2007 September
3rd month of the 3rd quarter of the 18th year of the Bush-Clinton-Shrub economic depression
updated: 2015-12-29
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"Mean peak life-time creativity was significantly higher in the index group than in the controls, with the highest levels of creativity being not in the manic-depressives but in the cyclo-thymes & in the normal relatives of people with mood disorders. In interpreting the findings, Richards & her colleagues suggest that some of the normal relatives in question may have been hyper-thymic, or otherwise mildly affected with mood problems at the soft end of the bi-polar spectrum. Not normalcy alone, but normalcy in the relatives of bi-polar patients, predicted greater creativity." --- Melvin Konner "Art of Darkness" _Why the Reckless Survive_
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"Where is it written in the Constitution, in what article or section is it contained, that you may take children from their parents, & parents from their children, & compel them to fight the battles of any war in which the folly or the wickedness of government may engage it?" --- Daniel Webster 1814-12-09
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captain William Scott's flag for the Republic of Texas.
2007 September
3rd month of the 3rd quarter of the 8th year of the Clinton-Bush economic depression
2007-09-01
2007-09-01
_GMA News_
Philippine teachers' colleges are turning into diploma mills
"Kabataan group said data from the Professional Regulation Commission shows only a little more than 100K education students reach the fourth year. 'And of the more than 100K who graduate, only a few pass the licensure exams.', Kabataan vice president Carl Marc Ramota said in a statement. He said only 17,377 out of 59,457 or a measly 29.23% of the examinees passed the exams for elementary education while 32.44% or 17,290 out of 53,303 examinees passed the test for secondary education in the 2006 August Licensure Examinations for Teachers (LET)... 'Every school year, more than 400K college hopefuls aspire to become teachers. Practically almost all tertiary or college level institutions in the country offer a degree in Teacher Education. Yet the country lacks roughly some 50K teachers.', he said."
2007-09-01
Fernando Quintero _Rocky Mountain News_
Applications for citizenship have risen
"In Colorado, applicants rose sharply, from 6,364 in 2005 to 8,122 in 2006 to nearly 11K in the first half of this year alone. Many people sped up the process to avoid a sharp increase in application fees, to $675 from $400 starting July 30."
2007-09-02
2007-09-01 22:19PDT (2007-09-02 01:19EDT) (2007-09-02 05:19GMT)
Gene Nelson _Delta Democrat Times_
Jerry Dallas was right about greedy special interests
"Too bad that Jerry Dallas's wonderful article won't likely be reprinted in any of the newspapers serving large markets on either coast of the United States. Why? Because the greedy special interests that Jerry criticizes could not tolerate such criticism. Did you know that M$ lobbyist Jack Abramoff worked with former representative Tom DeLay, R-Texas, to procure advantageous (to M$) changes to the controversial H-1B visa program in 1996, 1998, and 2000? M$ expended over $20M in so-called 'lobbying expenses' between 1998 and 2000 -- and millions more for 'campaign finance contributions'. M$ avoided paying billions to experienced American citizen technical professionals. As a consequence of the H-1B visa program, millions of talented and loyal American citizens are now unemployed or under-employed. This author uses the term 'Abramoff Visa' to describe the corruption. He invites interested Delta Democrat Times readers to contact him at c0030180@airmail.net for more details."
2007-09-02
Norm Matloff _H-1B/ L-1/ Off-Shoring e-News-Letter_
3 reports from Vivek Wadhwa
There have now been 3 reports by Vivek Wadhwa and various co-authors, concerning foreign workers and immigrants in the tech industry. (I don't mean to diminish the role of Wadhwa's distinguished co-authors, but Wadha has always been the lead author and almost always the one quoted in the press.) The latest, Intellectual Property, the Immigration Back-Log, and a Reverse Brain-Drain: America's New Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Part III was released last month.
In some cases I have praised Wadhwa for the fresh approach he takes to investigating these issues. For instance, in investigating the industry's labor shortage claims, he asked HR departments whether they have found it necessary to pay signing bonuses in order to hire engineers. However, I have also been disappointed by a serious lack of depth and analytical rigor in much of his work.
I've also been troubled by the failure of Vivek Wadhwa and his co-authors to submit their work to the scrutiny of anonymous peer review, which is standard procedure in the research world. This procedure takes a long time, and since the authors apparently are anxious to have their work have an impact on the current congressional debate regarding foreign workers -- certainly a legitimate goal -- one can see why they have not sought peer review. Nevertheless, this lack severely weakens the [quality and hence the] value of their work. Even more troubling is the fact that their later work does not address -- or even mention -- fundamental problems with their work that have been brought to their attention after the release of their previous studies. Unfortunately, the present study has only intensified my concerns.
The present study presents 2 main findings:
- Immigrant participation in patent activity in the U.S.A. has increased dramatically in a very short period of time -- more than tripling between 1998 and 2006.
- Due to its very long back-log in employer-sponsored green card applications, the U.S.A. is in danger of losing a huge number of world-class engineers and scientists, as they will tire of waiting and will simply return home (or immigrate to a third country).
There are very serious flaws with both these findings. Let's start with Finding 2:
As the report points out, for jobs in the tech field (this latter qualifier applies here and below), there are essentially 3 main tiers for employer-sponsored green cards. These tiers are known as EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3. The key point is that these tiers are ranked by level of talent, as codified in the law:
- EB-1 is for "foreign nationals of extraordinary ability" and for "outstanding professors"
- EB-2 is for those who are either of "exceptional ability" or possess an "advanced degree"
- EB-3 is for those with "bachelor's degrees"
The major problem with the study concerning the back-log is that when it talks of the long waiting times, it fails to make clear that "the best and the brightest", i.e. EB-1, have to wait only a few months.
We'll look at some numbers shortly, but first the point must be made that the green card wait is also dependent on the worker's nation of origin. The wait for those from [Red China] and India is longer than for other countries, so we'll look at [Red China] and India. (You can get all the data at US Department of State Travel Bulletin.)
For example, currently (2007 September), any EB-1 who applied by 2007 January 1 can now get his/her green card right now, for both [Red China] and India. So, they waited only 8 months. By contrast, for EB-3s, green cards are simply unavailable, period.
A year ago, September 2006, the EB-1 category was Current, meaning no back-log at all, for both [Red China] and India. The waiting period for EB-3 was 4 years for [Red China] and 5 years for India.
Two years ago, 2005 September, EB-1 was also Current for [Red China] and India, but there was nothing available for EB-3s at all.
The situation for the EB-2s is, not surprisingly, in between EB-1 and EB-3. Currently EB-2s from [Red China] have a wait of about a year and a half, and Indians about 3 years. This certainly is not the dire wait of 7 years that the study authors have told the press, such as in "Many Green Card Seekers Wait 7 Years or More: Researchers Say Back-Log Could Spur 'Reverse Brain Drain'", San Jose Mercury News 2007 August 22. And remember EB-2 is not necessarily a "talent" category -- anyone with a Master's degree qualifies, even if in an undistinguished degree at an undistinguished school.
IOW, the study authors have been extremely misleading in claiming that we're on the verge of losing the geniuses because they reached the end of their patience in waiting for their green cards. Yes, there are plenty of foreign workers who are indeed waiting 7 years or more, and one can certainly sympathize with them, but they are the ordinary workers, not "the best and the brightest".
Now, what about Finding 1, that foreign-born participation in patenting has sky-rocketed in just 8 years? Here's the exact statement:
Foreign nationals residing in the United States were named as inventors or co-inventors in 25.6% of international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006. This represents an increase from 7.6% in 1998.
These startling figures would be a red flag to any serious academic researcher. It is simply too large a jump in too short a time period. Yet the authors here took it at face value.
As the authors and the industry lobbyists correctly point out, R & D in the tech field is typically done by workers with PhDs, or at least a Master's degree, and they typically obtain these degrees at U.S. universities. So, people with such degrees are the main source for patents. Yet there was no dramatic increase in the percentage of foreign students in these programs during the 1998-2006 time period in the study. For instance, in PhD programs in computer science in 1998, 46% of the students were foreign students; in 2006 the figure was 54% (Taulbee Study, CRA Newsletter, 2007 May). Those figures are large, yes (see explanation below), but the point is that the increase from 1998 to 2006 was mild, nothing like the jump from 7.6% to 25.6% in patents that the authors found during the same time period.
Any academic researcher's first suspicion in such a situation is that the problem is that there was some dramatic change in the way the data was collected, i.e. that there was a different system in place in 1998 than in 2006, and thus the 2 data sets are incomparable. Yet, the authors did not raise this question, nor did they posit any other explanation for the seemingly anomalous finding. Given that it was one of their 2 key findings, they should have addressed this striking anomaly. Had they submitted their work for anonymous peer review, the anomaly would have met with strong objections from the reviewers.
In summary:
- The study's claim that we are on the verge of losing a lot of foreign geniuses due to long waits for green cards is disproved by taking a more fine-grained look at the data.
- The study's claim that participation in patent activity by the foreign-born more than tripled in just eight years simply doesn't "pass the sanity test". It could be a data problem, but in any case, the researchers should have questioned it. Their failure to do so makes their data rather useless, especially given their apparent goal to influence public policy.
A few other points:
After Vivek Wadhwa's second study came out, several researchers in a public forum, including me, raised a more fundamental question: Did Wadhwa believe that, had the same jobs been occupied by natives, would the patent activity not have occurred? He answered that he didn't know, and was not making such a claim. Clearly, it IS difficult to come up with a statistical argument to answer this question. Yet such a claim is in fact implicit in Wadhwa's numerous statements to the press, as well as this one in the Conclusions section of the present study:
The United States benefits from having foreign-born innovators create their ideas in the country. Their departures would, thus, be detrimental to U.S. economic well-being.
This again illustrates the partisan nature of the study.
Finally, why is it that such a large percentage of our PhD programs consist of foreign students? The answer is that the federal government actually planned for that, explicitly saying that the goal was to hold down PhD salaries. See Eric Weinstein, "How and Why Government, Universities, and Industry Create Domestic Labor Shortages of Scientists and High-Tech Workers" NBER, Harvard University, 1998. Note that Weinstein was working at the time with Richard Freeman, one of the authors of the present study, so clearly Freeman knows about it.
Indeed, Freeman knows that the government plan worked. Wages for PhD scientists and engineers have fallen behind those of other professions. As he pointed out in "Does Globalization of the Scientific/Engineering Work-Force Threaten US Economic Leadership?" Richard B. Freeman, NBER Working Paper No. 11457, 2005 June:
Whichever indicator one examines, the evidence suggests that the job market for most scientists and engineers in the USA has fallen short of the job markets in competitive high level occupations. Exhibit 3 records levels of pay and rates of change in pay from the Census of Population. It shows that scientists and engineers earn less than law and medical school graduates, and that rates of increase in earnings for science and engineering in the 1990s fell short of the rates of increase for doctors and lawyers and for persons with bachelor's degrees.
M$ pays new PhDs in computer science about $90K, while it pays its lawyers fresh out of law school $140K. The MBA situation is similar. IOW, the government's plan to bring in a lot of foreign nationals in order to keep PhD salaries down worked. If Freeman thinks that's a bad thing, why is he advocating exacerbating the situation?
Even if it were a good thing to import our scientists and engineers in the short run, it would be disastrous in the long run. The fact is that in the coming years, fewer and fewer foreign scientists and engineers will want to come to the U.S.A. in the first place. That's because economic conditions for tech people are declining here -- as seen in the slow wage growth mentioned above -- and because opportunities in the foreign workers' home countries are getting much better. I've mentioned before, for example, "A Chinese University, Elite Once More: Tsinghua U., Once Stripped of Its Science Programs, Now Competes with America for Graduate Students" The Chronicle of Higher Education 2004 July 9. An Associated Press article, just this week ("Silicon Valley Executives Call for Immigration Reform for Workers" 2007 August 29), contained this passage:
Lin Lee, who directs Sun [Microsystems'] government strategy in Asia, said many [Chinese] entrepreneurs want to join startups in [Red China] -- where even 5 years ago they would have tried to immigrate.
"The living standard has really gone up. You can have any food you like. The apartments are really nice.", said Lee, who moved to [Red China] after her husband was transferred to Beijing. "Things are very, very different now -- not just the living standard but the opportunity entrepreneurs see. They almost see another wave of opportunity that they don't see [in the U.S.A.]."
And then there was this one in Forbes on 2007 March 5 ("Silicon Valley's Immigration Problem" Elizabeth Corcoran). Quoting Rosen Sharma, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, India's top set of engineering universities) who later became a CEO in the U.S.A., the article reports:
Indian immigrant Rosen Sharma opted for the U.S.A. in 1993 and has done extraordinarily well here. But if he were just coming out of college these days, he says, he would pick India. The business opportunities are better, he says, and quality of life issues are at least as good...
In 1993, he says, after graduating with flying colors from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, Sharma headed straight for the U.S.A. So did most of his classmates. Of the 40 people in Sharma's graduating class at IIT Delhi, he says, all but 3 came to the U.S.A...
But Sharma, who is president of the IIT Delhi Alumni Association, says the next generation of Indian engineers are unlikely to feel the way he does: Last year, only 10 of the 45 IIT graduates who went through the same program Sharma did decided to pursue jobs in the U.S.A., he says.
IOW, the policy advocated by Wadha and his co-athors would not only worsen the wage suppression which makes tech unappealing to our own best and brightest, but it would count on a labor source which is in the process of drying up. This is no way to run a railroad.
Norm
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2007-09-02 06:45PDT (09:45EDT) (13:45GMT)
Ben Russell _WHP 21_
Conflicting rallies over illegal aliens in Harrisburg
2007-09-02
William C. Kashatus _Citizens Voice_
Bill Phillips raised money for poor and injured
"Bill Phillips was among the first local broadcasters to use radio as a fundraising tool to benefit the less fortunate. In the process, he garnered a national reputation for the Wyoming Valley as 'The Valley With a Heart'. Phillips was in the right place at the right time. The Great Depression of the 1930s had a profound emotional as well as economic impact on the Wyoming Valley. Un-employment and under-employment were common. People watched in horror as their life savings disappeared."
2007-09-02
_Topix_
Let the year begin
Charlotte Observer
"All this takes place against a back-drop of growing concerns about the national economy, the effects of a scary mortgage foreclosure episode and continuing evolution of the global economy and out-sourcing of jobs. While the economic rebound since the turn of the century has been strong, the N.C. Budget and Tax Center notes that this state's economy has seen 'little job creation, static poverty rates, longer spells of un-employment and greater under-employment'. That puts a stronger focus, if one was needed, on the state's efforts to train its residents for the world of work. Governor Easley notes that every high school in the state will soon be part of a program expanding community college training, and the university system is poring over a new study that says existing educational institutions won't produce as many well-trained workers as North Carolina will need in the future. It is an appropriate time to reflect on how well the state's educational system served our work-force needs in the middle of the 20th century. And it's appropriate to ponder how much work we have to do as we begin to think about meeting needs in the middle of the 21st."
2007-09-02
_Olympian_
More have jobs but benefits are scarce
"Labor Day 2007 finds mixed employment results and a crying national need to increase health care coverage to those who are under-employed. The good news is that more than 146M Americans have a job. The bad news is that 7.1M Americans are unemployed, including 253K people who lost their jobs in the month of July. National unemployment percentages have hovered between 4.4% and 4.6% since Labor Day 2006. The unemployment rate here in Washington state was 4.9% in July -- slightly above the national average. State officials attribute the higher percentage to an increase in the number of people actively seeking employment... But there are still more than 160K people seeking employment in Washington state."
2007-09-02
Michael Winerip _NY Times_
Here, the public education is good: Another Illegal Alien Sob Story from the NY Slimes
"He was a doctor in Ecuador. She was a year short of finishing dental school when she left to have children. He visited the United States on a six-month tourist visa in 1998 to see the place for himself. 'I got to visit -- to see how's that country everybody talk about.', he says. 'Everybody talk about living here, everybody coming here.' Two things made him decide to stay. He realized that working a construction job for a week here paid the same as working for a month as a doctor in Ecuador. That was the second reason. The primary reason: 'Mostly my family, for my children, yes, of course.',he says. 'Education is good in Ecuador, but you need a lot of money to go to good school there. Here, the public education is good.' When he and his wife made up their minds, his son was 3, his daughter 1. In 2001 February, they registered with the immigration service to become legal residents, naming the wife's brother, a United States citizen, as their sponsor. The family was assigned a 13-digit number and put on a waiting list. A lawyer said it could take 10 to 12 years before they qualified for a green card. And so they've lived in a middle-class suburb on Long Island for 8 years -- illegal, deportable, in limbo. To most Americans, they are invisible, a man and a woman living life off the books. He works at an auto parts store 6 days a week, 10 hours a day, earning $8.50 an hour, with no over-time. She was a cashier at a doughnut shop for 5 years, but after it closed she couldn't find a new job without papers. She now works 10 hours a week caring for an elderly woman... The son did so well on the state tests, he qualified to take the SAT last year under a young scholars program run by Johns Hopkins, then scored so well for age 12 -- 500 in math, 480 in verbal -- that he was invited to participate in the university's summer enrichment program."
2007-09-02
Richard Lee Dechert _Twin Cities Daily Planet_
Labor Day
2007-09-02
Willie Clark _Orlando Sentinel_
redouble the effort to receive maximum benefit from this round of development
"Target young males with apprenticeship programs. A chronic problem in the community is a large number of un-employed or under-employed young males. The construction of the three venues will require a sufficiently trained workforce. A partnership between the neighborhood leaders, labor unions and contractors could recruit young men to participate in apprenticeship programs that offer paid, on-the-job training. Upon completion, the young men could earn up to $22 an hour as a plumber, carpenter or electrician."
2007-09-02
_Career Builder_
40-hour work-weeks, 8-hour days nothing but a fairy tale for most
Employment Benefit Research Institute. The percentage of workers ages 55 or older in the labor force increased from about 38% in 1993 to 45% in 2006, and among those ages 65 to 69, the percentage rose from about 18% in 1985 to 29% in 2006, according to the study...
62% of American workers say their work-load has increased over the last 6 months, while another 53% say work leaves them 'over-tired and over-whelmed', according to a New York Times poll. 'What's driving this trend toward working more hours are the unconscious assumptions we inherited from the labor tradition that in order to succeed you need to work hard and have a positive attitude and it will all somehow turn out your way.', explains Todd Benton, partner at Benton Consulting Group in San Diego. 'If you just work really hard and get it all done, you'll be able to live a good life and retire with your pension. In an industrial, machine-driven economy this made sense, however, it doesn't make any sense in a computer-driven knowledge economy. Working harder and longer in today's competitive marketplace only leaves you burned out.' It's not necessarily the quantity of the hours worked, but rather the quality that matters, he adds. Working 'thoughtfully, peacefully and purposefully' will get you better results in the end. But physically being out of the office doesn't mean you're not working -- just ask any BlackBerry-toting employee who is not-so-subtly forced to be available 24 hours a day. 'For some employees, 60-, 70- or even 90-hour work-weeks are the norm.', says Orlando Saez, vice president of Chicago-based Concourse Communications. 'This trend is being driven by several key factors: These days more and more people try to work remotely in order to be more accessible to loved ones. Increasingly, broad-band wireless plays an increasing role to allow the joys of Summer -- and Spring, Fall, Winter -- while being together to work via some form of broad-band access.'... In a nut-shell, it's all about money and productivity. 'Some employers are concerned over the risk of decreased productivity of such practice.', Saez continues. 'Other employers, especially in the professional service and high-tech sectors, see the blurring of work and play as a reason to expect workers to be available around the clock and during week-ends, which can equal more productivity. And there is ample evidence this trend is likely to continue.' [But it's counter-productive.] 'Hours become stress that manifests as lower productivity or sick days.', explains Stever Robbins, author of _It Takes a Lot More Than Attitude to Lead to a Stellar Organization_ (Acanthus Publishing). 'Assume someone works 60-hour weeks -- 12-hour days 20 days a month. If the work-load causes a 10% drop in productivity due to fatigue or sickness, that's the same output equivalent as working 1 hour less per day. A 20% drop in productivity is 2 hours less per day, so 50 hours with a life may be the same as 60 hours with no life...
