative philosophies. I, for one, will still vote Democratic to continue the push began when the liberal front got up from their comfort zone and voted for something new, year 2008.
People need to realize that H-1B, offshoring, free trade, and NAFTA are the real job AND wage killers.
Americans asked for a jobs bill. Obama delivered.
"Despite President Obama's pledge to retain more hi-tech jobs in the U.S., a federal agency run by a hand-picked Obama appointee has launched a $22 million program to train workers, including 3,000 specialists in IT and related functions, in South Asia."
There should be way more that 185 comments!!!
I guess Dave Sirota needed to mention the affects this would have on Lindsay Lohan, Lady Gaga or someone called Snookie...
And, apparently very well.
It is truly a shame that he was not told ahead of time to put American jobs first.
Of course, this is just another aspect...look at the fact that 79% of the 'green jobs' money went to foreign companies. The Dems tried to get a 'made in America' amendment attached to that bill, but couldn't get 60 votes for it in the Senate.
No the Democrats still follow Clinton ideology. Clinton started free trade with China, NAFTA, H-1B, and all these job killing regulations.
I use to think only whack jobs expected the government to declare marshal law but not I'm starting to think they were just ahead of the curve...
General Motors will invest $500 million to produce a new vehicle and eight-cylinder engines in a plant in northeastern Mexico, a company spokesman said on August 4.
$500 million of our tax dollars!!!
http://industryweek.com/articles/gm_to_build_new_vehicle__at_plant_in_mexico_22462.aspx
Cheers
Typical but disgusting.
:-]
Who is still buying into "its going to be worse if the repugs are in charge?" "we have to vote Dem right?" "even Ben Nelson? right?"