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Author Topic: Global Carpetbaggers  (Read 1197 times)
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WhiskeyGirl
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« on: October 04, 2008, 12:19:20 PM »

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Calling education "the currency of the Information Age," Obama stressed the need for expanding public programs to help American competitiveness with other nations. He said that a child in Boston now needs the training to compete with the kids getting an equal or better education in Bangalore or Beijing.

"In this kind of economy, countries who out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow,” Obama said. “Already, China is graduating eight times as many engineers as we are. By 12th grade, our children score lower on math and science tests than most other kids in the world."

Obama criticized No Child Left Behind, saying that educating America's children shouldn't involve teaching them how to "fill in bubbles." He also used the unpopular education bill to take a dig at the records of both Clinton and Edwards.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/20/474908.aspx

Quote
A: That last point you made is exactly where I stand about free trade. I am a free trade proponent. I strongly believe in it. But I also believe that my job as president is to promote free trade as a tool of American prosperity, and not simply assume that every free trade deal is a good deal for America. It’s not.

If South Korea is sending 400,000-500,000 cars into the United States and we are selling 4,000 (there), that’s not because South Korean cars are so superior to U.S. cars; it has to do with the fact that they are blocking access to their markets. China has consistently stolen our intellectual property. It has not abided by basic copyright protections. … Their manipulations of the currency have made a difference in terms of our trade deficit. So I want trade with China, but I don’t want us to be taken to the cleaners. …

I have a twofold complaint about our trade agreements.

No. 1 is that we just aren’t very good bargainers. I think it partly has to do with we still think this is the 1960s, and we’re such a mammoth market all of these countries out there are sort of vassal states and they are just sending stuff into our country, and it isn’t going to be that big of a deal.

Well, China, Brazil, India and South Korea, these are major competitors, and our trade negotiators have to be tough enough to say there is going to be reciprocity. If you guys want to sell here, then we’ve got to be able to sell there. And, we are going to enforce those trade deals.

Point No. 2, I do believe that our trade agreements should embody labor agreements and environmental standards. Not because I expect that wages in Malaysia are suddenly going to be identical to wages here, but because it sends a message that we are going to try to raise living standards, that we are going to try to expand the scope of environmental protections so that our workers aren’t undermined. But also so other people’s workers are finding themselves with a better quality of life and, over time, become better markets for our goods and services.

The last point I would make about trade. … It is very hard for us to make an argument for free trade if all the benefits go to Silicon Valley or Wall Street or some distant places, and you have the entire heartland being hollowed out. And nobody is really spending time thinking about what is happening to those communities.

Everybody will say, well, we’re going to retrain them. But the truth is, we’ve never been as serious as we need to be about retraining. We’ve never been as serious as we need to be about planning ahead. … What are the new jobs of the future? Where can we start directing our community colleges and our resources so that we are starting to prepare people for these new lines of work?

What kinds of research and development would allow us to take advantage of new areas like nanotechnology or energy? We don’t to that. We haven’t. … As Americans, we have an obligation to think about the losers in trade as much as the winners. They are not disposable. The communities aren’t disposable. These workers aren’t disposable. And that is how they have been treated for too many years. And I intend to stop that.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081002/NEWS15/81002096/1008/NEWS

I wonder how many of those that benefit from the $700 billion dollar bailout have shifted jobs to English speaking countries like India, Jamaica, and China?   Back office, call center, and technology jobs?  Some jobs, that don't require a highly educated college graduate?

How many unemployed technology workers are there?  How many have stopped looking for work?

There are a lot of jobs that do not require a highly educated person.  In the past, people without a high school education could work in a factory, call center, counter service, and any number of occupations.

Why not focus on small and medium sized companies that are interested in employing people in the US?  On Main Street?

Small and medium sized companies that want to help build families, communities, and cultures/societies in the communities in which they do business?

Why focus on jobs that are in the US one day, exported to India the next and don't add long term benefits to anyone?

Why shouldn't the benefits stay locally?

What good are Global Carpetbaggers to anyone?  Are the jobs sustainable?  Does this business model build communities?  Provide long term job opportunities?

When does the government start telling the unemployed, "Wake up and smell the coffee.  We're broke.  Your old job, and jobs like it are gone forever.  There are no more unemployement checks, no jobs that will ever pay you what you previous earned.  The global competition for a job like yours will work for $5 a day, and you cost $200 a day.  Better apply at McDonalds, I hear those jobs are going fast."

It used to be the low skilled jobs that went away.  Next the skilled jobs, back office jobs, technology jobs, and I imagine that some day, even jobs at McDonalds will be outsourced.  Who can afford to buy a Big Mac these days?  Maybe those on Wall Street?

How can any American compete for a job paying $5 a day?  Maybe $10 a month? 

No amount of education can fix that problem.

just my humble opinions

Just say "No" to Global Carpetbaggers.
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All my posts are just my humble opinions.  Please take with a grain of salt.  Smile

It doesn't do any good to hate anyone,
they'll end up in your family anyway...
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