55% of employees searched for a job in 2007 compared to 33% in 2003.
66% of employers & 51% of employees had a high opinion of company morale in 2005. However, employers' morale declined 85% to 55% between 2002 & 2005. Meanwhile, employee morale dropped 57% to 40% during that same time period."
2007-09-02
Emily Eisenhauer & Bruce Nissen _Daytona Beach News-Journal_
Snap-shot of Florida Workers
"The report is put together by Florida International University's Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy Center for Labor Research and Studies... Un-employment, especially long-term un-employment, continued to drop in 2006. After the recession of 2001 unemployment rose through 2003 but has since been steadily decreasing. Under-employment, the percentage of workers who are employed part-time involuntarily or discouraged from looking for work [together with those in 'survival jobs' which don't make use of their talents, abilities and education], has dropped since 2004 but is still not back to 2000 levels. Job growth has continued to speed up since 2004 but still has not caught up with population growth since 2001... The median wage in Florida for all wage earners 18 to 64 years old was $14.31 per hour in 2006, which was 97% of the U.S. average. Florida's median wage ranked 27th in the nation... The wage gap for blacks and Hispanics has grown. In 1979 blacks in the United States earned 82% of what whites made, compared with 78% in 2006. In Florida blacks earned 81% of what whites earned in 1979, compared with 75% in 2006. Hispanics in Florida earned 85% of non-Hispanic whites' wages in 1979, but by 2006 the percentage had decreased to 76%. In the United States the gap is larger: Hispanics earned 81% of whites' wages in 1979, and 70% in 2006. Florida has 11.5% of the population living below the poverty line, compared with 12.3% of the U.S. population. However Florida has a slightly higher percentage (31.1%) living below twice the poverty line, than does the U.S. (30.5%)."
2007-09-02
Pat Ferrier _Fort Collins Coloradoan_
High-tech collapse still hurts many un-employed and under-employed
9 news
"A report from the Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey shows that more than 25K people in Fort Collins live in homes with family incomes less than the federal poverty level, about $9K for a single woman such as Rua, or $20K for a couple with 2 children. Fort Collins' poverty population grew by about 9,800 people between 2000 and 2006, a period that coincided with the collapse of the high-tech industry... The number of individuals served by the food bank more than doubled since 2001, when lay-offs started to occur, to more than 19K last year... Currently, the Larimer County Workforce Center has 505 jobs posted -- everything from house-keepers to bank branch managers and engineers. However, the center also has more than 13K job-seekers looking for entry level to professional work, creating fierce competition for jobs -- even low-wage, low-skilled jobs, said Melissa English, a technical consultant with the Larimer County Workforce Center. Un-employment numbers, however, don't tell the real story of how many workers are under-employed in jobs for which they are over-qualified. According to some estimates, 20K under-employed workers leave Larimer County every day to work elsewhere. 'Under-employment is a tough one to figure.', said Lew Wymisner, assistant director of the Larimer County Workforce Center. "We've been talking about it for years, because how much of the under-employment is voluntary? A second income? Part-time job? Do they consider themselves under-employed? There are all sorts of contingencies' when considering under-employment. It will take real wage growth to improve opportunities for the under-employed and un-employed, Shields said... Workers, especially those in high-tech and manufacturing, have to understand their high-paying jobs are gone and aren't coming back, Wymisner said... Yet, the losses from high-tech are deep and personal for many such as Rua, who have lost everything except their will. Her $35K salary is down to nearly nothing, putting her well below the poverty level and making her reliant on the generosity of friends. Temp jobs came with the promise of permanency and went just as quickly -- 4 lay-offs in 4 years -- enough to weaken the strongest of resolves. It feels as a violation of sorts for many workers -- severing that unofficial social contract that assumes a job is the reward for hard work and strong skills."
2007-09-03
2007-09-03
David Harrison _Roanoke Times_
Filipino teachers fail to show
"Back in January, the Roanoke school system's human resources director traveled to the Philippines to recruit teachers. When she came back, she said she had hired six qualified teachers, all of whom were to teach special education, a notoriously hard-to-fill position for schools across the country. Fast forward about 8 months. There's a new administration in the school system. The former human resources director, Gloria Simon, left over the summer. Now, a day before the start of school, new administrators are left with a pressing question: Where are the 6 Filipino teachers?... The school system had prepared orientation packets for the Filipino hires and expected them on the first day of new teacher orientation Aug. 23. They did not show up. School administrators then tried unsuccessfully to contact Green Life Care International, the recruiting company that was supposed to arrange for the teachers to come to Roanoke. The company also arranged and paid for Simon's January trip to Manila and Cebu in the Philippines. Last week, the school system finally got through to the company and cut ties with its missing teachers, canceling their contracts by mutual agreement, according to Bishop... 'The best word I have is that one [teacher] is in the country.', said Bishop... Virginia Beach and Spotsylvania, Bedford and Henry counties have all hired foreign teachers... In a February interview, Rodriguez said he has placed 300 or 400 Filipino teachers in North Carolina and Virginia. The teachers work on H-1B visas, which allow them to work temporarily in the country... It's unlikely Roanoke will try to hire more foreign teachers any time soon. Bishop has vowed to launch an aggressive recruiting campaign immediately after Christmas. During her convocation speech last week she pointedly said, 'I think we can hire teachers from the United States of America.' Lancaster, PA, where Bishop used to serve as superintendent, did not hire Filipino teachers under her tenure and has not had problems with recruiting, Bishop said."
2007-09-03 00:05PDT (03:05EDT) (07:05GMT)
Paul Larocco & Richard Brooks _Inland Press-Enterprise_
Gangs and parolees drive San Bernardino's murder rate (with graph)
"'Homicides raise more fear than the danger they pose.', said professor Larry Gaines, chairman of the Criminal Justice Department at Cal State San Bernardino. 'A citizen who minds his own business and does not engage in risky behavior has a very low probability of being a victim of a homicide or an assault.' While police and academic experts aren't sure why San Bernardino's yearly homicide count has more than doubled since 1999, only 13 of this year's 42 killings, through Saturday, have no definite ties to gangs, drugs or parolees... 'The root cause of this is money.', said the reverend Terry Elliott, senior pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Many major employers have left the city, creating a lack of career-level industrial jobs, Elliott said. There is little funding for summer-jobs programs, he said. And with may couples having to commute to neighboring counties for work, the summer-jobs situation is aggravated by inadequate parenting, he said, so many youths either slip into the street life or move. In his view, the city already has lost most of its 17- to 25-year-olds to under-employment and a lack of options."
2007-09-03 00:07PDT (03:07EDT) (07:07GMT)
David Weidner & Alistair Barr _MarketWatch_
Wall Street hiring machine has gone idle
"Employment levels in the securities industry during the first half of the year surged to levels not seen since the technology bubble years of 2000 and early 2001. The industry added 10K jobs in June to bring the industry total to 848,300, according to federal statistics. In New York alone, employment stood at 209K at the year's halfway point, close to the record of 216,700 achieved in the Fall of 2001. For decades, New York has been losing jobs as the industry has expanded globally. But since 2001, the state has added financial jobs at a faster rate than the rest of the U.S. market. Almost all of those jobs -- 188,800 -- are in New York City."
2007-09-03 06:37PDT (09:37EDT) (13:37GMT)
_CNN_/_Money_/_AP_
US workers are the most productive in the world
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abc
WGAL 8 Susquehanna Valley
composite: "American workers stay longer in the office, at the factory or on the farm than their counterparts in Europe and most other rich nations, and they produce more per person over the year. They also get more done per hour than everyone but the Norwegians, according to a U.N. report released Monday, which said the United States 'leads the world in labor productivity'. The average U.S. worker produces $63,885 of wealth per year, more than their counterparts in all other countries, the International Labor Organization said in its report. Ireland comes in second at $55,986, followed by Luxembourg at $55,641, Belgium at $55,235 and France at $54,609. The U.S., according to the report, also beats all 27 nations in the European Union, Japan and Switzerland in the amount of wealth created per hour of work -- a second key measure of productivity. CEO Pay: 364 times more than workers. Norway, which is not an EU member, generates the most output per working hour, $37.99, a figure inflated by the country's billions of dollars in oil exports and high prices for goods at home. The U.S. is second at $35.63, about a half dollar ahead of third-place France. The U.S. employee put in an average 1,804 hours of work in 2006, the report said. That compared with 1,407.1 hours for the Norwegian worker and 1,564.4 for the French... The vast differences among [Red China's] sectors tell part of the story. Whereas a Chinese industrial worker produces $12,642 worth of output -- almost 8 times more than in 1980 -- a laborer in the farm and fisheries sector contributes a paltry $910 to gross domestic product. The difference is much less pronounced in the United States, where a manufacturing employee produced an unprecedented $104,606 of value in 2005. An American farm laborer, meanwhile, created $52,585 worth of output, down 10% from 7 years ago, when U.S. agricultural productivity peaked."
2007-09-03 08:22PDT (11:22EDT) (15:22GMT)
Bernie Sanders _Huffington Post_
No on Nussle
"Mom isn't able to stay at home like she was able to do 30 years ago. That is not an option. It now takes two-incomes to support a family. That is the first reality check. Then they drive to work, and many of them wonder how they are going to pay for the price of gasoline, and you know what, Mr. President? They start to get angry. They understand that for the past 2 years, Exxon-Mobil has made more profits than any company in the history of the world. They hear that the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, Lee Raymond, received a $400M retirement package, and that gets them mad. But, they can't stay angry about that for very long because then they have to go to work. And, at work, many of them will receive a notice from their employer that their pension is being cutback; their healthcare premiums will be rising; their prescription drug coverage has been eliminated; their pay will be going down, and, by the way, if they try to complain, their job is going to [Red China]. Their job is going to Mexico. Their job is going to VietNam. Or even more insulting, they will have to train their own replacement who just came in from India on an H-1B visa. So, they put up with the cuts to their pension. They don't object to the cutbacks in their health benefits. They even accept a cut in their pay and they stay on the job. They play by the rules, they don't say a word, and they pray that their job will be there tomorrow. And, then, after working 8, 10, 12 hours, they go to their mail box. And, they open it up. And, what do they find? They find out that the interest rate on their credit card (the credit card that they are using to pay for child-care, to pay for gasoline, to buy groceries, diapers and prescription drugs) has tripled even though they were never late paying the bill. They find out that the interest rate on their Adjustable Rate Mortgage will double next month. And, some of them have learned that their utility bill will be going up by 50% to 70%."
2007-09-03 09:09PDT (12:09EDT) (16:09GMT)
_CNN_/_Money_
GDP increases not reaching pay-checks
"While productivity jumped almost 20% since 2000, the real median hourly wage of all workers rose just 3% in the same period. Since 2003, productivity has risen 5%, while the median hourly wage fell 1.1%. Women saw a bigger rise in wages between 2000 and 2007, up 4.7%. Real median wages for men during the same period were up just 1.1%. Both high school and college workers saw hourly wage gains of about 2.5% since 2000. Yet, in the period between 2003 and 2007, wage gains for median workers, male and female, as well as high school and college workers have all been flat or falling. Not so for workers at the highest end of the wage scale. At the 95th percentile, real wages have risen 9.4% since 2000 and 5.1% since 2003. A separate measure, the Employment Cost Index (ECI) showed faster growth of 5% since 2000. That's because unlike the measure of median wages, the ECI includes a broad range of workers and therefore gets a boost from high earners. Also, the ECI includes employer-provided benefits, which have risen faster than wages since 2000. However, even with these added advantages, the ECI has been roughly flat since 2003."
2007-09-03
Richard Semock
United States Justice Foundation comes to the defense of Minutemen
"The United States Justice Foundation (USJF) has developed the Minuteman Protection Program in order to battle the guerilla war that is being waged to attack patriotic Minuteman volunteers. These valiant men and women are standing in the gap to secure the US from an illegal alien invasion. USJF stands vigilant to take legal action against anyone who seeks to do harm to Minutemen volunteers. We are on call to protect their mission to see the borders and coastal boundaries of the United States made secure against the unlawful and unauthorized entry of all individuals, contraband, and foreign military. We stand ready to help Minutemen at the border and in Washington, DC and in every town where their rights are being infringed."
2007-09-03
Demetri Sevastopulo & Richard McGregor _Financial Times_
Red Chinese military hacked into Pentagon systems in June
2007-09-03
Jason Kosena & Pat Ferrier _Coloradoan_
More than jobs needed to reverse poverty trends say legislators & executives
2007-09-03
Alex Nixon _Kalamazoo Gazette_/_Michigan Live_
Michigan Works! program gets strong response
"Local offices of the Michigan Works! employment agency saw a rush of people in August who wanted to sign up for a new state program that offers free tuition or training for in-demand jobs... Governor Jennifer Granholm visited Kalamazoo in early August to detail the No Worker Left Behind program, which seeks to make it easier for unemployed or under-employed Michigan workers to find jobs in fields where there's demand for qualified people, such as with hospitals, banks or accounting firms. Under-employed workers are considered those whose skills or training could land them a better-paying or more advanced job than they have currently. Any unemployed Michigan resident, or anyone with an annual household income of less than $40K, can receive up to $5K a year for 2 years toward tuition at any public or private post-secondary educational institution. The program is capped at 100K people statewide and is first-come, first-served. More than 200 people have signed up for No Worker Left Behind at the Kalamazoo office of Michigan Works!, said Jim Walters, a spokesman for the Kalamazoo office. And about 40 people have signed up for the program at the St. Joseph County Michigan Works! office, said Shelly Bixler-Martin, a case worker in Three Rivers."
2007-09-03
G. Jeffrey Aaron _Star-Gazette_
Counties report rise in incomes, but Chemung and Steuben still well below national median
"The median income level for Chemung County households in 2006 was $39,683 -- up 6%, or $2,265, from the figure recorded for the previous year, according to data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Steuben County saw a larger percentage of increase, 8%, and a larger dollar amount, $2,906 per household, over the same time period. Steuben's 2006 median household income was $41,541. Among New York's larger counties, with populations above 65K residents, the figures reported by the U.S. Census Bureau place each of the 2 local counties within the top 20 counties reporting higher household incomes. Steuben County is ranked ninth, while Chemung is 17th. Broome County's 14% increase to $41,545 topped the list. Oswego County's median household income level slipped 0.8 of a percentage point to $38,264, which landed the county at the bottom of the list. Meanwhile, the nation's median household income reached $48,200 last year, marking the second consecutive year the figure has risen. The figures are good news to economic developers who have worked to bring higher-paying jobs to the region. But non-profit agencies that provide services for un-employed and under-employed families say it's too early to celebrate."
2007-09-03
_Monroe county NJ Daily Record_
Labor Day
"Labor Day is a holiday that commemorates not a major historic occasion, or a religious event, but the contributions of ordinary people -- those who work, those who toil, those who labor. The recent mine disaster in Utah is fresh evidence of the risks undertaken daily by some workers. We saw a statement from a job search web site that recited statistics about job loss, under-employed Americans and the many who need to work 2 jobs. The conclusion was there isn't much to celebrate. We disagree. Regardless of problems, the contributions of so-called average Americans is always worth celebrating."
2007-09-03
Russ Krebs _Fremont NE Tribune_
Continual learning can lead to business growth
"He said especially when dealing with a national company wanting to relocate or open a new location that they tend to get nervous about the potential labor pool any time the unemployment rate is less than 4%. Dodge County is considered fully employed at a 2.7% unemployment rate... 'Our next step here in workforce recruitment will be looking at under-employment.', Wilkins said. 'Because of our proximity to Omaha we have lower under-employment than rural areas.' Pat Williams, above right, of Nebraska Workforce Development, helps Ed Webster apply for new employment. Nebraska Workforce Development and Metropolitan Community College are working to establish a closer relationship. Under-employment is where, for example, a person with a bachelor's degree is bagging groceries. He said being able to show under-employment in certain areas is attractive to companies because then they can attract good employees in the area. He also said continued education is one way to start a cycle of under-employment that leads to business growth because of a more educated labor pool and then increased population because of people moving in to take the jobs left behind. 'Of greater concern in Fremont is getting the community to embrace continual learning.', Wilkins said. 'If we can do that, the under-employment rate will go up. If the under-employment gap grows, it makes my job easier because I have people seeking work. The higher the quality of job, the more they look at work-force development.'... The employment service supervisor for Nebraska Workforce Development in Fremont said he averages between 40 and 70 people daily using the state's employment service in Fremont. About 175 new job seekers register with the agency every month and they place about 105 people in jobs every month... Hansen said the state unemployment rate for June, the last month available, was 3.3% compared to Dodge County's 3.5%... The state's 2005 estimate for the median income of Dodge County residents was just more than $39K per year. The 2005 estimate is the most current and takes into account more than 36K residents in Dodge County... To students at MLC, he said a 'living' wage is more than $30K per year after graduation, but that to a lot of people without a college education and school loans, a living wage could be $11 or $12 per hour."
2007-09-03
Andrew Walden _Hawaii Free Press_/_Hawaii Reporter_
fund-raiser for Kona mosque linked to H-1B abuse
"An Aug. 11 article in DesiConnect, an Internet magazine, claims Majid worked in the New York-New Jersey area from 1996 to 2001 for 'Optima Resources'. With most H-1B visas mopped up by large high-tech firms such as M$ [actually, the biggest users/abusers are cross-border bodyshops based in India, or founded by Indians in the USA], companies like Optima work on the margins using the few remaining quota visas to place foreign professionals in positions with American companies. Applicants are often required to pay as much as $4,400 up front and 20% of earnings. Numerous comments on web sites serving H-1B visa applicants warn against doing business with Optima. Writes 'Sela Velu' on forum.path2USA.com, 'This company, Optima Resources, in NJ is a big fraud organization. These suckers make you pay for your H-1B and screw around with you later... if you call them constantly to check on it, those suckers show attitude... big liars and very dismissive of you every small thing with them is a battle...' According to DesiConnect, Majid, is currently CEO of 2 companies, 'Orion Technologies, Inc' and 'Voyage-Films'. Both are listed in New York state corporation records with Orion being founded in 2001 December, about the time Majid apparently left Optima. Majid's is the only name appearing in the records of either company. Majid tells DesiConnect, 'Trust me!'"
