05-1240.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Yet another attempt to erode American stability. Does Bush get paid by Vincente Fox for this crap? Here’s the analysis from Rob Sanchez of ZaZona:
The Labor Certification rules for H-2B visas may be changed soon. This is a very bad development for Americans who compete for the so-called nonskilled jobs that are taken by H-2B visa holders, and even worse it might be used as a precedent to further erode the scant protections we have in the H-1B program.
It’s very clear that the Bush administration wants to move responsibility for handling guest-worker visas out of the hands of the Department of Labor (DOL) and into the far less transparent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS). While this may seem like merely a procedural change to most people it’s far more than that. Eliminating the Labor Certification process makes it easier for employers to fill jobs with cheap H-2B labor and therefore makes it far less likely that employers will be punished for discriminating against American citizens that are qualified for these jobs. The proposal is a back-door assault against American workers because it weakens the scant protections that are in the H-2B regulations.
It’s a several page document, so I summarized some of the most alarming statements in it. President Bush’s handwriting all over the second comment. Notice the phrase “timely fashion” – that’s because employers think it takes too long and requires too much work on their part to get visas.
Love your blog, John. But the president (or whatever he is) of Mexico’s name is **_VICENTE_** Fox, not Vincente. Common error.
Big deal. Mexicans do the jobs that Americans don’t want.
Let me get this straight. First, Bush as the Department of Homeland Security go after a toy store concerning an alleged TRADEMARK violation!
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=206591
Now Bush wants the Department to find cheap labor for corporations.
The Department of Homeland Security is essentially Bush’s SS Troops, doing his evil bidding no matter how trivial.
It’s a fundemental principle of economics that when a pool of labor does not want to perform a task, the wages are supposed to rise to a level where the pool is willing to do the work.
Bush is bypassing that to lower wages across the board. Mexicans are not only working on farms and as servants. Now they are working in what used to be traditionally higher paying jobs, e.g., construction. For the first time ever wages for constructions workers have actually dropped in the south west!
I really love the one-way street on the paperwork. American corporations importing cheap and illegal lanor — should get their paperwork reduced. But, over the winter holidays, bakeries in Germany started to give up on shipping Stollen to American communities who’ve always been good customers. Why? Thirteen pages of forms to be filled out in English [of course] to prove they weren’t bio-terrorists!
The crap just gets deeper and deeper. Even funnier is the neo-cons copying all the dumbest things Liberals ever did in government — like making all of us “safe” by filling out forms.
Greg,
What jobs don’t American’s want?
I know families that are trying to get by on one wage, and slipping down the slope. They’d take ANY JOB…only there is so much competition that it’s near impossible to get even the lowest paying ones. The hubby tried standing out with the hispanic dayworkers and was threatened and pushed around.
..Seems that white middle class college educated workers may NOT want the jobs but we haver a huge amount of non-skilled, low skilled lower middle class, lower class….non white, and legal immigrants who WOULD LIKE THE JOBS. Quit being so damn racist!
So, it’s better to have an ILLEGAL mexican working in this country than a black, asian, or hispanic AMERICAN CITIZEN?
Quit buying that nonsense!!! Support American workers in American jobs.
Wow, what inane comments – Bush has secret SS troops and I’m a racist. LMAO.
Yeah, this has been discussed ad infinitum on various forums. But most voters are stupid. Too few see the big picture, instead most focus on whatever their pet one or two issues are (usually emotionally or religious based like gay marriage). Divide and conquer is the politicians mantra. Bush knows how voters think and this is why he is pushing “democracy” in the guise of voting for the middle east. It’s a lot easier to get control of a “democratic” country.
In the final analysis, unless you are part of the elite rich in this country, you WILL get the shaft. Watch the fun begin here when the housing bubble deflates in the next couple of years and “Joe sixpack” gets wopped upside his head with a dose of economic reality.
G.Bush is a traitor to this nation. He’s failed to enforce the current laws that are on the books. By failing to enforce these laws he’s conducted economic treason. I see no difference between this treason and the treason conducted by giving tech secrets away. President or not he should be brought to trail. Neither the Democrats or Republicans represent this nation, we must now turn to a nationalist party for our representation and bring to trail those that have betrayed the national trust, of either party. Until we do, we will not regain control of our national destiny or identity.
My favorite part is the logic “Businesses aren’t using the H-2B program, so we have to streamline this government program so it will be used again.” Satisfying the labor market isn’t the measurement, it’s whether the government program is being used. Maybe they should end the government program!
The link states that under H-2B, the worker is supposed to be here for less than 12 months, and should be paid the same amount as a local worker, so that the wages of domestic workers are not adversely affected. So with all the costs involved of finding and importing someone, and the business paying them the same wage, no wonder businesses aren’t using the program. Of course “same wage” ends up being at the low, low end of the scale. But still, the cost is greater than finding, training, and paying someone already in the country.
My understanding is that these programs (H-1B, H-2B) are supposed to satisfy a lack of skills in the market. It is conceivable that there just aren’t enough people in a particular profession to go around, and that business will not grow as quickly for lack of particular skills no matter what salary is paid. (Poaching someone from another company does not increase the number of skilled workers, and the rising salaries take time (~12 months?) to attract new entrants.)
Given the debate we’ve had about how poor our schools are, and the lack of basic skills in its graduates, does the possibility of not enough skilled workers in particular jobs really seem so shocking?
Having said that, there should still be stringent safeguards in place to make sure there are not domestic workers who could fill those positions, before a foreigner is imported.
This really is a gift to business.
On the other hand, it’ll keep inflation low. To deny all foreign workers entry, and raising wages so that only domestic workers will fill the jobs, would result in ridiculous inflation. Such a policy, if it’s ever truly adoped (not likely), would have to be introduced very slowly.
Yeah, Iraq was sooooooo much better off under Saddam.
George W. Bush is doing a fantastic job.
Yeah – In Iraq they love us soooo much they can’t wait to blow themselves up to get us to leave.
Dubya – is a coward. The worse kind of coward. The type that sends others to out to die in their place.
>>The type that sends others to out to die in their place.
Wouldn’t that be true of all leaders of nations? By your logic, every President except perhaps Washington was a coward as well as almost all Roman Emperors and every European leader since Charlemagne.
Can’t we debate policy, instead of personalities?
Why does doing the “wrong” thing make a president a “traitor”, and the “right” thing a “fantastic job”. You are both wrong.
As I recall, Lincoln and Roosevelt sent others out to die, too.
This thread isn’t even about Iraq.
I guess I’d like my leaders to have actually served when called – not duck out. Lincoln at least attempted to serve and both Abe and FDR responded to attacks. A bit different than IRAQ2.
But I stand rightly corrected twice – leaders do send other out to die and this thread wasn’t about “Dubya” or Iraq.