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February 10, 2004
explain this to me
According to a Seattle Times article today:
Last year's Economic Report of the President predicted that 1.7 million jobs would be created in 2003. Instead, the nation lost 53,000 jobs. In Bush's three years in office, 2.2 million jobs have disappeared.
Since the Great Depression, it has never taken this long for the economy to begin creating jobs after emerging from a recession. After the last recession ended in 1991, it took 14 months for employment to begin expanding. Current problems with the economy have gone on nearly twice as long, 26 months.
Okay, so given that...how do we understand this:
The embrace of foreign outsourcing, an accelerating trend that has contributed to U.S. job losses in recent years and has become an issue in the 2004 elections, is contained in the president's annual report to Congress on the health of the economy.
"Outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade," said N. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of Bush's Council of Economic Advisors, which prepared the report. "More things are tradable than were tradable in the past. And that's a good thing." (LA Times 2.9.04)
I don't know about you but I know SEVERAL people who have been out of work long enough that they have lost their unemployment--my husband being one of them. I know people who were directly affected by outsourcing...and are still looking for jobs. One of my counterparts at my previous company lost her job because they outsourced the handling of the company Web site to a firm in India (let me tell you...a 13.5 hour difference in time is NOT conducive to fast marketing!) I just plain don't get it. I DO NOT GET HOW OUTSOURCING AMERICAN JOBS to foreigners helps our economy.
Now don't get me wrong--I have no problem with the foreigners themselves. I know some very cool people that are consulting from overseas. However, I do have big problems with American companies eliminating full departments of people and outsourcing massive chunks of work overseas to save money and increase profit margins.
And why do they do this? Because our economy is in such a hole that they can't afford to spend money...so they look for the quick fix, the cheap solution. Who cares about the people that work for the company--it's all about the bottom line. Those people will just have to find other jobs.
Which would be nice, IF there were other jobs to find. Instead we have huge companies in India, China and South America doing our work for us. Hell, Levis...the all American brand, doesn't even make any of their jeans in our country any more.
Outsourcing creates a whole host of other problems--Indians can't say they are in India because Americans don't want to be talking to people in India--they want to talk to people in America. They cover up accents, they pretend to live in New York.
I think that it's great that all those Indians have jobs...but when it comes at the cost of jobs of my friends and neighbors...whose own lives are now in the midst of frustration...as unemployment runs out and they are no longer a jobless "statistic" but instead, an invisible number that is trying to figure out how to recover not only a pay-check but their self-esteem...well, I have a problem with it.
My problem isn't with India--it's with our government giving the green light on this. It's with big business sending work their direction. My problem is about greed and the fact that corporate America has their head up their ass.
Okay, /rant off.
Posted by crystallyn at February 10, 2004 06:34 PM
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Comments
I completely agree with your perspective. It is not the fault of those who are now able to work "virtually" anywhere. That is how they are able to survive in their own country (I could start a rant on that!). But, yes, it is the fault of our own government... something that we vote on, we choose... it is truly sad. Why should we focus on "saving" other countries when we can't save our own country's state of affairs. In non-religious, spiritual healing one is advised to focus on the self before they can even begin to help or assist others. And even then, when one has focused on the self and is showing improvement - it is then that others can learn FROM the example that has been made; not by the person ceasing to focus on the self. Does something feel backwards with our country's current situation? I feel it does.
Posted by: kelly at February 10, 2004 05:12 PM
Now where do I start with my comments on all this :). No on second thoughts I won't as starting always gets me in trouble.
Posted by: Mike at February 10, 2004 10:29 PM
Bah you mostly agree with me anyhow...you just have this freaky thing about playing devil's advocate.
Posted by: crystal at February 11, 2004 06:17 AM