2007-09-03 08:30PDT (11:30EDT) (15:30GMT)
_Yahoo!_/_AP_
Stock of bodyshoppers down-graded
2007-09-03
Angela K. Brown _AP_/_Brownsville Herald_
Duncan Hunter won Texas's first GOP straw poll
"Hunter got 534 votes, or 41% of the vote. Former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson, who is expected to announce his candidacy next week but was not at the event, came in second with 266 votes, or nearly 21%. Texas congressman Ron Paul came in third with 217 votes, or 17%."
2007-09-03 14:15PDT (17:15EDT) (21:15GMT)
_World Net Daily_
World Net Daily editor Joseph Farrah to moderate GOP presidential candidate debate September 17
2007-09-03
Anthony Wade _Op Ed News_
Ghosts Inside the Machine: More Flavors of Presidential Candidate
"Somehow in this country we have been convinced that while we can have 31 flavors of ice cream we can only get 2 coherent lines of political thought. The result is exactly what the machine wants. We snipe at each other at the lower levels of society while the machine keeps getting fed above us."
2007-09-03 16:27PDT (19:27EDT) (23:27GMT)
Paul B. Farrell _MarketWatch_
Failed War on Drugs sabotaging America
2007-09-03
Steve Sailer _V Dare_
Flynn Flips: IQ Tests Do Matter
"Flynn has now written a book offering his considered explanation of the Flynn Effect: _What is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect_. (The Psychometrics Centre at Cambridge University has posted on-line a lecture by Flynn summarizing his book.) Strikingly, Flynn has changed his mind. He now sees the Flynn Effect not as undermining IQ testing, but as validating it. After decades of reflection, Flynn believes people really are more intelligent in some ways today -- just as their raw IQ scores suggest. The reason: we get more mental exercise now than in olden times. Flynn and his collaborator William Dickens of the Brookings Institute argue that people mold their own environments based on their genetic predilections. So genetically smart people choose more mentally stimulating environments, which makes them even smarter. As Steven Johnson points out, mental stimulation, even if it's just watching television or figuring out what the buttons on your new electronic gizmo do, is a lot cheaper today than in the past... some non-IQ tests suggest that people are becoming less competent at dealing with old-fashioned physical objects in the real world rather than with images on glowing screens. One study found that British children had lost the equivalent of 12 points from 1975 to 2003... Similarly, the Vineland test of 'daily living skills' has found a decline in basic ability to cope. I suspect that people may be getting mentally quicker, but not more profound... Contemporary science books for children are attention deficit-disordered, featuring dozens of images per pair of pages, along with captions, call-outs, and other distractions."
2007-09-03
Stephen Dinan _Washington Times_
Immigration fight turns to US jobs
"Immigration-limits groups are in the midst of a Labor Day campaign to pressure Congress and presidential candidates to pledge to cut the flow of foreign labor in order to protect American workers. The groups' plea -- being made in a new television-ad campaign and an on-line petition -- occurs as think tanks on both sides of the immigration debate ponder the role of immigrants in the labor force, and arrive at different conclusions about how necessary foreign workers will be over the next half-century... The group behind the ad, the Coalition for the Future American Worker, says there are 54M Americans of working age without a job, and nearly 28M foreign-born workers -- both legal immigrants and illegal aliens -- who hold jobs here. The group plans to deliver a petition to all of the 2008 presidential candidates tied to Labor Day asking them to crack down on employers who hire illegal aliens, but also to require businesses to look at American workers first, rather than legal foreign workers. As of yesterday morning, about 76,600 people had attached their names on-line to the petition."
2007-09-03 16:47PDT (19:47EDT) (23:47GMT)
Herb Greenberg _MarketWatch_
Why California housing market matters: Affordability ultimately hits rest of economy
"The median home price in the state, recent price declines notwithstanding, hovered at $586K as of late July, according to the latest figures from California Association of Realtors. That is more than double the national average of $228,900... From their peak, home prices in California's fastest-growing areas have fallen 6% to 11%. For a while, the so-called wealth effect of that decline was offset by the rising stock market. 'But the stock market is coming back to earth.', Levy says. At one point in August, in intraday trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 10% from its 14,000.41 record close... Why should non-Californians care about the California housing market, especially when the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows year-over-year increases in such cities as Charlotte, NC, Portland, OR, and Seattle? Because the Golden State accounts for 13% of the country's gross domestic product or the total value of all goods and services produced nearly double the #2 contributor, New York. That means that what happens in California, home to such growth industries as high-tech, biotech, venture capital and film, doesn't necessarily stay in California. The impact of slow economic growth, or even recession, in the state will ripple through the rest of the country."
2007-09-04
2007-09-04
_India Times_
USA, Japan, South Korea & UK most skilled, innovative
"In the study commissioned by software industry association Business Software Alliance (BSA) and conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the US, Japan, South Korea and the UK ranked the highest among 64 countries in terms of IT industry competitiveness. The study evaluated countries on factors like supply of skills, a pro-innovation culture, world-class technology infrastructure, a robust legal infrastructure, government support and a competition-friendly business environment."
2007-09-04
_Computer World_
Red Chinese government denying hacking into, disabling, Pentagon systems
Switched
Christian Broadcasting Network
Student Operated Press
Ziff Davis/Reuters
CNET/Reuters/Ziff Davis
San Diego Union-Tribune
IT Week
York Dispatch/AP
2007-09-04 02:42:41PDT (05:42:41EDT) (09:42:41GMT)
Randolph E. Schmid _AP_/_York Dispatch_
Men depend on their eyes for mate selection: Women are choosier
"Researchers led by Todd report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that their study found humans were similar to most other mammals, 'following Darwin's principle of choosy females and competitive males, even if humans say something different'... Women's actual choices, like men's, did not reflect their stated preferences, but they made more discriminating choices, the researchers found. The scientists said women were aware of the importance of their own attractiveness to men, and adjusted their expectations to select the more desirable guys. 'Women made offers to men who had overall qualities that were on a par with the women's self-rated attractiveness. They didn't greatly over-shoot their attractiveness', Todd said, 'because part of the goal for women is to choose men who would stay with them.' But, he added, 'they didn't go lower. They knew what they could get and aimed for that level.'"
2007-09-04
Dave Montgomery _McClatchy_
Police struggle with crimes committed by illegal aliens
2007-09-04
_Columbus Ledger-Examiner_
Good business leaders care about their employees
2007-09-04
Brian Bergstein _AP_/_Morning Call_
Monster breach sends warning
"Monster Worldwide Inc. recently discovered that con artists had grabbed contact information from resumes for 1.3M people -- and probably many more, as Monster now says this was not an isolated incident. Files were pilfered not only from Monster.com but also from USAJobs.gov, the federal government career-listing service operated by Monster."
2007-09-04
Tom Incantalupo _Morning Call_
Retention efforts are improving
Adecco concludes from the on-line survey done last month of 2,469 adults, done by pollster Harris Interactive and pegged to Labor Day, that 'corporate America is getting better at nurturing its work force'. If you're still feeling unappreciated, however, it might be a matter of age. While 56% of workers overall in the poll said they feel very appreciated or appreciated, 21% of workers 65 and older claim their company is not at all loyal to them, versus only 13% of workers ages 30 to 42."
2007-09-04
Richard Marosi _Los Angeles Times_
Thin gold line of border defense
2007-09-04 08:06PDT (11:06EDT) (15:06GMT)
Rex Nutting _MarketWatch_
ISM manufacturing index down from 53.8 in July to 52.9 in August
ISM manufacturing report
2007-09-04
Helen Branswell _Globe and Mail_
Tuberculosis rates among foreign children adopted by US citizens are up
"The American study followed up on 869 foreign-born children adopted into U.S. families from 1986 through 2001. 12% of the children were infected with tuberculosis and the rate of TB infections among the adoptees rose 7% with each passing year through the period studied... TB rates among the children in the American study ranged from nearly 15% in adoptees from Eastern Europe, 14% from Russia and 13% from Korea to between 12.5% and 11% in India, [Red China] and South America, 8.3% in Central America and the Caribbean and 2.8% in Southeast Asia."
2007-09-04
Brandon Keim _Wired_
J. Craig Venter sequenced and published his own genes
CNN
Craig Venter: CNN
Reason
Medical News Today
Scientific American/Reuters
composite: "Venter has just published almost all 6G letters, or 96%, of his own personal genetic code in the journal PLoS Biology. From diseases to personality traits, it's the most comprehensive human genome to date. Venter's gene map provides a new understanding of his genetic destiny, according to the DNA inherited from both his father and his mother. So far, he's found genetic proof of links to heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, blindness, alcoholism, lactose intolerance, substance abuse, hypertension, obesity, even the type of earwax he has. Venter has versions of 3 genes believed to lower the risk of heart disease and carries 2 copies of a gene mutation that raise the risk of a heart attack, the study found. The idea is simple. Calculate the genetic probability of getting a disease and your chances at treating or beating it are better. Many genetic tests already exist for breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes, but they aren't always that reliable or predictive.
Venter and other geneticists think they're going to get exponentially better at providing more people a look at their genetic map. As the era of personal DNA sequencing evolves, several groups are racing to find new, cheaper and faster ways to map an individual's DNA. The non-profit X Prize Foundation is offering $10M to the first team that can sequence the DNA of 100 people within 10 days. Dr. George Church, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, is working on a DNA test that would identify for the consumer 1% of his or her DNA at a cost of $1K. He says that someday soon, people may be checking their DNA maps as they do their stock portfolios -- constantly adjusting to everyday developments and new gene discoveries.
The genetic code does largely drive the lives of single cell organisms, but genes plays much less of a role in our bodies since we have over 100T cells, each being nurtured in a unique environment. Our publication today shows genetic variation between people is substantially higher than we expected and that we do not all have the same sets of genes with minor variations that determine who we are and what diseases we get. While my genetic code shows many disease-linked variations, I am happy and healthy at age 60. And while I'm excited to have my genome in hand, my ultimate goal is to have a data-base with over 10K complete diploid human genomes and associated medical information. Only then will it be possible to assess what is nature, i.e., from your genes, and what is nurture or due to your unique environment.
The sequence was produced from about 32M random DNA fragments, sequenced by Sanger dideoxy technology and assembled into 4,528 scaffolds, comprising 2,810M bases (Mb) of contiguous sequence with approximately 7.5-fold coverage for any given region. We developed a modified version of the Celera assembler to facilitate the identification and comparison of alternate alleles within this individual diploid genome. This genome revealed more than 4.1M DNA variants, encompassing 12.3 Mb from the National Center for Biotechnology Information human reference assembly. These variants (of which 1,288,319 were novel) included 3,213,401 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 53,823 block substitutions (2–206 bp), 292,102 heterozygous insertion/deletion events (indels)(1–571 bp), 559,473 homozygous indels (1–82,711 bp), 90 inversions, as well as numerous segmental duplications and copy number variation regions. Non-SNP DNA variation accounts for 22% of all events identified in the donor, however they involve 74% of all variant bases. This suggests an important role for non-SNP genetic alterations in defining the diploid genome structure. Moreover, 44% of genes were heterozygous for one or more variants. Using a novel haplotype assembly strategy, we were able to span 1.5 Gb of genome sequence in segments >200 kb, providing further precision to the diploid nature of the genome.
Land-mark studies published in 2001 indicated that the DNA of any 2 people is about 99.9% alike. The new paper suggests estimates of 99.5% to just 99%, Venter said. Lesser-studied genomic variants, insertions and deletions, while comprising a minority (22%) of genomic variation events, actually account for almost 74% of variant nucleotides. Inclusion of insertion and deletion genetic variation into our estimates of inter-chromosomal difference reveals that only 99.5% similarity exists between the 2 chromosomal copies of an individual and that genetic variation between 2 individuals is as much as 5 times higher than previously estimated. The Venter paper joins several others published over the past 3 to 4 years that indicate an estimate of around 99%, said Richard Gibbs, a DNA expert at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who didn't participate in Venter's study. The human-chimp similarity drops to more like 95% when the more recently discovered kinds of DNA variation are considered, Venter said.
According to the genealogical record, the donor's ancestors can be traced back to 1821 (paternal) and the 1700s (maternal) in England. Genotyping and cluster analysis of 750 unique SNP loci discovered through this project support that the donor is indeed 99.5% similar to individuals of European descent. Cluster analysis based on 750 SNP genotype information to infer the ancestry of the HuRef donor. The figure shows the proportion of membership of the HuRef donor (yellow) to 3 pre-defined HapMap populations (CEU = Northern and Western Europe, YRI = Yoruban, Ibadan, Nigeria, and JPT+CHB = Japanase, Tokyo, and Han Chinese, Beijing). The results indicate that the HuRef donor clusters with 99.5% similarity to the samples of northern and western European ancestry."
2007-09-04
_Dice_
Dice Report: 98,006 job ads
| Total | 98,006 |
| UNIX | 15,339 |
| Windoze | 16,821 |
| Java | 13,981 |
| C/C++ | 18,448 |
| body shop | 38,085 |
| permanent | 70,205 |
graph of job ads by OS and language
graph of job ads by perm vs. temp
2007-09-04 (5767 Elul 22)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
No "Health Care"?
"During the first 30 years of my life, I had no health insurance. Neither did a lot of other people, back in those days. During those 30 years, I had a broken arm, a broken jaw, a badly injured shoulder, and miscellaneous other medical problems. To say that my income was below average during those years would be a euphemism. How did I manage? The same way everybody else managed: I went to doctors and I paid them directly, instead of paying indirectly through taxes. This was all before politicians gave us the idea that the things we could not afford individually we could somehow afford collectively through the magic of government... It is not uncommon -- especially in California, with its large illegal immigrant population -- for hospitals to have to shut down because so few people pay for the emergency room care they receive. There are, of course, people with huge medical bills that they cannot possibly pay. Believe it or not, that also happened back before the modern welfare state. Some hospitals -- whether public or private -- could absorb such costs, with the help of donors. There were people with polio living in iron lungs, which is why rich and poor alike gave money to the March of Dimes... The biggest of the big lies in the 'health care' hype is that a lack of insurance means a lack of medical care. The second biggest lie is that health care and medical care are the same thing."
2007-09-05
2007-09-05
_All American Patriots_
The Clinton-Bush Economy
2007-09-05
Roy Mark _eWeek Channel Insider_
H-1B struggle is still on
"'What many of us have come to understand is that these H-1B visas are not being used to supplement the American work force where we have shortages but, rather, H1-B visas are being used to replace American workers with lower-cost foreign workers.', senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said in his May 25 floor comments. Under Sanders' bill, H-1B visa fees would have jumped $1,500 per application to $5K from the current $3,500. The increased fees would be funneled to a scholarship fund for Americans seeking degrees in math, technology and health-related fields. 'To win favor in [Red China], M$ has pledged to spend more than $750M on cooperative research, technology for schools and other investments.', Sanders said. 'If M$ and other corporations have billions of dollars to invest in technology -- these same companies should have enough money to provide scholarships for middle-class kids in the United States of America.' That isn't only bad news for those pushing for an H-1B cap increase. If the issue comes up again, U.S. senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are not likely to support a cap increase without what they call serious reform of the program. On April 2, the two law-makers introduced legislation to crack down on employers who misuse H-1B visas and to give priority to U.S. workers. The Durbin-Grassley bill would require employers to [merely attest that they have made] a good-faith effort to hire American workers first. [Another token measure would forbid laying off US workers within a few months before and after bringing in a guest-worker, and if there are massive lay-offs would require some of the guest-workers to be let go, too.] The bill would also require employers to advertise job openings on a Department of Labor web site before submitting an H-1B application. In addition, the bill would mandate the Department of Labor to conduct random audits of any company that uses the H-1B program and would require annual audits of companies with more than 100 employees that have 15% or more of those workers on H-1B visas. [These token measures are mostly just gestures that could be easily dodged by tech employers intent on employing guest-workers rather than US citizens, and would do nothing to curtail the abuses that were taught by Cohen & Grigsby to their clients in their mid-May seminar.]"
2007-09-05 05:03PDT (08:03EDT) (12:03GMT)
_Reuters_/_Yahoo!_
Lay-offs announced up 85% in August
MarketWatch
Telegraph
UPI
Business Week
composite: "Announced lay-offs surged 85% to 79,459 in August from 42,897 in July, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc, an employment consulting firm. August's job cuts were the highest since February, when they totaled 84,014. August's job cuts rose 22% from the previous August, when 65,278 cuts were announced. For the year, employers overall have announced 515,855 job cuts, compared with 538,914 in 2006's first 8 months, the firm said.
Financial job cuts totaled 35,752 in August, the highest monthly total for the industry since Challenger, Gray & Christmas began tracking in 1993, the firm said. More than 2.9M workers are employed in credit intermediation and related activities. Housing-related job cuts at major corporations have totaled 71,044 in 2007, with 31,746 coming in just the last month. Of the financial cuts, 30,892, or 86%, were in the mortgage and sub-prime lending sectors, Challenger Gray said. The financial sector has announced 102,758 job cuts this year, Challenger Gray said. If the contraction continues at its current pace, the number of financial job cuts will surpass the 2001 recession-year record of 116,515, the firm said.
According to the latest available data from the Labor Department on mass lay-offs by large firms 1.5M workers were discharged from their jobs involuntarily, representing about 1.1% of total employment. By comparison, 2.8M people quit their jobs voluntarily in May."
graphs
2007-09-05
Daniel Gonzalez _Arizona Republic_
ICE working together with local police to nab illegal aliens
"ICE officers responded to 993 calls from local police in the past 12 months, resulting in 6,251 arrests, Gurule said. That is 5 times as many responses as the previous 12 months, which resulted in 3,009 arrests."
2007-09-05
Amy Biegelsen _Style Weekly_
Virginia legislator, sheriff seek access to federal citizenship check data-base that some in NC already have1q
2007-09-05
Christy Goodman _Washington Post_
5 local police agencies seek alliance to contend with illegal aliens and their employers
2007-09-05
_AP_/_Washington Post_
Illegal aliens with tuberculosis who refused treatment are to be deported after release from isolation
2007-09-05
Sarah Antonacci _Springfield IL State Journal Register_
Former restaurant owner pled guilty to harboring illegal aliens and money laundering
2007-09-05 12:52PDT (13:52EDT) (17:52GMT)
Paul Elias _AP_/_Fox_
Democrat donor and fund-raiser Norman Hsu jumped bail on felony theft charges
Washington Times
Time
Orange County Register
San Mateo Daily Journal
USA Today
UPI
San Diego Union-Tribune
Boston Globe
AFP/Google
"Norman Hsu, center, leaves a San Mateo County jail with Jason Booth, left, and attorney Somnath Raj Chatterjee, right, in Redwood City, CA, Friday, 2007 Aug. 31. Hsu, a top Democratic fund-raiser wanted as a fugitive in California, turned himself in Friday to face a grand theft charge. After reports surfaced this week of Hsu's fugitive status in California, senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, (D-NY) joined other candidates in returning thousands of dollars Hsu raised. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) Hsu, whose criminal past has roiled the campaigns of top presidential candidates, was scheduled to ask a judge to cut in half the $2M bail he posted last week when he turned himself in after spending 15 years on the lam from a felony theft conviction. Instead, San Mateo Superior Court Judge Robert Foiles ordered Hsu's bail forfeited to the county and issued a new arrest warrant. If Hsu is arrested again, he will be jailed without bail this time. Hsu, a Hong Kong native, was also supposed to turn over his passport Wednesday. Hsu's prominent Silicon Valley criminal defense attorney Jim Brosnahan said Hsu failed to give the passport to the legal team on Monday... Hsu pleaded no contest in 1991 to a felony count of grand theft, admitting he'd defrauded investors of $1M after falsely claiming to have contracts to purchase and sell Latex gloves. He was facing up to 3 years in prison when he skipped town before his 1992 sentencing date. Prosecutors said they suspected Hsu fled the country then. But a few years ago, Hsu re-emerged in New York as an apparel executive and a wealthy benefactor of Democratic causes and candidates. They included presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose campaign designated Hsu a 'HillRaiser' -- a title given to top donors. Brosnahan said he didn't know if Hsu returned to his Manhattan condominium or stayed in California after his 5-hour jail stint Friday when Hsu turned himself in. He was released from jail after posting $2M bail, which a judge refused then to reduce to $1M."
2007-09-05
Joan Piccariello _Military Embedded Systems_
GEIA assumes EIA lobbying team
"GEIA President Dan Heinemeier is excited at the prospect of the new capability, and about building upon the strong heritage of the EIA Government Relations program to augment and enhance GEIA's already well established membership services... EIA served for many years as a national alliance of high-tech trade associations serving the technology industries by addressing domestic and international policy matters... Among the prominent players bringing their Government Relations expertise to GEIA are Susan Tonner and Nick Paliokas, while Storme Street will work with GEIA in a consulting capacity... Nick Paliokas has served in the Government relations arena covering policy issues ranging from H-1B and employment-based green card reform to patent and intellectual property protection. Having worked for senator Debbie Stabenow, Nick previously was involved in legislative reporting and tracking for an extensive list of clients; his initial focus at GEIA will be International Trade policy plus other areas in support of GEIA's public policy goals. Former Vice President of EIA's Government Relations Department, Storme Street, will also be working as a consultant to GEIA as the newly expanded Government Relations function continues to grow. Her primary responsibilities will be in the areas of tax and trade policy... the Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA) is a [lobbyist] representing the 'high-tech' industry [executives] doing business with government."
2007-09-05
Jamie Smith Hopkins _Baltimore Sun_
Helping some workers to better futures
"The fund -- which also has money from the Ford and Hitachi foundations -- encourages work force development that isn't focused only on getting someone any job, but on training unemployed and under-employed people for jobs in growing fields with advancement opportunities. In Baltimore, the disconnect between worker skills and good jobs has contributed to a staggering number of out-of-work residents. The city's official unemployment rate is about 7%, but that counts only those residents officially looking for work. In total, about 45% of city adults did not have a job in the average month last year -- at least, not a steady job counted by government surveys."
2007-09-05 15:00PDT (18:00EDT) (22:00GMT)
Lou Dobbs _CNN_
candidates for president vs. US middle class
video
Bill Tucker: High tech companies want all the presidential candidates, regardless of their party affiliation, to understand one simple desire -- they want more H1-B visas. They need more H1-B visas. The U.S. currently limits them to [over 85K] per year. Some of the leading presidential candidates seem in a mood to comply.
Skeptics say there's a simple reason why.
John Miano, Programmers Guild: Among the major candidates, it's clear that they all are supporting the H1-B program because that's where the money is. There are many industry groups and lobbying groups that can afford to drop lots -- millions of dollars into the campaign for this visa program.
Bill Tucker: Worker groups are not so well funded. Senator Hillary Clinton supports expanding the program, saying so on her web site: "I am reaffirming my commitment to the H1-B visa and increasing the current cap."
Senator John McCain supports more H1-Bs and he blames failure to expand it on the immigration issue. "The H1-B problem", he says, "is caught up in this larger, emotional, traumatic national debate we've been having on immigration."
Former senator John Edwards also supports the program, within limits saying: "H1-B visas are an important tool where businesses can't find qualified American workers."
But groups opposed to expansion of the program argue there is no demonstrable lack of talented Americans to fill the jobs. They point out that our colleges and universities are graduating almost 600K students a year with bachelors, masters or Ph.D.s in science and engineering, according to the National Science Foundation.
Art Pulaski, California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO: Before you begin to bring people in from other countries on the H1-B program, hire Americans. Hire Californians. We have a lot of kids looking for jobs and that should be the priority.
Bill Tucker: The high tech lobby says they need the H1-B program to attract the brightest and the best.
Ah, but the visas are not awarded on the basis of degree held or qualification. They're awarded in a completely random lottery. IOW, the luckiest wins the visa.
And, Lou, of all the major candidates that we contacted today, Edwards was the only one who called us back to issue us a clarification.
And the only candidate that we know of who is absolutely opposed to the H1-B visa program being expanding is Tom Tancredo out of the Congress.
Lou Dobbs: You know, this is, again, it is astonishing. Senator Clinton trying to position herself as a friend of the middle class but buying into these -- this -- basically Indian corporate nonsense.
Bill Tucker: Yes.
Lou Dobbs: What percentage of those H1-B visas are going to Indian companies?
Bill Tucker: Six out of the top 10 users of H1-Bs are Indian companies.
Lou Dobbs: Let's say that one more time for senator Clinton's benefit.
Bill Tucker: Six out of the top 10 of the top users of H1-B visas...
Lou Dobbs: So it isn't about bringing in the most qualified workers.
Bill Tucker: No.
Lou Dobbs: Maybe we can tell senator Clinton just a little bit about -- how much less do these H1-B visa holders make than the American worker in the same job?
Bill Tucker: Well, that would be $12K -- the same job, the same location, Lou. That's not like you're looking at somebody in St. Louis and New York.
Lou Dobbs: Right.
Bill Tucker: That's side by side.
Lou Dobbs: Twelve thousand dollars less. So, please, presidential candidates, Republicans and Democrats keep buying into this nonsense. And senator McCain, please talk about the highly emotional issue of immigration when we're talking about H1-B visas, because, senator, you don't know what you're talking about. And it's about time you started talking about facts and empiricism. As a matter of fact, that would be a great idea for all of you candidates in both political parties to remember, perhaps, that facts count, reality counts and so does our middle class.
Bill Tucker, thank you very much.
Presidential candidates, unfortunately, aren't the only ones at war with the middle class. Our law-makers in Washington, DC are also pushing to bring even more foreign workers into this country, irrespective of the impact on American labor.
Some in Congress want to raise that limit on H1-B visas with the so-called STRIVE Act. That is an acronym for -- it's very clever, stay with me on this -- Security Through Regularized Immigration and Vibrant Economy Act of 2007.
I don't know about you, but I just get so excited when I think about the genius in our Congress, on Capitol Hill, that comes up with things like the STRIVE Act.
It's one of the many bills, part of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill, that fell apart back in June.
Now, as we've reported here before, Congress is trying to revive that failed legislation piece by piece, one bill at a time, but still with the same aim -- amnesty, open borders and to shove it all down the throats of American citizens.
Debate in Congress resumes tomorrow on the STRIVE Act...
Kirchner (pdf)
2007-09-05
_WCAX_/_AP_
Tom Tancredo criticizes NH legislators for state immigration bill
"The Colorado congressman was commenting on a New Hampshire House bill that would prohibit state and local authorities from enforcing federal immigration laws... Democrats Lily Mesa of Manchester and Susi Nord of Candia are the bill's sponsors."
2007-09-05 (5767 Elul 23)
Jonathan Tobin _Jewish World Review_
Misguided push against "Islamophobia" highlights revival of 2001-09-10 mentality
2007-09-05
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
2007-09-05 (5767 Elul 23)
Walter E. Williams _Jewish World Review_
Economics and property rights
"Failure to recognize the effect of different property rights structures on outcomes leads to faulty analysis. Think about several questions. Which lake will yield larger, more mature fish -- a publicly owned or a privately owned lake? Why is it that herds of cows flourished and buffalo did not? Who will care for a house better -- a renter or owner?... Private property rights force the owner to take into account the effect of his current use of the property on its future value... When it was politically expedient, government and universities were the leaders in racial discrimination against racial minorities. Now that it's politically expedient to discriminate in favor of racial minorities, government and universities are in the forefront. For example, in 1936, there were only 3 black Ph.D. chemists employed by all of the white universities in the U.S.A., whereas 300 black chemists alone were employed by private industry."
2007-09-05 (5767 Elul 23)
Random Thoughts
"One of the painful signs of years of dumbed-down education is how many people are unable to make a coherent argument. They can vent their emotions, question other people's motives, make bold assertions, repeat slogans -- anything except reason... all that makes earlier times seem simpler is our ignorance of their complexities."
2007-09-06
2007-09-06 05:30PST (08:30EST) (13:30GMT)
Subri Raman & Tony Sznoluch _DoL ETA_
un-employment insurance weekly claims report
current press release
"The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 259,533 in the week ending Sept. 1, a decrease of 6,851 from the previous week. There were 259,539 initial claims in the comparable week in 2006. The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.8% during the week ending Aug. 25, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,358,649, a decrease of 10,915 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.7% and the volume was 2,240,524. Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Aug. 18."
graphs
2007-09-06
_IANS_/_Yahoo! India_/_New Kerala_
Indians better placed to land skilled jobs in USA
"An Indian college graduate coming to the United States is thrice as likely to land a skilled job than a Mexican immigrant of identical age, experience, and education, suggests a new study..."
2007-09-06
-Fox_/_AP_
Early-Risers at Heightened Risk for Heart Problems
"The study, conducted by researchers from several universities and hospitals in the western Japanese city of Kyoto, examined 3,017 healthy adults between the ages of 23 and 90. It found that early risers had a greater risk of heart conditions including hypertension and strokes, researchers said this week at an international sleep conference in Cairns, Australia. A study released in June by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania similarly found that chronic sleep deprivation adds stress to the heart."
2007-09-06
Frosty Wooldridge _American Chronicle_
US trucker jobs on the chopping blocks
2007-09-06 07:44PDT (10:44EDT) (14:44GMT)
Rex Nutting _MarketWatch_
ISM services sector cutting jobs
"The ISM employment index dropped to 47.9% from 51.7%, the lowest since 2003 February and the first decline in hiring since 2004 July. Only 3 of 18 industries were hiring; 8 industries were reducing their work-force... The ISM non-manufacturing index was unchanged at 55.8 in August, slightly stronger than the 55.0 expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch."
ISM report
2007-09-06
Patrick McManamon _Akron Beacon Journal_
Cost of Fantasy Sports in Perspective
Orlando Sentinel
2007-09-06
_BroadBand Report_
WindStream Communications is off-shoring
2007-09-06 09:56PDT (12:56EDT) (16:56GMT)
Amy Hoak _MarketWatch_
New foreclosures set record in latest Mortgage Bankers Association report
2007-09-06
Tim McGlone _Virginian Pilot_
Welding business owner, illlegal alien with extensive crime record, sentenced to 27 months for identity theft
2007-09-06 10:36PDT (13:36EDT) (17:36GMT)
Kevin Kingsbury _CNN_/_Money_
Lehman Brothers cutting 850 jobs
2007-09-06
_Houston Chronicle_/_AP_
Siemens Spent $2.2M on Lobbying Federal Government so far in 2007
2007-09-06
Audrey Hudson _Washington Times_
Michael Chertoff tells "sanctuary cities" not to interfere
"Mr. Chertoff said his agency will enforce the Basic Pilot Program that requires businesses to check the legal status of new employees by matching [Socialist Inecurity numbers, SINs] and information in Homeland Security Department data-bases."
2007-09-06
_Arizona Republic_/_AP_
Russell Pearce preparing effort to unseat Flake
2007-09-06
Fred Lucas _Cybercast News Service_
Engineers say border fence is practical
2007-09-06
Seth McLaughlin _Washington Times_
Virginia attorney general says federal government should do more to stop, discourage illegal aliens
"'The borders are not yet secure, the administration and enforcement of the immigration system is cumbersome and ineffective, and the public safety problems caused by criminal aliens are growing.', Robert F. McDonnell wrote in a 5-page letter to the president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. 'This is unacceptable.'... 'Until proper resources are devoted to enforcement by the president and Congress, federal law should be amended to expand the authority of state and local authorities to temporarily detain illegals until they can be taken into custody by federal immigration authorities.', he wrote. 'Funding should be provided to pay for the state detention of such illegal aliens until they can be deported.'"
2007-09-06
_Arizona Daily Star_
Border Patrol arrested convicted murder & a sex offender
2007-09-06
William F. Buckley _Town Hall_
World War 4
2007-09-06
_YouTube_/_Fox_
Paul Polak & Dick Durbin on H-1B visas (link to video)
2007-09-06
Patrick Thibodeau _ComputerWorld_/_IDG_
Flake-Gutierrez Immigration Law Perversion Bill discussed in House Judiciary committee's sub-committee on Immigration
"includes a proposed hike in the federal government's annual H-1B visa cap from the current limit of [over 85K to over 135K] and potentially beyond... Today's hearing concerned the STRIVE Act of 2007, for Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy [S1645]... But Julie Kirchner, government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington, said in her prepared testimony that an increased pool of H-1B holders would be competing for jobs with U.S. citizens. 'These provisions are a serious threat to high-tech workers in the U.S., including legal immigrants who have patiently waited their turn to take part in the American dream.', Kirchner wrote."
prepared statements
Kirchner (pdf)
"It failed because the American public saw that it was created to serve special interests by perpetuating the status quo. &bsp; They saw the unrelenting violation of the nation's borders, the sky-rocketing illegal alien population, and the disappearance of jobs and depression of wages as employers exploited low-paid guest-workers or simply used illegal alien labor. They then saw the Bush Administration join with a handful of senators to offer legislation that granted amnesty and created massive new guest-worker programs to appease big business [executives]... Turning our attention today to the STRIVE Act (HR1645), it is clear that HR1645 only replicates, and in many cases exacerbates, the problems in the Senate bill. It grants mass amnesty in multiple forms, creates huge new guest worker programs, increases the annual number of foreign workers who may permanently stay in the U.S.A. The effects of such legislation, if passed, would have devastating effects on U.S. [tax-victims], the American worker, the environment and, most importantly, the rule of law... In addition, the STRIVE Act dramatically increases the number of H-1B visas from [over 85K] to [over 135K] for 2007, with possible yearly increases of 20% until a ceiling of 180K is reached. It also exempts from the H-1B cap aliens with graduate degrees in science, engineering, math, etc. and broadens the exemption from the cap for aliens who earned graduate degrees in the U.S.A. These provisions are a serious threat to high-tech workers in the U.S.A., including legal immigrants who have patiently waited their turn to take part in the American dream. In addition to importing up to 600K guest-workers annually (plus family members) who will be put on a path to citizenship, the STRIVE Act more than doubles the annual number of employment-based immigrants [permanent visas] allowed into the U.S.A. by raising the cap from 140K to 290K. The legislation also reverses current law by exempting spouses and children -- up to 800K annually -- from the employment-based cap. This provision further doubles admissions since currently about half of the quota is used for family members. Finally, the bill exempts from the cap aliens who come to take positions in what the Department of Labor certifies as 'shortage occupations'. This last provision in particular will do nothing more than create an ongoing incentive for big business to lobby Washington to classify every imaginable sector of the workforce to as a 'shortage occupation'... instead of the U.S. population growing to 461M by 2050, it will soar to approximately 513M."
2007-09-06
Ted Morris _Sierra Vista Herald_
American Border Patrol members launch aerial surveillance of border & lack of fence construction
"Spencer's group has launched Operation BEEF (Border Enforcement Evaluation First). This involves Spencer piloting a Cessna TU206 airplane from El Paso, Texas, to San Diego every month, 500 feet off the ground, while video-taping every inch of the border with high-definition cameras. Operation BEEF is policing the U.S. government's progress toward a promised fence on the border... The 501(c)(3) organization says it currently has about 15K active member-donors and joins with other anti-illegal-immigration organizations through an umbrella group, Patriots Border Alliance... [The] group handed out DVDs containing detailed images of border installations... American Border Patrol claims the bureaucrats in Washington, DC, particularly Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, have deceived the American public by promising to have 150 miles of fence constructed along critical areas of the border by the end of September, yet currently about 17 miles are completed, according to private group's documented aerial observations. Those 17 miles include sections that are still under construction. What little fence is there is a wimpy one, Spencer said, claming it is not up to standards set by the yet-unfunded Secure Fence Act of 2006... The group operates a homemade 'Border Hawk' UAV in a 15-mile radius. It uses a 'Gulley Watcher' mobile thermal imaging camera system, set up by group's technical wizard, Michael King. King and Spencer live at the Allen C. Nelson Center on a border-touching ranch in Palominas."
2007-09-06
Ephraim Scwartz _InfoWorld_/_IDG_
Flake-Gutierrez bill may still be in play
"It appears that the STRIVE (Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy) Act of 2007 isn't quite dead after all. On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees Border Security, and International Law convened and on its first day took written statements from witnesses on the bill. The comprehensive immigration bill that caused such a furor earlier this year, mainly over the issue of whether it was offering amnesty to illegal immigrants, also addressed the H-1B visa cap. The cap, now set at 65K, with an additional 20K reserved for foreign workers who have a graduate degree from a U.S. institution, would be raised to 115K [+20K] for 2008 with a stipulation that it would go up an additional 20% each year that the quota was met, with a final cap of 180K [+20K] visas issued."
prepared statements
2007-09-06 (5767 Elul 23)
Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg _Jewish World Review_
The Greatest Gift
2007-09-07
2007-09-07 11:04PDT (14:04EDT) (18:04GMT)
Dave Shaver _Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader_
Common sense needed on immigration
"According to Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA. In a below-the-horizon move, members of the Senate are reintroducing three components of the failed legislation this Fall: 'the DREAM ACT amnesty for illegal aliens who graduate from high school and want to attend college; the AG JOBS amnesty for all illegal aliens who are working in agriculture (or who can fraudulently claim to be doing so); and a major increase in H-1B temporary visas primarily for foreign high-tech workers to enable more businesses to pay the lower wages of younger foreign workers and avoid higher-cost, older American workers.'"
2007-09-07
Rob Sanchez _Job Destruction News-Letter_
NPR Science Friday H-1B segment
"NPR had a 'debate' between a self-interested immigration attorney who makes lots of money from getting visas for employers, and Ron Hira who thinks H-1B is A-OK as long as it gets some modest reforms. Both of them support unlimited instant green cards for scientists, engineers, and computer programmers. When you get right down to it, neither one of them has a problem with H-1B -- they just have some minor differences on how the program is implemented. So what kind of debate is that? I call it a sham, but perhaps some of you others can think of a more appropriate name. I have heard several discussions on NPR concerning H-1B and have yet to hear a guest that's opposed to H-1B. I used to think NPR was unbiased, although perhaps slightly to the left, but now realize they are just another corporate news program that is used to promote global labor arbitrage. Folks, one thing you can count on is that NPR will never invite me onto their show. That's because my positions are not wishy washy like Hira's, and they aren't corporatist dogma like that lawyer. I want illegal immigration stopped, H-1B and L-1 abolished, and EB based green cards severely limited."
2007-09-07
Sara A. Carter _Washington Times_
Border checks have been limited to speed traffic
"An Aug. 16 memorandum from CBP El Paso field office Director Luis Garcia directs agents to limit inspections of vehicle and pedestrian border crossers as wait times escalate. The document, obtained by the Washington Times, sets new guidelines that border inspectors say undermine efforts to prevent terrorists and other criminals from entering the United States... According to the CBP, nearly 40K cars went through the ports of entry at El Paso, Santa Teresa and Fabens daily in July. More than 145K pedestrians crossed into the United States during that period. Rosemary Jenks, immigration lawyer and government relations director for Numbers U.S.A., said the directives in the El Paso memo violate federal law. In Section 110 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, all border inspectors are to collect a record of departure for every alien departing the United States and match the records of departure with the record of the alien's arrival in the United States... 'Customs and Border Protection should not be telling its agents at ports of entry to abandon critical security procedures when the lines get too long -- including checks for drugs or even radioactive materials.', said representative Lamar Smith, Texas Republican and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. 'If so, they are ignoring the law and putting convenience ahead of American lives.'... CBP Chief George Carpenter, shift commander, sent a memorandum to all border inspectors informing them never to deny I-94 forms, which allow non-immigrants extended stay in the United States, even if those people failed to turn in previous forms required by law. All the El Paso inspectors were required to sign the memorandum. According to multiple border inspectors, the agents who denied entry to non-immigrants without proof of the appropriate crossing forms were reprimanded by supervisors."
2007-09-07
Jerry Seper _Washington Times_
Sheriff's deputies and Border Patrol agents fired upon... again
"No one was hurt and the gun-men were not identified, although the area has been the scene of similar incidents over the past several months, including a confrontation in January when heavily armed men in Mexican military uniforms fired on Texas officers with a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on the back of a camouflaged Humvee. The men were identified at the time by Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West as soldiers. In the latest incident, a 33-year-old Mexican national was caught Wednesday morning by U.S. Border Patrol agents and Hudspeth county sheriff's deputies after officials said he abandoned 1,083 pounds of marijuana in an SUV near the U.S.A.-Mexico border after hitting tire spikes set up by agents on a dirt road near Fort Hancock, Texas... He said it was determined that the gunfire had come from the Mexican side of border. In the January incident, Hudspeth County deputies pursued three SUVs back to Mexico after spotting them driving north from the Rio Grande. The pursuit ended on the U.S. side of the border when the deputies encountered 10 heavily armed men in what Sheriff West described as battle-dress uniforms. At that time, deputies found 1,400 pounds of marijuana in one of the vehicles abandoned after it blew a tire early in the pursuit... In November, the Border Patrol chased a dump truck full of marijuana in the same area when it also got stuck in the river while trying to return to Mexico. While agents sought to unload 3 tons of marijuana, the driver -- who had fled -- returned with a heavily armed group of men wearing Mexican military uniforms and carrying military-style weapons. The soldiers backed the agents away and bulldozed the truck back into Mexico... Since 1996, there have been of 216 confirmed incursions by the Mexican military into the U.S.A."
2007-09-07
_WSOC_/_AP_
125 new NC in-mates face deportation
"Since July, 125 new inmates -- or about 2.5% of those admitted -- have been served with deportation detainers... Acree also said 785 inmates in the system already had deportation detainers before the new program began."
2007-09-07
Spencer S. Hsu _Washington Post_
Some congress-critters criticize plan to use satellites & aircraft for warrantless domestic surveillance
"Military sensors can peer through clouds and tree canopies, detect under-ground bunkers and penetrate buildings."
2007-09-07
Michael Rubinkam _Centre Daily_/_AP_
$31M cocaine ring broken up in Hazleton, PA: 40 charged, about 33 in custody
"According to a criminal complaint, under-cover officers made numerous controlled buys of crack cocaine from two of the suspects, Rafael Lebron, the owner of a Hazleton barber shop, and Jose Gonzalez, an alleged member of the Latin Kings street gang. Agents also tapped their phones and listened to hundreds of conversations between Lebron, Gonzalez and their customers, the complaint said. Between April 19 and July 11, documents said, Lebron's phone logged more than 21K calls, and Gonzalez's phone more than 17K calls. The pair were supplied by the ring's leader, Jorge Rivera, 39, of West Hazleton, who imported the cocaine from New York City, according to court documents. The ring allegedly made more than $200K per week... Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta has repeatedly declared that illegal immigrants are wrecking the city of more than 30K."
2007-09-07
Sheila Burke _Tennessean_
Arrests for driving without license are up 26%
"From May 1 to July 31, nearly half of the people arrested in Nashville for driving without a license were Hispanic, up from 23% during the same period last year."
2007-09-07
Edwin S. Rubenstein _V Dare_
Immigrant Displacement Of American Workers Booms Amid The Job Bust (with graph)
"U.S. pay-rolls contracted by 4K in August -- blind-siding economists who had been expecting growth of 115K. The 'other' employment survey -- of households rather than businesses -- painted an even bleaker picture: a job loss of 316K... Non-Hispanic: -584K (-0.46%); Hispanic: +268K (+1.32%)... VDAWDI [VDare's American Worker Displacement Index] rose to a record 124.2 in August from 122.0 in July. This marked the largest percentage gain in the worker displacement index since 2004 March. There have been only 3 months since 2001 January in which displacement rose by a larger percent... Just look at the job growth figures for the period from 2001 January to 2007 August: Total: +8.016M (+5.82% from 2001 January); Non-Hispanic: +3.537M (+2.91%); Hispanic: +4.481M (+27.8%). IOW: in 2007 August, 16% of U.S. workers were Hispanic. Yet more than half (56%) of the jobs created since 2001 January went to Hispanics."
2007-09-07 (5767 Elul 24)
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski _Jewish World Review_
Equality before the Divine
2007-09-07
| DJIA | 13,113.38 |
| S&P 500 | 1,453.55 |
| NASDAQ | 2,565.70 |
| 10-year US T-Bond | 4.37% |
| crude oil | $76.70/barrel |
| gold | $709.70/ounce |
| silver | $12.76/ounce |
| platinum | $1,295.00/ounce |
| palladium | $340.80/ounce |
| copper | $0.20321875/ounce |
| natural gas | $5.501/MBTU |
| reformulatedgasoline | $1.9864/gal |
| heatingoil | $2.1432/gal |
I usually get this info from MarketWatch, which gets them from BigCharts and FT Interactive.
2007-09-08
2007-09-09
| |
"Even a small plot of land -- 10 acres, 15 acres -- could support an independent free-holder, who could then trade his wine & oil for grain to feed his family, & retain a significant profit. This meant that, compared to people elsewhere, there were many Greeks who were relatively well off in ancient terms. They were rich enough to buy metal weapons & armor. 'The ultimate basis of aristocratic primacy was, of course, removed when the farmer-hoplite became the decisive factor on the battle field.'" --- James Dale Davidson & William Rees-Mogg 1994 _The Great Reckoning_ pp 64-65 (quoting William McNeill _The Rise of the West_ pg 201)
| |
2007-09-10
2007-09-10
Gene Marrano _Blue Ridge Business Journal_
815 applied for 15 jobs
"A skilled work-force and a central location make the region ideal for many manufacturers: it is within one day's drive of 75% of all manufacturing companies and two-thirds of the nation's population. A large number of under-employed people in the region are also attractive to a company like McAirlaids, where the starting salaries will be around $30K. The first newspaper ad for 15 or so jobs drew 815 applications. The president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association, an 85-year-old trade group, says the most difficult period locally in recent years was between 2001 and 2006."
2007-09-10
Jerome R. Corsi _World Net Daily_
NAFTA super-high-way plans advancing south
2007-09-10
Peter Green _News Blaze_
Genocide against Westerners
2007-09-11
2007-09-11 00:36PDT (03:36EDT) (07:36GMT)
Paul Craig Roberts _On-Line Journal_
American economy: rest in peace
V Dare
Daily Scare
"In August, jobs in goods-producing industries declined by 64K [according to the establishment survey]. The US economy lost 4K jobs overall. The private sector created a mere 24K jobs, all of which could be attributed to the 24,100 new jobs for waitresses and bartenders, and the government sector lost 28K jobs. In the 21st century, the US economy has ceased to create jobs in export industries and in industries that compete with imports. US job growth has been confined to domestic services, principally to food services and drinking places (waitresses and bartenders), private education and health services (ambulatory health care and hospital orderlies), and construction (which now has tanked). The lack of job growth in higher-productivity, higher-paid occupations associated with the American middle and upper middle classes will eventually kill the US consumer market. The unemployment rate held steady, but that is because 340K Americans unable to find jobs dropped out of the labor force in August. The US measures unemployment only among the active work force, which includes those seeking jobs. Those who are discouraged and have given up are not counted as unemployed [nor are the under-employed]."
2007-09-11
_SlashDot_
You should not believe the DoL Occupational OutLook HandBook
2007-09-11
James Pinkerton _Houston Chronicle_
Numbers of illegal aliens from India rising: Experts say many come to U.S.A. legally, over-stay visas
2007-09-11 15:06PDT (18:06EDT) (22:06GMT)
Anne Broache _CNET_/_Ziff Davis_
74% of state governors oppose increase in already excessive H-1B visa program
2007-09-11
Alan Tonelson _American Economic Alert_/_U.S. Business & Industry Educational Foundation_
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Laments American Democracy at Work
"Lamenting Congress's failure to pass an extension of Fast Track trade negotiating authority or an immigration bill allowing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's members to take advantage of cheap, immigrant labor (or hold labor costs down due to the oversupply produced by illegal immigrants), the Chamber took the following position: 'You know, when you come to immigration and trade -- I've sort of come to the point that I don't blame the politicians as much as I blame their constituents.' -- U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue, 2007 August 31 in 'Trade Priorities for This Fall' Federal News Service [I blame both the politicians and the executives in business and academe who bribe them...jgo]"
2007-09-11
Robert P. Murphy _Ludwig von Mises Institute_
Perpetual Trade Deficits Can Be Good
2007-09-11
Norm Matloff _ACM Queue_
Globalization and the American IT worker
2007-09-12
2007-09-12
John Crudele _NY Post_
How the jobs numbers put the Fed in a bind
"If the Labor Department hadn't made unrealistically optimistic assumptions about the number of jobs being created by [new] small businesses [that have not yet reported for the establishment survey] there would probably have been a shocking triple-digit loss... But the August tally included a guess that 120K jobs were created by small companies that were just going into business. The Labor Department doesn't actually know that these 120K jobs (or the companies) exist since they are just computer assumptions. These assumptions come from something the Labor Department gave the catchy name, the Current Economic Survey Birth/Death Model. And these guesstimates have -- as my regular readers already know -- generally been dictating whether job growth is better or worse than expected in any month... But that statistical largess wasn't enough to overcome some real and scary softness in the real economy. The most astounding part of this? Those 120K mystery jobs were added despite the fact that the Labor Department had to correct the past two months' numbers to remove most of those assumptions. June's job growth was slashed from 132K to just 69K. The growth in July was brought down from 92K to a very disappointing 68K. June's assumption for small company job growth had been an outrageous 156K; July's was just 26K. As it turned out, few of those jobs actually existed... An example: the Labor Department thinks -- but can't prove -- that 26K jobs were created in August by un-surveyed companies in the leisure and hospitality industry, while 22K suddenly appeared in the trade, transportation and utilities industry."
2007-09-12
Rob Sanchez _Job Destruction News-Letter_
13 governors are asking congress for more H-1B visas
2007-09-12
Mike M. Ahlers _CNN_
ICE says cost to remove illegal aliens would be only $94G: US public says "Stop yammering and get to work!"
Earth Times/UPI
2007-09-12
_Sacramento Business Journal_
EDS offering 12K employees early retirement
"Electronic Data Systems has offered early retirement to about 12K employees in the United States, about one-fourth of its domestic work force, according to documents filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The Plano, Texas-based company -- which has 2,700 employees at its Sacramento Service Management Center in Rancho Cordova -- will issue an additional $10K from the retirement plan and extra credits to the retirement accounts of employees who accept the offer, according to the EDS filing Wednesday... EDS eliminated about 5K jobs in 2003, followed with a much-larger round of 20K cuts the following year. The technology-out-sourcing company [i.e. body shop] has about 136K employees, but has been adding jobs in lower-cost nations while trimming pay-roll in Europe and the United States, according to Associated Press reports."
2007-09-12
Emi Kolawole, Jess Henig & Lori Robertson _Fact Check_
How US students score in math and science
"The campaign cited the Trends in International Math and Science Study, conducted in the U.S. by the National Center for Education Statistics. And what the most recent TIMSS study actually shows is that in 2003 U.S. students aged 9 (fourth graders) ranked above the average: 12th in math and 6th in science (out of 25 nations participating). American 13-year-olds (eighth graders) also ranked above average. They came in 15th in math and 9th in science among the 45 nations that participated in that segment of the study... And although Richardson constantly refers to his ranking as applying across the board to grades K through 12, neither TIMSS nor the other leading survey of math and science achievement covers all grades. That other study rates 15-year-olds (most of them 10th graders) and is conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. That showed U.S. students 28th in math and 22nd in science, out of a total of 39 countries studied."
2007-09-12
Ron Paul _V Dare_
interview of Ron Paul by Peter Brimelow
2007-09-12
Andrea Koncz & Pattie Giordani _NACE_
quarterly college new-hire salary survey
"Average starting salary offers to Class of 2007 college graduates rose in many academic fields, according to the Fall 2007 issue of Salary Survey, a quarterly report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The Fall issue is NACE's final salary report for the college Class of 2007... Class of 2007 economics (business/managerial) and finance graduates posted average salary offers of $47,782 and $46,442, respectively. Management information systems grads received a 4.7% increase to their average salary offer, bringing it to $47,407. And, marketing graduates saw a healthy increase of 5.6%, boosting their average offer to $39,269. Computer science grads’ average salary offer is up by 4.5% to $53,051. The increase for information sciences and systems graduates is even greater (5.9%), resulting in an average offer of $49,966."
2007-09-12 (5767 Elul 29)
Jonathan Rosenblum _Jewish World Review_
Why fear is actually rooted in optimism
2007-09-12 (5767 Elul 29)
Jonathan Rosenblum _Jewish World Review_
Lost opportunities on Yom Kippur Eve
2007-09-12 (5767 Elul 29)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
Amateur experts
2007-09-12 (5767 Elul 29)
Walter E. Williams _Jewish World Review_
Insulting Blacks
"What does it say about blacks who can be taken in by pandering, alarmist nonsense from both whites and blacks as a means to get their votes? As a black man, I don't find the most obvious answer very flattering."
2007-09-13
2007-09-12 19:04PDT (2007-09-12 22:04EDT) (2007-09-13 02:04GMT)
Chuck Flacks _Voice of San Diego_
Poverty angst
"Recent reports from the U.S. Census office have shown slight decreases in the number of people in poverty. Yet, as both the Center for Policy Initiatives and the San Diego Institute stated in uncharacteristically harmonious responses, establishing the poverty level at $20,614 for a family of 4 in San Diego is absurd, given the high cost of living. San Diego residents are mired in the challenges of poverty at earnings one-and-a-half times that amount. Poverty in San Diego is a much more common fact of life than national statistics would indicate... At the San Diego Workforce Partnership, we see this often. Many skilled workers must accept the first available low-paying job they are offered. They are often over-qualified for these positions but feel the need to pass on training that would propel them into higher paying jobs in fast-growing industry clusters, such as nursing, lab work, radiology, or numerous other potential occupations. Poverty drives an 'earn first, train someday -- maybe' mentality and keeps the poor in dire economic straits. One statement made by both the drop-outs, and the under-employed is that it is better to be earning some money than 'wasting time' in training."
2007-09-13
Rob Sanchez _Job Destruction News-Letter_
more articles about 13 governors' request for more H-1B visas, and open borders crowd to demonstrate in DC
2007-09-13 05:30PST (08:30EST) (13:30GMT)
Subri Raman & Tony Sznoluch _DoL ETA_
un-employment insurance weekly claims report
current press release
"The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 245,323 in the week ending Sept. 8, a decrease of 12,060 from the previous week. There were 240,231 initial claims in the comparable week in 2006. The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.7% during the week ending Sept. 1, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,225,354, a decrease of 126,964 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.6% and the volume was 2,133,891. Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Aug. 25."
graphs
2007-09-13
Jerome R. Corsi _Global Research_
Air Force ordered to stand-down tomorrow: NORAD, NORTHCOM on alert for U.N. meetings
"Michael Kucharek, spokesman for NORAD and USNORTHCOM, told WND the stand-down does not include the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves assigned to NORAD... NORAD and USNORTHCOM will be on alert status Monday when the U.N. convenes a high level meeting on climate change and also Tuesday when the General Assembly begins its 62nd Session in New York City. The stand-down Friday was ordered by general Ronald Keys to conduct a command-wide review of operations, safety procedures and check-lists after the Aug. 30 incident at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, according to the Air Force Times."
Jerome Corsi discussed that evening on Coast-to-Coast AM
2007-09-13
Jerome R. Corsi _World Net Daily_
Red China mega-port catalyst for NAFTA SuperHighWay
2007-09-13
_Web Wire_
Mexican governor announces the time "has arrived" to declare a North American Economic Community
"The first truck authorized by a Bush administration program opening U.S. highways to trucking companies from Mexico crossed into the U.S. on Sept. 8th. But the way in which the trucking company was selected is part and parcel of George W. Bush's stealth assault on American sovereignty, claims Dr. Jerome Corsi... 'Transportes Olympic, the Mexican trucking firm sending out that first tractor trailer north, was actually selected to be the first across the border nearly 6 months ago, despite the administration's last-minute announcement of the carrier earlier this week. If that's not an example of Bush administration stealth, what is?', asks Corsi. The designation of Transportes Olympic actually was made at a 2007 Feb. 22 ceremony held in Apodaca, a municipality of the city of Monterrey in the Mexican state Nuevo Leon, the head-quarters location of Transportes Olympic. It was there that the governor of the Mexican state said that the time 'has arrived' to declare a North American Economic Community. This shocking statement was reported by the Mexican press, but not by any main-stream American media outlet."
2007-09-13
Richard McVay _Athens Georgia Banner-Herald_
Ron Paul's presidential run is not the usual GOP politics
"He expressed his astute understanding of traditional Republican and conservative ideals in a demeanor befitting a true statesman, and despite near-childish antics by other candidates -- and even the moderators -- to marginalize him, he connected with the American people, winning Fox News' viewer poll with nearly 33% of the text-message votes. And Paul's victory, despite apologetics from the Fox News staff, wasn't an easy one... What Paul actually said was that had the airlines had the burden of responsibility for the safety of their passengers rather than having to depend on the government for security, pilots could have been armed to prevent such hijackings... And it wasn't just the questions. When Paul was answering a question about eliminating federal government departments, laughter was audible from one of the microphones. Just who was laughing wasn't certain, but blogosphere speculation ranked former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani as the most likely culprit. In fact, Fox displayed a split screen during Paul's comments in which a smirking Giuliani was juxtaposed with the focused Paul. Whoever was the chuckler, his disrespectful behavior is far from what I expect from a potential leader of this country, and Fox's failure to cut the mic showed its true colors. After the debate, Fox commentator Sean Hannity begrudgingly announced Paul the winner of the viewer poll, promptly excusing the results as more of the supposed spamming by Paul supporters... So, obviously, the gatekeepers at Fox News are threatened by Ron Paul. There are two reasons: The most obvious -- Paul is a principled man with emphatic, growing support who threatens to upset the status quo among neoconservatives. He wants to get the GOP back to its roots, and neocon media-mongers and their supporters stand to lose a lot of money if a minimalist government is installed. Fewer federal agencies means fewer government contracts. Secondly, if Ron Paul continues his snow-balling success, Fox News can't take credit for it. Paul's support is grass-roots, making efficient use of the Internet. A successful run by Paul would all but eliminate the conglomerate media's stranglehold in directing national politics, as free speech requiring neither a license from the FCC nor millions of dollars in advertising allows a wider variety of view-points to be absorbed by the masses. Paul's candidacy will be captivating to watch, if only for its emerging use of the web to mobilize voters, notably the younger generation traditionally seen as politically apathetic. It's a notable shift in American political history."
2007-09-13
_Kalamazoo Gazette_
Total students down, full-time students up
"The new enrollment includes 565 full-time and 588 part-time students. Last year, there were 518 full-time and 749 part-time students. The number of credit hours students are taking is up 5% from last year, Andrews said. The increase in credit hours is likely due to increasing numbers of full-time nursing and allied health students, displaced and under-employed workers attending the college for retraining under federal and state programs and students attending with Pell Grants and scholarships, she said."
2007-09-13 09:22PDT (12:22EDT) (16:22GMT)
colonel Dave Shaver, US Army, retired _Suburban Chicagoland Daily Journal_
Stealth drive for amnesty for illegal aliens continues
"We have to protect our selves from this government. Two major issues are driving American public opinion today: the war in Iraq and illegal immigration. Clearly the newly installed Democrat majority has missed its opportunities to resolve these issues. We have to wait for a thorough look at how the "surge" in Iraq is doing, but we don't have to wait to analyze illegal immigration. By trying to rush a very bad, so-called comprehensive immigration bill through the Senate, without sufficient time for all members of Congress to read and analyze the legislation, without public hearings on the legislation, the Democrats have now spoiled their newfound leadership advantage and soiled themselves, as well. Most of us think that to succeed in the Congress one probably has to lie, accept bribes, steal money, or just simply cheat to stay in power. This newspaper has published numerous accounts of malfeasance in office by these 'holier than thou', 'do you know who I am?' 'honorable' men and women in the Congress. So beware, America. These sneaky politicians in the Senate are once again trying to slide bad illegal immigration legislation right behind our backs... now I understand why they are so skeptical of our government. Pushing illegal immigration amnesty behind our backs? Yes, according to Roy Beck, President of Numbers USA. In a below-the-horizon move members of the Senate are re-introducing three components of the failed legislation this Fall: 'the [NIGHTMARE] ACT amnesty for illegal aliens who graduate from high school and want to attend college; the AG JOBS amnesty for all illegal aliens who are working in agriculture (or who can fraudulently claim to be doing so); and a major increase in H-1B temporary visas primarily for foreign high-tech workers to enable more businesses to pay the lower wages of younger foreign workers and avoid higher-cost, older American workers.' Did you know that there are 9 guest-worker programs now in existence, (according to CNN's Lou Dobbs), through which more than 2M LEGAL immigrants are processed each year?"
2007-09-13
Drew Wilson _Electronic Business_/_Electronics Design News_
Executives investing billions in hardware production in VietNam
"In January, VietNam entered the World Trade Organization (WTO). Next came a spate of electronics investment announcements... 2006 FDI (foreign direct investment): $4.2G; 2007 FDI: (first 5 months) $4.4G..."
2007-09-13
_Modern Patriot_
Hillary Clinton's Off-Shoring Ties Are Being Scrutinized
2007-09-13
Kris W. Kobach _Heritage Foundation_
A Sleeper Amnesty: Time to Wake Up from the DREAM Act
"It repeals a 1996 federal law that prohibits any state from offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens unless the state also offers in-state tuition rates to all U.S. citizens... Today, the 10 states that offer in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens are: California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Washington. (The legislatures of Maryland and Connecticut passed similar bills in 2007, but the governors of those states rightly vetoed the bills.) In most of these 10 states, the law was passed under cover of darkness because public opinion was strongly against subsidizing the college educa tion of illegal aliens at [tax-victim] expense. The governors even declined to hold press conferences or signing ceremonies heralding the new laws. Not surprisingly, when voters themselves decide the question, a very different result occurs. In 2006 November, Arizona voters passed Proposition 300, which expressly barred Arizona universities from offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens -- 71.4% voted in favor."
2007-09-13
_Jewish Exponent_
School Daze: Shopping at the New Job Market
"a recent job-outlook study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers finds that employers plan to hire 17.4% more 2007 college graduates than they did in 2006... Expect to change jobs. In today's career world, job stability does not always equal job security. The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics reports that over the past 25 years, baby-boomers have held an average of 10.5 jobs, and the average American now holds nine jobs between the ages of 18 and 34... Know what the hot job sectors are... Be flexible."
2007-09-13
Tony Morosini _Technocracy_
Great vs. Good vs. Bad Software Developers and the costs
2007-09-14
2007-09-14
Norm Matloff _H-1B/ L-1/ Off-Shoring e-News-Letter_
Hillary Clinton's Indian off-shoring connections receive more scrutiny
Hillary Clinton is coming under increasing criticism for her relations to Indian-Americans who have close ties to off-shoring. The enclosed article from the Washington Post of a few days ago is the latest salvo, going into a lot of depth, viewing things from the angle of the unions.
The fact is, though, that Clinton will get away with it. She's adept enough politically [and has the backing of enough media editors] to talk her way out of it, and her rivals in the Democratic primaries, as noted below, are not really railing against off-shoring anyway. Indeed, though the article here mentions that Obama's campaign tried to pillory Hillary for her "senator from Punjab" joke, the rest of the story is that Clinton turned it around to her advantage, by making Obama look anti-Indian. Obama apologized.
After the Post article, I've enclosed 2 articles by Anand Giridharadas, who has written several interesting pieces on this in the recent past. He (I believe Anand is a male name, so I'll use that pronoun) is the one who got the Indian minister of commerce to blurt out that H-1B is "the out-sourcing visa". Both articles give an interesting look at the the lobbying efforts by the Indian off-shorers. Note especially the connection to the Brookings Institution.
Note also this passage:
The Washington lobbyist said that a focus of the campaign was to collect data on Indian companies' investments in the USA, and then to lobby members of Congress from districts where those investments had created jobs. TCS for example, may be funneling some San Francisco-area technology jobs to India. But it belongs to an Indian conglomerate, Tata Group, recently acquiring the Campton Place Hotel in San Francisco and thus has hundreds of US workers on its pay-roll.
This is interesting. One of the H-1B reform proposals is to disallow any firm from having more than 50% of its work-force consist of H-1Bs. If those hotel employees count, then that proposal becomes meaningless. (It is not an important proposal anyway, in my view.)
Note this one, too, reminiscent of the writings of my favorite charlatan, Tom Friedman:
For example, a law-maker from Washington State might be told something like this: Indian out-sourcing companies [cross-border bodyshops] may funnel some Seattle-area technology jobs to India, but with the affluence that creates in India, more and more Indians are flying. That has made India a huge buyer of Boeing aircraft and thus a creator of jobs in the Seattle area, where Boeing does much of its manufacturing.
Even assuming that India does not eventually demand that the jets be built in India, what is this argument really saying? It's saying that with globalization we lose engineering and programming jobs in return for gaining manufacturing jobs. What a trade-off! As I've said before, what globalization is really about is trading jobs requiring higher levels of education for those that use lesser education.
Norm
Unions Press Clinton on Off-Shore Out-Sourcing Of U.S. Jobs
Indian companies are learning the Washington lobbying game
class action against Tata
Hillary Clinton Lauds Role of Sikhs
Panthic Weekly: Sikhs embraced at Capitol Hill
2007-09-14
Aixa M. Pascual _Atlanta Journal Constitution_
Crack-down on illegal aliens has reduced sales at businesses catering to Hispanics
"And the fallout has spread far beyond car dealers, which immediately felt the impact from a law that went into effect on July 1 requiring a Georgia driver's license or ID card to get a car tag. It's affecting bakeries, insurance peddlers, banks, food manufacturers, super-markets, restaurants and other businesses... Nearly half of the Hispanic population in Georgia is [illegal], Bachtel explains. The census estimates there are 700K Hispanics in Georgia, but Bachtel says Hispanics are way under-counted... Of the 198 in-mates at the Cobb County Jail interviewed to determine their status through Aug. 31, 142 have detainers which can subject them to deportation. ICE has taken custody of 32 illegal immigrants since the program went into effect at the end of June, says major Janet Prince, one of the program's supervisors."
2007-09-14
Brent D. Wistrom _Wichita Eagle_
Associations insist illegal immigration -- both border crossing and visa over-stays -- must be stopped
"Rosanna Pulido, a spokeswoman for You Don't Speak for Me, a Hispanic-American group opposing illegal immigration, criticized the media for not reporting about Hispanics who oppose illegal immigration and for only showing Hispanics who want amnesty for illegal immigrants."
2007-09-14
_AP_/_Houston Chronicle_
DeCoster egg farm in Wright county IA raided yet again
"51 workers were arrested... Austin 'Jack' DeCoster, the founder of DeCoster Farms, has previously been investigated by ICE for hiring [illegal aliens]. Agents have raided his farms at least 4 times since 2001, the last one in 2006 June when about 3 dozen workers were detained."
2007-09-14
Michael P. McConnell _Royal Oak MI Daily Tribune_
Illegal alien charged with 8th DWI
2007-09-14
Lindsey Collom _Arizona Republic_
Illegal alien facing death penalty for vicious murder
"The Maricopa County Attorney's Office is seeking the death penalty for an undocumented immigrant accused of fatally shooting a man who was bound with duct tape and whose head was covered in plastic... Authorities say Santos was fatally shot while trying to escape. Two other men managed to flee from a window while similarly bound with duct tape and with their heads wrapped in plastic. County Attorney Andrew Thomas said the death penalty was warranted because of aggravated factors, including the 'cruel and heinous manner' of the crime and the defendant's prior felony convictions. Acosta-Uribe also has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping, possession of marijuana for sale and misconduct involving weapons."
2007-09-14
Jerome R. Corsi _World Net Daily_
Mexican trucks are part of 'master plan' for 'super-government'
"James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, celebrated the Senate's 75-23 vote Tuesday night to block the Department of Transportation's Mexican truck demonstration project... He noted the Senate seconded the House's overwhelming 411-3 vote to pass the Safe Roads Act of 2007, a bill also targeted to block the Mexican truck project... 'We thought we already had this Mexican truck demonstration project stopped three times before this year, and every time the administration comes right back trying to press this idea of opening the borders to unsafe Mexican trucks.'"
2007-09-14
Richard S. Dunham _Houston Chronicle_
Tony Snow says the White House under-estimated opposition to amnesty for illegal aliens: I.e. We're out of touch with the public and reality
"Snow said that the White House was not prepared for the anger of foes of illegal immigration, who believed that government at all levels had failed to secure the nation's borders. While the public back-lash is aimed 'not merely (at) the Bush administration', he conceded that the White House 'made some miscalculations, as well'... 'We should have gotten it through last time.', he said... After the 2007 debacle, he said, the government must demonstrate that the federal government can secure the border 'in a competent way' before legislation that would allow American companies to hire more immigrants and permit the legalization of illegal workers can gain traction on Capitol Hill."
2007-09-14
_Chicago Sun-Times_
short bits on Mexican terrorists, candidates
USA Today
Charleston City Paper
Washington Times
"A rebel group claiming responsibility for gas pipe-line explosions that cost Mexican businesses millions of dollars said in a statement e-mailed Thursday that the attacks will continue until authorities release 2 rebels it believes are in government custody. Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Ron Paul, both Iraq war foes, are the presidential candidates receiving the most contributions from people who work for the 4 branches of the military and National Guard, a study says."
2007-09-14
Joan Barron _Casper Wyoming Star Tribune_
Ron Paul, Sam Brownback, Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter to debate in Casper and Riverton, WY
Billings Gazette
2007-09-14
Alex Fryer _Seattle Times_
Ron Paul has a wide base of support
"First elected to Congress in 1976, Paul ran for president on the Libertarian ticket in 1988. A physician and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, Paul voted against the Medicare prescription-drug bill in 2003 and favors relaxing restrictions on illegal drugs. He is an adamant proponent of private-property rights, a position many environmentalists equate with reducing species protection, and he sponsored a bill that would negate the effect of the Roe v. Wade court decision on abortion rights."
2007-09-14
Chuck Baldwin _News with Views_
Fred Thompson surge means conservatives are desperate: Only Ron Paul might be able to beat Hillary
2007-09-14 06:52PDT (09:52EDT) (13:52GMT)
Robert Schroeder _MarketWatch_
US import prices unexpectedly fell 0.3% in August
2007-09-14 07:27PDT (10:27EDT) (14:27GMT)
Greg Robb _MarketWatch_
UMich consumer sentiment index from 83.4 in August to 83.8 in early September
2007-09-14
Noelle Knox & Barbara Hansen _USA Today_
Housing costs punish family budgets (with graph and table)
"Sydney Lasry, a systems engineer, took a second job 3 years ago so he could afford to buy a $400K home in Severn, MD. His mortgage payment hasn't risen, but his property taxes have jumped by $1K since then, to $3,200 a year, and his home insurance has soared by $500, to $1,100. Now, housing costs are devouring 70% of his gross income. And Lasry, 45, who's working as much overtime as he can, fears he won't be able to keep up... 37% of U.S. home-owners with mortgages are spending 30% or more of their before-tax income on housing -- the threshold where the government says a home becomes unaffordable -- according to 2006 Census data being released Wednesday. This compares with 27% in 2000, before the real estate boom drove the nation's median home price up more than 50%. For some, the financial burden is far worse: 14% of home-owners with mortgages -- more than 7M households -- shell out at least half their gross monthly income to cover their home loan, property taxes, insurance and utilities, up from 10% in 2000... Miami-Dade County Housing Finance Authority...The county, which doles out nearly $15M a year in financial aid to home buyers who make less than 140% of the area's median income, has enough money to help only about 200 families a year."
2007-09-14
Mark Gaffney _Detroit News_
Michigan's working poor need help
"The concern is that we are trading high-wage, high-skill jobs for those that pay less, in some cases much less. This is a trend not only across the nation, but in Michigan, too. In 2006 May, 4 out of the 6 occupations with the highest employment in Michigan had a median hourly wage below the poverty wage for a family of 4 ($9 per hour or about $18K per year). Now, more than 22% of all Michigan workers are in jobs that pay less than the poverty level for a family of 4... Another sad statistic is that 43% of all families classified as poor in Michigan have working adults... A recent study by the Michigan League for Human Services finds that 40% of minimum wage earners are the sole providers for their families. At least 68% of workers affected by the increase are 20 and older."
2007-09-14
Shawn Coleman _Daily Camera_
City council candidates web log
"We must also continue to find and remove taxes, codes and restrictions that are archaic, or redundant. And the City cannot be a barrier to services that businesses need. Property owners need to be able to refurbish and upgrade their existing space to suit the needs of modern business. This process needs to be easy and inexpensive, because when it is onerous and expensive, the cost is passed through to the commercial user, then to you the consumer, or worse yet, the price of rental exceeds market tolerance and the store front or office sits vacant not generating any revenue for anybody. If we want class A employment, (and yes we need it, especially for our highly educated, woefully under-employed young people) we need Class A office space.
2007-09-14
Noah Brenner _Jackson Hole Daily_
"Imagine" grant gets OK from Wyoming business council
"'The expansion will help the county diversify its economy and tap into an under-employed class of highly skilled, creative workers already located in Teton County.', the staff report states... To apply for the state funds, organizations must have a sponsor in the public sector such as the town or county... a clause in the Wyoming Constitution...prohibits governments from giving money to private individuals... There are only 3 exceptions to that clause, none of which apply, Moyer wrote. Those, he said, are necessary support of the poor, economic development loans subject to 'strict limitations' and projects approved by the voters."
2007-09-14
Neil Vigdor _Greenwich Time_
Novelist who wrote about hedge fund managers to challenge Christopher Shays for congress
"Lee Whitnum, author of the 2005 book _Hedge Fund Mistress_, joins fellow party member and town resident Jim Himes as declared challengers in the 2008 contest, the only House race in New England featuring a GOP incumbent... She favors the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Whitnum said she wants to cut down the number of H-1B visas given to foreigners with the equivalent of a bachelor's degree to fill certain skilled labor positions because they are taking away jobs from capable Americans. 'I would probably say I'm pretty firmly anti-immigration. I don't see any good from it. All I see is Americans losing good jobs.', Whitnum said, adding that it was a myth that no one in the country wanted the jobs filled by immigrants."
2007-09-14
Mike Gallagher _Town Hall_
Illegal immigration isn't a crime!?
"If you go after the small crimes, the big crimes will be more easily defeated."
2007-09-14
Joe Guzzardi _V Dare_
Put George Bush on the 3:10 to Yuma!
"Because of his stubborn, non-stop efforts to end American sovereignty, Bush is also the most frightening president ever. Bush's quest to abolish America ends [hopefully] when the 44th president is sworn in... and not a day before."
2007-09-14
Rob Sanchez on Rick Adams (QuickTime audio)
2007-09-14
| DJIA | 13,442.52 |
| S&P 500 | 1,484.25 |
| NASDAQ | 2,602.18 |
| 10-year US T-Bond | 4.46% |
| crude oil | $79.10/barrel |
| gold | $717.80/ounce |
| silver | $12.705/ounce |
| platinum | $1,299.20/ounce |
| palladium | $333.75/ounce |
| copper | $0.21203125/ounce |
| natural gas | $6.279/MBTU |
| reformulatedgasoline | $2.0364/gal |
| heatingoil | $2.2078/gal |
I usually get this info from MarketWatch, which gets them from BigCharts and FT Interactive.
2007-09-15
2007-09-15
Norm Matloff _programmer mailing list_
urgent action needed on possible stealth legislation
"Some senators are planning to sneak the SKIL Act, which would bring in a huge increase in the H-1B cap and would greatly expand the employer-sponsored green card program, via an amendment to the defense appropriations bill. They've done this kind of thing before, as it makes it easy to hide legislation that brings in more foreign tech workers. Senators are also planing to propose an amendment that would grant amnesty to undocumented workers [illegal aliens]. It could be that with so many people objecting to that, no one will notice the H-1B provisions. Senators could say, 'Yes, we heard from the populace on amnesty, but not many people mentioned H-1B, so we went ahead with the H-1B increase.' If you wish to actively oppose this, you can go to the NumbersUSA web page, www.numbersusa.com for automatic faxing."
2007-09-15
_Free-Market News Network_
Senate hatching scheme to push through open borders, amnesty, incease H-1B visas
"During the consideration of the Department of Defense authorization bill (HR1585) next week, open-borders Senators will attempt to attach 3 proposals that would give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens and dramatically increase the importation of additional foreign labor for American jobs. Senate Amendment 2237 to the bill, sponsored by senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), is the DREAM Act, which would grant amnesty to illegal aliens... In addition, amendments increasing availability of H-1B 'high-skill' foreign worker visas and permanent residence for foreign workers and increasing the number of H-2B 'low-skill' non-agricultural worker visas for seasonal foreign workers are expected to be brought up... A new national television ad and petition campaign are asking America's leaders to address the crisis facing American workers and commit to preserving American jobs for Americans; enforcing effective sanctions against employers hiring illegal aliens; requiring employers to hire Americans first, making their own aspirations and dreams of a middle class life a reality."
2007-09-15 13:21:28PDT (16:21:28EDT) (20:21:28GMT)
Al Lewis _Denver Post_
All we want from a good leader is a (clean) hand-shake
"Many leadership books boil down to a few basic things we wish all of our leaders would do: Stop lying, stop manipulating, stop intimidating, stop self-dealing and stop being a jerk to employees, investors, customers and to your own moms... I hate when people tell me to get a more positive attitude. I do my best work when I have a negative attitude. Besides, most people would automatically cop a positive attitude if they got paid more and didn't have to work for an idiot... Leaders need to study history... I got Kouzes on the phone on Friday. He seems like a nice guy, not taken with his immense success as guru to some of the world's biggest companies. Great ideas, I told him. But the fast money is in slashing, out-sourcing, merging, flipping, book-cooking, hiring undocumented workers and moving on to the next thing before anyone figures out what hit them. Read the news. Read history. Many of our leaders are just highly evolved sociopaths... As long as there are bad leaders, the leadership book market will thrive."
2007-09-15
D.T. Armentano _Ludwig von Mises Institute_
A Politically Incorrect Guide to Anti-Trust Policy
| |
"This new appreciation extends beyond the great promise of [Herbert] Hoover's pre-presidential career to encompass the unprecedented steps he took to counter the effects of the Depression itself. Even as the economic crisis engulfed his presidency, Hoover remained active & methodically tested a range of different responses. Far from ignoring the severity of the situation, he employed the metaphors of war-time to combat it & became the 1st American president to meet a down-turn in the business cycle with massive governmental interventions. Far from being shocked into paralysis, he secured virtually all his major proposals, including some critical departures from past practice. Far from standing fast against innovation, his administration anticipated much of what would occur during the early years of the New Deal. Finally, we know that while Hoover's policies did not bring recovery, neither did those of his more celebrated successor." --- Stephen Skowronek 1993 _The Politics Presidents Make_ pg 261
| |
2007-09-16
2007-09-15 18:07PDT (2007-09-15 21:07EDT) (2007-09-16 01:07GMT)
Paul D. Perry _Waxahachie Daily Light_
What happened to getting bin Laden?
"The Constitution allows the issuance of the letters of marque and reprisal which would, in effect, make legitimate a bounty hunt for bad guys. Congressman Paul introduced a measure to issue such a letter in the House of Representatives. I guess HE is still after bin Laden, unlike those who would presume to IMPOSE a U.S.-style democracy where it will not last."
2007-09-16
_Salem Statesman Journal_
A reader's dissection of the H-1B program
"I thought I would point out some of the flaws in regard to the H-1B program.
- 'To some, writing about immigrant labor on Labor Day might seem un-American.'
We often hear the platitude, 'America is nation of immigrations' to justify bad policy. Have you ever heard 'America is a nation of guest-workers'? The article attempts to justify non-immigrant guest worker programs through immigration history.
- Doctoral Candidates and the like
This is right off the pages of the lobbyists' press materials. No one ever justifies the H-1B program by looking... at the H-1B program. You see Immigrants like Andy Grove and Sergei Brin were part of successful startups ERGO we need more H-1B guest worker visas. But you *NEVER* see the names of people on H-1B visas or who originally came on H-1B visas.
The non sequitur fallacy.
Instead, we have to point to odd statistics such as, 60% of engineering doctoral degrees go to foreign students ERGO [the executives say] we need more H-1B guest worker visas.
Look closely at the original editorial. No data on the H-1B program itself is used to justify the program. In regard to the engineering degrees, Doctoral degrees in engineering are historically for people who want to teach in academia. Even in private research labs you rarely find people with PhDs in engineering. Search DICE or any engineering job board. There are virtually no jobs requiring a PhD.
(Nearly all jobs mentioning a PhD allow it to be used in place of a BS [e.g. BS in Math + 3 years or experience or PhD in Engineering]).
The number of jobs in academia is extremely limited. So few U.S.students get PhD degrees in Engineering. On the other hand, the Universities these days don't want to teach. They want grants and their professors would rather do research. They traditionally use graduate students as the source of cheap labor for these efforts. In order to pack their bloated graduate programs that are operating outside the free market, they pack them with foreign students.
(To make matters worse for the U.S.A., these foreign students with English as a second language [become] the ones who do the actual teaching for the U.S. students [which has repeatedly shown to impair learning]. [Meanwhile, many US citizens with PhDs have been stuck in extended post-doc limbo or with one or more adjunct positions.])
- The DMN tells us 'These are jobs that not enough Americans possess the skills to perform.' My cousin just got laid off and replaced by H-1B workers. AIG, SealLand, Bank of the Confederacy, FannieMae, Dun & Bradstreet... have laid of hundreds of U.S. workers at a pop and replaced them with H-1B workers. How can U.S. workers not have the skills if they are training their replacements?
There is a well-known loop-hole in the law that allows employers to replace U.S. workers with H-1B workers. All attempts at closing it have been beaten back by U.S. industry. That clearly shows the true motivation behind this program.
- The Nature of the H-1B Pool
So let's look at the actual H-1B program:
- The biggest users of the H-1B program are the foreign off-shoring companies that specialize in moving jobs out of the U.S. to foreign companies. For computer workers ([a field] which gets the majority of H-1B visas), off-shoring makes up the majority of H-1B visas.
- The majority of H-1B visas go to contract job shops [i.e. bodyshoppers].
- H-1B computer workers make on average $12K a year less than U.S. workers in the same occupation and location.
- Employers making skill-based prevailing wage claims rated the majority of workers at the LOWEST skill level. When Industry wants more cheap H-1B labor these are 'highly skilled' workers. When it comes to determining how much they have to pay, they suddenly become 'low skilled'. Funny how that works.
H-1B: The Best Legislation Money Can Buy!
Did you know that when an employer submits a prevailing wage claim to the Department of Labor for approval, the law specifically limits the approval process to checking the form is filled out correctly? Did you know that for the DoL to launch an investigation of a company based upon suspicious behavior it takes the personal approval of the Secretary of Labor...?"
---30---
2007-09-16
Jerome R. Corsi _World Net Daily_
Evil congress-critters trying to pull a fast one: amnesty, more guest-work visas
"President Bush's comprehensive immigration reform, defeated in June, will make a second appearance this week when the Senate takes up various pro-amnesty amendments submitted to the Department of Defense funding bill, HR1585, which is scheduled for debate... the latest initiative attempts to pass key provisions of the earlier immigration measure piece by piece by attaching amendments to unrelated bills, a process critics characterize as 'stealth'. Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-IL, has re-introduced another version of his 'Dream Act', this time as an amendment (SA2237) to the DoD funding bill. The Dream Act would grant citizenship status to certain illegal aliens... Critics charge the Dream Act is a free pass to millions of illegal aliens, especially given the rampant documentation and identity theft fraud accompanying illegal immigration for decades. One set of amendments that won't be debated are three filed last spring by senator John Cornyn, R-TX. SA2140, SA2141, and SA2142 would greatly expand H-1B visas, granting U.S. corporations an increased number of immigrants, largely from India, to compete on a low-cost basis with U.S. college-trained graduates with comparable technical skills. Cornyn co-chairs the U.S.-India Caucus in the Senate along with senator Hillary Clinton, D-NY... recently released data will cause a back-lash against 'free trade' measures, given the adverse impact on U.S. earnings since [the Clinton-Bush economic depression began]. Scheve and Slaughter cite U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics studies demonstrating 96.6% of all U.S. workers -- including college educated and technically trained-workers -- have lost real wages since 2000. The only wage earners who have gained real wages since 2000 are a 'thriving elite' of CEOs who head multi-national corporations and the [small sub-set of] MBAs, Ph.D.s, and lawyers who advise these multi-nationals, according the Bureau data."
2007-09-16
_Hindu Business Line_
India growth on a roll says Accenture (formerly Anderson Consulting)
2007-09-16
_India Daily_
India's IT sector in the middle of capitulation with US economy
"The Indian IT sector failed to create world class products in spite of out-sourcing dominance for decades. They just served 'bodies'..."
2007-09-16
Jim Kouri _News with Views_
New "secure" visas sold on Mexican black market
"Well over 11K of these Laser Visas, issued to Mexicans for legitimate travel into the United States were reported stolen or 'lost' in just 2 border cities. Government officials claim this is a 15% jump from previous figures. The ATM card-sized documents, which include the legal holder's photograph and scanned finger-prints, were actually developed for use in 1998 hopefully to increase security and standardize documents used by Mexicans to cross the border since so many different types of documentation made the screening process cumbersome and confusing."
2007-09-16
_CNN India_
Satyam sets aside $1G for buy-outs
"Earlier, New York-listed Satyam said it was negotiating 8 out-sourcing deals worth $20M-25M each in engineering designs..."
200709-16
Russ Juskalian _USA Today_
Slavery shockingly continues even in the USA, today
"John Bowe in his incredible book, _Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy_... [wrote] 'If you can read this page, you are on top of the world and billions of people are beneath you. Your ignorance and your lack of a program will likely equal the squalor of your grand-children's existence.'"
2007-09-16
Edwin S. Rubenstein _V Dare_
Immigration Killed the War on Poverty
2007-09-16
Colin McNickle _Pittsburgh Tribune-Review_
continuing battle against "elements hostile"
"Ladies and gentlemen, just as you deport illegals one by one as you apprehend them, you also prosecute 'em the old-fashioned way -- one by one... '...we need the equivalent of zero-based budgeting in immigration', Krikorian writes, 'not zero immigration but starting from zero and then selecting only those narrowly defined groups of people [or better, individuals] whose admission is so compelling that it outweighs the problems created by immigration.' Krikorian's bottom line: 'Large-scale immigration is a 19th-century policy that we have out-grown. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can truly fix our nation's immigration policy.'... All this said, the last word on today's subject goes to one Grover Cleveland, perhaps the last good Democrat, and the 22nd and 24th president of the United States: 'The admitted right of a government to prevent the influx of elements hostile to its internal peace and security may not be questioned...', he said in a message to Congress on 1885 December 8."
2007-09-16
Elizabeth Wright _Naples Daily News_
RV crusader subjected to property destruction in campaign for Ron Paul
"Linda Hunnicut of Asheville, NC, and her pet monkey Buddy, 12, have been on the road in her RV since March campaigning for Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who is running for president. Over the weekend they stopped by her son RL's house in Bonita Springs while on their way to Fort Lauderdale. 'Ron Paul practices what he preaches.', Hunnicut said. 'He's just a beautiful man.'... 'Granny says to close the borders' is lettered on the passenger-side door, and 'Honk if you speak English' takes up much of the vehicle's back-side. Those are the slogans Hunnicut said bring out the most furious responses in people... Her stickers also promote 'No amnesty', 'No real ID', 'No mandatory animal ID', 'Live Free of Spaz', 'No North American Union' and 'Stop the trans-Texas corridor.' Less obvious, over the rear passenger wheel, there's another big one: 'Ron Paul for President 2008'. That would be the Texas Congressman who's in the running for the Republican nomination. Hunnicut's travels as a Granny Warrior are not an official part of the Paul campaign, and at times, the campaign has taken issue with some of her strongly-worded statements, she said. But her Grannymobile's criss-crossing route has closely followed Paul's, and don't try to suggest to her that man's chances are slim... It doesn't surprise her, though, when she hears that Paul isn't being taken seriously. That only confirms her worst fears for the future of the United States, she said, and it also confirms the need for her own crusade."
2007-09-16 13:06PDT (16:06EDT) (20:06GMT)
Larry Fester _USA Daily_
Ron Paul tours the Wild West
2007-09-16
Michael Bendan Dougherty _American Conservative_/_Sacramento Bee_
Huckabee wants to transform attitudes
"He styles himself a 'Main Street Republican, not a Wall Street Republican', lamenting that his party defends $100M CEO bonuses while workers contend with busted pensions and out-sourcing. He recounts meeting men who lost their manufacturing jobs in Iowa, one of whom worked extra shifts to pay his daughter's tuition. While this may sound like a foreign language to the GOP's investor class, it's a rhetorical appeal that helped socially conservative Pat Buchanan win the independent Granite State in 1996."
2007-09-17
2007-09-17
_Reuters_/_Ziff Davis_
EU court crushed M$ anti-trust appeal
"'M$ must now comply fully with its legal obligations to desist from engaging in anticompetitive conduct. The Commission will do its utmost to ensure that M$ complies swiftly.', Kroes said in a statement. The court upheld a record $689M fine imposed on the company as part of the original decision. More important, it endorsed Commission sanctions against M$'s tying together of software and refusal to give rival makers of office servers information to enable their products to work smoothly with Windows, used by [just under] 95% of computers."
2007-09-17
_Trading Markets_
M$ paid (yet another) lobbyist $120K in the first half of 2007
CNN/Money
Henscott
ForExTV
Forbes
Houston Chronicle
"M$ Corp. paid Cornerstone Government Affairs $120K to lobby Congress in the first half of 2007, according to a disclosure form. The firm lobbied on immigration issues, including visas for foreign professionals... Opponents have said [the visas have already suppressed compensation and opportunities for US citizens and] raising the visa cap would [further] lower wages and discourage American youngsters from pursuing tech careers."
2007-09-17
"ekevlar11" _Red State_
Nightmares recurring in senate
"This week the Senate will consider the [NIGHTMARE Act] by senator Durbin as well as increases to H-1B and H-2B Visas. Again, whenever Congress is in session, we continue to lose more of our rights and the GREAT AMERICAN GIVEAWAY(TM) continues. The [NIGHTMARE Act] gives amnesty to anyone who has been in the U.S. for 5 years and who was under 16 at the time of their entry to the U.S.A. The person's parents must have been denied legal status. In addition, it appears to create an anchor situation allowing those illegal immigrants to bring in the rest of their family. This law attempts to reward illegal immigrants and creates another magnet for folks to come here illegally. The H-1B visa program gives businesses the opportunity to hire foreign skilled workers often at the expense of our own American citizens. The H-2B visa program basically provides amnesty to farm workers -- this could grant amnesty to over 3M illegal immigrants. Since the 1980s, the importation of illegal and legal workers caused increases in our crime rate, forced poverty levels to stagnate (they would have decreased), caused lawyers to advocate bringing in cheaper workers and finally increased our population by a larger rate than at any other point in our history. If you are a liberal, these laws will continue to promote the depression of wages of the middle and lower income classes, continue the population growth in the U.S.A. which negatively impacts the environment and hurt our own social services sector. If you are a conservative, then these are simply obvious money give-away laws as well as a form of corporate subsidy. The only benefit I see to the DREAM Act is it might see portions of our immigrant population more educated. Regardless, I have yet to see the true benefit of bringing on millions of legal and illegal workers at the large rates we have seen since the 1980s. Our population is expanding at phenomenal rates and we will soon see an America at half a billion."
2007-09-17
Stephen Dinan _Washington Times_
Senate immigration battle returns
"After the Senate resoundingly rejected President Bush's immigration bill earlier this year, senators promised to try to pass parts of it, and for a time, it appeared as though enforcement -- better border security and work-place checks on employers -- would see action. But instead, Democrats have pressed measures on the other side of the equation to legalize some groups of illegal aliens. First up is the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would apply to students, and which senate majority whip Richard J. Durbin plans to pursue as an amendment to the defense bill that will be debated this week... Mr. Sessions said the DREAM Act would legalize 1.3M illegal aliens, while the agriculture-workers proposal would legalize 1.5M illegal aliens here working at least part time in the agriculture industry and would allow them to bring in family members..."
2007-09-17
Alisa Craddock _Enter Stage Right_
"Frederalism"
2007-09-17
William F. Buckley _National Review_
Speak up in English
"The movements in California and Arizona to require teaching in the English language are wholesome commitments to civil harmony. The searing question, of course, is: Is it too late?"
2007-09-17
Peter Gadiel 
_Family Security Matters_
What is 287(g) and why should illegal aliens be worried
2007-09-17
Vincent Gioia _Michigan News_
Children of illegal aliens, born in the USA, are still illegal aliens
"Illegal aliens and visitors do not enjoy the same quality of jurisdiction as a citizen of the United States. Can an alien be tried for Treason against the United States? Senator Howard clearly intended that the phrase 'subject to the jurisdiction' does not apply to anyone other than American citizens. The writer, John A. Bingham, of the 14th amendment's first section, considered the proposed national law on citizenship as 'simply declaratory of what is written in the Constitution, that every human being born within the jurisdiction of the United States of parents not owing allegiance to any foreign sovereignty is, in the language of your Constitution itself, a natural born citizen...' Another Supreme Court decision [Elk v. Wilkins (1884)] correctly determined that 'subject to the jurisdiction' of the United States required 'not merely subject in some respect or degree to the jurisdiction of the United States, but completely subject to their political jurisdiction, and owing them direct and immediate allegiance.' America's own naturalization laws from the very beginning never recognized children born to aliens to be anything other than aliens if the parents had not declared their allegiance to the United States -- a sure sign that the framers intended children under national law followed the citizenship of their father until he had become naturalized."
2007-09-17
"Stiletto" _Blogger News Network_
Fed up with farm subsidies
"Those who want to restrict immigration tend to agree that farm wages are too low. 'Like illegal immigration, using in-mate labor is simply forestalling or preventing the ultimate solution to this problem, which is, a) to let wages and benefits rise, and, b) at the same time, to mechanize.', said Steven A. Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports more restrictions on immigration."
2007-09-17
Marcus Epstein _V Dare_
Treason Lobby's DREAM Act: Amnesty for anchor adults
"The Bush administration had taken some steps -- both symbolically and logistically -- to beef up border security and interior enforcement. While obviously inadequate, these provide some cover... our borders are not secure, and there are still 12M-20M illegal aliens in this country flouting our laws, and they aren't going back soon... I have no desire to have a Mexican servile class, but many immigration enthusiasts apparently do... the Open Borders lobby is hoping that the mass opposition to the Bush/ Kennedy amnesty was just a flash in the pan. For all the talk of a 'techno-populist' rebellion I am worried that all the bloggers and talk radio show hosts who opposed the last amnesty are too busy cheerleading the war in Iraq to stop the invasion at home. As in the summer, America's one hope is that patriotic Americans let their politicians know that they are opposed to all amnesties of all sizes and they won't forgive any of them pass -- even if 'it's for the children'."
2007-09-17
Alfred Tella _Washington Times_
Unemployment and under-employment enigma
"Total employment as measured by the government's household survey has been flat so far this year, and the employment-population ratio, a measure of labor resource utilization, has been on a declining trend since last December. Monthly growth in non-farm pay-roll jobs, as reported by employers, has averaged only 100K in the last 7 months and a paltry 44K in the last 3 months. In five of the last 7 months, the increase in pay-roll jobs has been well below the growth in the working-age population. Ordinarily, stagnant or below-population employment growth results in rising unemployment. Yet last month's jobless rate, 4.6%, was the same as in January. A look at the historical record is revealing. The employment-population ratio in early 2001, [before the full impact of the Clinton-Bush economic depression had devastated the job markets], measured a healthy 64.3%. It subsequently declined to a cyclical low of 62% in 2003 September, and thereafter partially recovered to 63.4% last December. It has since trended downward, falling by 0.6 to 62.8% last month... There are illegal immigrant workers in the underground economy who evade the employment count, and there are others who work in payroll jobs that their employers include in the count they report to the government... people who want a job and regularly check help-wanted ads are not counted as unemployed. Yet people who check labor union registers, according to the Labor Department, do qualify to be counted as unemployed."
2007-09-17 (5768 Tishrei 05)
Rabbi Doctor Asher Meir _Jewish World Review_
Revealing a Secret
"But our tradition equally teaches that such disruption is considered an absolute last resort, not a first one. After exhausting the usual, transparent channels of direct communication, sometimes a person has no recourse except to bring attention to his plight through a more disruptive action... the suspected wrong-doer should first of all have an opportunity to explain and justify his actions; if he is convinced that they are wrong, he should be informed in a gentle and dignified fashion..."
2007-09-18
2007-09-18
_PR Web_
Cook county board considering resolution that employers should make good-faith effort to recruit US citizens before using H-1B visa
eMedia Wire
"The Cook County Board of Commissioners (IL) will vote on a resolution co-sponsored by Commissioners Larry Suffredin and Roberto Maldonado to support U.S. Senate bill 1035 that would, for the first time, require employers to seek [US] talent before securing Department of Labor (DoL) permits to hire citizens from abroad. The bi-partisan bill pending in congress, 'H-1B and L-1 Visa Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 2007', introduced by U.S. senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), would over-haul these visa hiring programs by giving priority to American professionals and crack down on unscrupulous employers who deprive qualified Americans of jobs and then exploit citizens from abroad.The resolution urges the United States Congress to pass the bill and urges President Bush to sign it. In addition, copies of the resolution will be sent to president George Bush, president of the Senate Richard Cheney, senator Harry Reid, majority leader, senator Mitch McConnell, minority leader, representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, representative John Boehner, and minority leader of the House. These members representing Cook County will also receive a copy of the resolution: senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), senator Barack Obama (D-IL), representative Judy Biggert (R-IL), 'representative' Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), representative Jerry Costello (R-IL), representative Melissa Bean (D-IL), representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL), 'representative' Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-IL), representative Mark Kirk (R-IL), representative William O. Lipinski (D-IL), representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL), representative Jan Schakowsky(D-IL) representative Jerry Weller (R-IL), and representative Peter Roskam (R-IL). Since the program's inception 17 years ago, employers have been legally permitted to bypass qualified and willing U.S. citizens and green-card holders (permanent legal U.S. residents) and even displace U.S. workers. According to the U.S. DoL's Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2006-2011 (pg. 35) : '...H-1B workers may be hired even when a qualified U.S. worker wants the job, and a U.S. worker can be displaced from the job in favor of the foreign worker.'"
WHEREAS, the federal H-1B program was created to provide companies and universities access to foreign workers in areas determined to be a "specialty occupation" by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, but, instead, has become abused by employers as a de-facto out-sourcing program; and
WHEREAS, through the H-1B program, employers are not required to seek local talent, thus blocking local white collar workers, including administrative and professional positions, from competing for these job openings; and
WHEREAS, thousands of American white collar workers have been laid off and their jobs offered to H-1B visa holders, many in the technology sector, the backbone of the new information economy; and
WHEREAS, the Information Technology ("IT") sector has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs since the recession of 2001 and not only has failed to replace those jobs, but also continues to severely under-represent women and minorities; and
WHEREAS, more than half of the IT jobs filled under the FY 2005 H-1B program were designated as entry-level white collar positions; and
WHEREAS, the H-1B program further accelerates the race to the bottom for white collar workers by allowing employers to offer lower wages and impose other unfair labor practices by making the H-1B visa holder beholden to their employer and holding the threat of deportation over his or her head; and
WHEREAS, in Cook County, between 2001 and 2005 over 180,000 white collar jobs were put at risk, because of the H-1B program; and
WHEREAS, Senators Dick Durbin and Charles Grassley have introduced S1035, the H-1B and L-1B Visa Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 2007 to reform the H-1B hiring program by requiring employers to recruit from the US workforce first, attest that the H-1B visa holder will not displace an American worker and require that companies advertise job openings for 30 days on the Department of Labor web site before resorting to the H-1B program [It should require advertising in at least a dozen high-circulation newspapers around the country and on a dozen web sites not owned by the employer, it's parent or subsidiary or affiliate firms...jgo];
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby support S1035 and urges the United States Congress to pass the measure and President Bush to sign it; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of the Resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Majority Leader of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and all members of Congress representing Cook County.
2007-09-18
Jeff Chapin _Tallahassee Demagogue_
TCC goes beyond basic training at Center for Economic and Work-Force Development
"Leon County, in particular, enjoys a relatively low unemployment rate. However, there are significant numbers of employees who may be under-employed and could benefit from upgrading management and technical skills to prepare for their next career move."
John Chapin appointed Vice President for Economic & Work-Force Development at an annual salary of $121K
2007-09-18
Dan Stein _Investors Business Daily_
US Economy Is Not Reliant on Immigration
"Between 1925 and 1965, we had a level of immigration that averaged less than 180K admissions per year. Illegal immigration during that period was not the serious problem that it is today. During that period of restricted immigration -- curtailed in part because of World War II and the Great Depression -- the overall trend in economic growth was impressive. It was a time of rapid industrialization and mechanization, a major move from rural America and work in agriculture to the cities and industrial jobs. Women entered the work force in large numbers. In 1920, according to the census, 23.7% of women were in the work force. By 1970, before the effects of the 1965 change in the immigration law had significantly expanded immigrant admissions, the share of women in the work force had grown to 43.3%... the rate of increase [in GDP] since 1966 is not as great as it was during the period of low immigration. From 1925 to 1966, GDP per capita increased by 168.4%. That is an average annual increase of 4.0%. During the period since then (1966-2005), the increase in GDP per capita has been 114.2%. That is an annual average increase of 2.9%... the nation's history with low-level immigration and the economic growth during that period provides evidence that it is wrong to suggest that our economy will suffer if immigration and guest worker programs are not increased -- as business interests are currently asserting. On the contrary, it suggests that the economy would continue to be healthy if immigration were significantly reduced."
2007-09-18
Richard Monastersky _Chronicle of Higher Education_ vol 54 #4 pg A1
The Real Science Crisis: Bleak prospects for US researchers: Tight budgets, scarce jobs, and stalled reforms push students away from scientific careers (with graphs)
"for many of today's graduate students, the future could not look much bleaker. They see long periods of training, a shortage of academic jobs, and intense competition for research grants looming ahead of them... So although the operating assumption among many academic leaders is that the nation needs more scientists, some of brightest students in the country are demoralized and bypassing scientific careers... graduate doctoral programs, which produced a record-high 27,974 Ph.D.'s in science and engineering in 2005. No less a body than the National Academy of Sciences has, in several reports, urged doctoral programs to train science students more broadly for jobs inside and outside academe, to shorten Ph.D. programs, and even to limit the number of degrees they grant in some fields. Despite such repeated calls for reform, resistance to change has been strong. Major problems persist, and some are worsening. Recent data, for example, reveal that: Averaged across the sciences, it takes graduate students a half-year longer now to complete their doctorates than it did in 1987. In physics nearly 70% of newly minted Ph.D.s go into temporary post-doctoral positions, whereas only 43% did so in 2000. The number of tenured and tenure-track scientists in biomedicine has not increased in the past 2 decades even as the number of doctorates granted has nearly doubled. Despite a doubling in the budget of the National Institutes of Health since 1998, the chances that a young scientist might win a major research grant actually dropped over the same period... Paula E. Stephan, a professor of economics at Georgia State University who studies the scientific work force, says, 'We've known about these problems for a long time, but we're very slow to address them.'... Despite the realities on the ground, leaders at the top of government, academe, and industry insist that the nation needs more scientists... Last month the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, or FASEB, released a report showing that the number of doctorates in the biomedical sciences had risen from just over 4K in the mid-1980s to more than 7K in 2004, with no increase in the number of tenured and tenure-track positions. Many of the younger scientists are parked in temporary positions, which almost doubled in number between 1985 and 2003, according to an analysis by Susan A. Gerbi, a professor of biology at Brown University, and Howard Garrison, of FASEB... Bruce Alberts, a former president of the National Academy of Sciences, says universities and the nation must take better care of young scientists. Now a professor of biochemistry at the University of California at San Francisco, Mr. Alberts says the current system of demoralized and under-employed Ph.D.'s cannot be sustained..."
2007-09-18
Jessica M. Vaughan _Center for Immigration Studies_
Professional Guest-Worker Visas and Reduced Employment Opportunities for U.S. Workers
"continued heavy reliance on the H-1B and L-1 guest-worker programs by employers in certain sectors -- especially information technology, but also higher education, nursing, teaching, and other professional jobs -- diminishes opportunities for U.S. workers in those fields, and may be discouraging young people from considering some of those careers... Positions for which Chicago-area employers recently sought H-1B workers include such ordinary job titles as Account Executive, Client Service Associate, Copywriter, Financial Services Sales Representative, Loan Officer, and so on. No one can credibly claim that these are jobs Americans can't or won't do."
2007-09-18
Rob Sanchez _Job Destruction News-Letter_
DREAM, Durbin and H-1B reform
2007-09-18
"Bede" _Conservative Times_
New amnesty in the senate: DREAM act
2007-09-18 (5768 Tishrei 06)
Dr. Debby Schwarz Hirschhorn _Jewish World Review_
Are the High Holy Days About Guilt?: People manipulate, the Divine does not!
2007-09-18 (5768 Tishrei 06)
Jonathan Tobin _Jewish World Review_
Lobby lies make a come-back
2007-09-18 (5768 Tishrei 06)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
Mugged by reality part 1
2007-09-19
2007-09-19 08:54PDT (11:54EDT) (15:54GMT)
Jenna Buzzacco _Naples Daily News_
Those who contract with city of Naples prohibited from employing illegal aliens
"Prior to the changes, city contracts asked that contractors adhere to all state and federal guidelines when hiring employees... Last month the city of Bonita Springs took similar action and changed the language in its bid documents with outside contractors to put the onus on private companies to not employ illegal immigrants. The Naples revisions, which immediately went into effect, state that in addition to state and federal laws, contractors and consultants must fully comply, without limitations to 'all provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 as amended, as well as all related immigration laws, rules and regulations pertaining to proper work authorization in the United States.'"
2007-09-19 15:00PDT (18:00EDT) (22:00GMT)
Lou Dobbs _CNN_
Cook county resolution opposing H-1B, Bilbray vs. Gutierrez and more
Kitty Pilgrim: One of America's largest cities is sending a message to Congress to stop giving away middle class jobs to foreign workers. The Cook County Board of Commissioners in Chicago has voted to support a proposed federal law that requires employers, for the first time, to look for legal American workers before hiring anyone else.
Kitty Pilgrim: 9K information technology jobs disappeared from the Chicago market in just the last year. Now, Cook County is trying to ensure U.S. citizens have the first crack at any I.T. job openings. Chicago's local government just passed a new resolution that requires a 30-day period for U.S. citizens to apply for technology jobs before employers can request permission from the Department of Labor to bring in foreign nationals on an H1-B or L-1 visa.
Donna Conroy, Bright Future Jobs: We approached our elected officials about the problems that the H-1B hiring program was causing and they felt that maintaining a good economy in Cook County -- that supporting equal opportunity for its residents was the best way to build strong economy.
Kitty Pilgrim: Since the H1-B program began in 1990, over 500K jobs have gone to non-U.S. citizens, who are often willing to work for lower wages because they want to come to the United States. Tech industry insiders say this new resolution is the first step in helping U.S. workers play on a level field.
Kim Berry, Programmers Guild: We think the Cook County resolution is fantastic because it takes a federal issue and is bringing it down to visibility to the communities where it's really having the impact.
Kitty Pilgrim: Now, the Durbin-Grassley Visa Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act has been introduced in the Senate and attempts are being made to include it in pending legislation.
Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has some blind spots with conservative Republican voters. In addition to his views on abortion and gay marriage, the former mayor of New York, a sanctuary city, has trouble explaining his pro-amnesty view to conservative primary voters...
Kitty Pilgrim: Border security advocates on Capitol Hill are resurrecting a bill that would make illegal immigration a felony and crack down on sanctuary cities.
Now joining me is one of the cosponsors of that bill, Republican Congressman Brian Bilbray.
Also joining me is Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez. And he is a sponsor of the STRIVE Act that effectively grants amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.
Gentlemen, thank you for joining me tonight.
You know, Congressman Gutierrez, I'd like to really ask you -- a provision of the bill would make illegal immigration a felony.
What is wrong with that?
Illegal aliens are breaking the law and why shouldn't they be charged with a felony?
repesentative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) Dem. Caucus Immigration Task Force: Well, first of all, because it's not a felony on our books. Illegal immigration and coming here to work is not like some larceny. It's not like breaking into someone's house. It's not like killing someone. It's not like stealing. These are people who have come here to do, in many cases, jobs which no one else will do.
As evidenced by that, Kitty, we have the Growers Association from across this country calling upon the federal government to reform a broken immigration system so that the crops -- the crops in Oregon, the crops in California, the crops across this country can be picked by someone. There is a labor shortage. The fact is that they admit... [No evidence has been presented to support that assertion...jgo]
Kitty Pilgrim: ...are laws, Congressman.
Luis Gutierrez: ...and people already -- if I could just finish.
We already know. And, yes, people, there should be a consequence to your action. So when you look at the STRIVE Act as we propose it, there are penalties. There's a [token] $2K penalty. People must get at the back of the line. People must wait. People must be finger-printed to make sure they haven't committed any felony that's on the book and that their only violation...
Kitty Pilgrim: Let me get Congressman Bilbray in on this.
Luis Gutierrez: And so we think that that's a better way of addressing the issues...
Kitty Pilgrim: Honestly...
Luis Gutierrez: ...simply criminalizing 12M people does not correct the situation.
Kitty Pilgrim: Congressman Bilbray, you know, the felony provision was in the Sensenbrenner immigration bill. It failed.
Is this too hard to get through?
representative Brian Bilbray (R-CA), chair, Immigration Reform Caucus: Exactly. Mr. Gutierrez voted last year to maintain the felony part of the Sensenbrenner bill. The fact is we all know the overwhelming majority of those who come into this country illegally use false documents and take other people's Social Security numbers, which is a felony. And the fact is, is when the Congressman says they just come here to work, he doesn't admit to get those jobs and to get those benefits, they show false documents, which is a felony and continues and has been a felony for a long time.
So the fact is, is that we are talking about felons, that when people come into this country illegally, their intention is to get a job, even if it means showing a false I.D. or a false [Socialist Insecurity Number, SIN], stealing somebody else's number, which is a felony.
So it's -- it's kind of disingenuous to say, oh, these people haven't committed a crime. The overwhelming majority of them, to get a job that Mr. Gutierrez says they deserve, they must commit a felony to get those false documents, and they do.
So let's just be up front about it. That's why the Congressman, along with 199 other Democrats, voted against Mr. Sensenbrenner's amendment to his bill to take the felony part out. He voted to maintain it in the Sensenbrenner bill.
Kitty Pilgrim: Let me move on to another issue. The felony is important. Let me move to sanctuary cities.
And Congressman Bilbray, in HR3631, Accountability of Enforcing Immigration Act of 2007, there is a major crackdown on cities offering sanctuary.
Why is that important?
Brian Bilbray: Well, first of all, because it sends a clear message that the days of sanctuary and being protected illegally in this country are over with, that 9/11 changed it and that when you come to this country, you're not going to have cities that are going to not only, you know, ignore that you're illegal, but actually shield you from federal enforcement.
What's important is send a message to those who may come here illegally and also to the cities that you want to come and ask for money from the federal government to fight terrorism, to protect your neighborhoods, you start by stopping the hiding of people who are illegally in this country, and that cities like New York and San Francisco should not be asking the federal government to subsidize their homeland security program when, in fact, they are under-cutting it by hiding illegals in the country.
Remember, the 9/11 terrorists were overstays. They stayed in this country illegally, used false documents. And the fact is, is that they were illegal and the fact is, is that we've got to make sure we send a signal that that doesn't happen again.
Kitty Pilgrim: Let me bring up this point, because -- and Congressman Gutierrez, I'd like to get your comments on this. The sponsor of this bill, Florida Republican Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite, said of this bill -- and we would like to bring up her quote: "When cities proclaim that they will not check immigration status, they essentially become a safe haven for not only out of status immigrants, but criminal aliens who have often committed violent atrocities in our country. And we run the risk of inviting terror into these cities."
Now, Congressman Bilbray brings up the whole security issue after the 9/11 attacks.
This is not something that you can argue about, is it?
Luis Gutierrez: Well, let me just say the following.
First of all, I didn't want to interrupt Congressman Bilbray, and so I hope he doesn't interrupt me.
He said that I said that they deserved these jobs. You can check your tape, Kitty. I never said such a thing.
You started out saying my bill was an amnesty bill. It's an earned legalization bill. There are penalties. We don't forget about the actions that they make.
Our immigration system is broken. It's an unworkable system. Let's say, for example, we have Corporal Gutierrez -- the first casualty in the war in Iraq came to this country illegally.
Would we make him a felon?
We have sergeant first class Jimenez, disappeared -- from Massachusetts -- in Iraq. His wife is under order of deportation, a deportation that has been stayed.
Should we criminalize her stay?
We have dozens of other men and women who are serving in our armed forces today who have parents, who have wives, who have children and who are illegally undocumented in this country and should we criminalize them?
I think certainly...
Kitty Pilgrim: Let me ask you a quick follow-up, though.
Luis Gutierrez: I think, certainly, not, that we shouldn't criminalize them. They are part of a broader problem that we have. Sanctuary cities -- because cities look at issues such as crime locally. They want everyone to participate. And in the absence of the federal government fixing our broken immigration system, they have taken actions in order to secure the safety of the people who live in that city.
Brian Bilbray: Congressman, you said the word, though. You even slipped and said they're illegally in the country. And the fact is they're not only they're illegal, but they're using false documents, which are a felon. They're using other people's Social Security numbers. And the fact is they are committing felons out there just to get those jobs that you say that isn't a big deal.
It is a big deal.
Kitty Pilgrim: Congressman Gutierrez, let me just ask you a quick follow-up question.
The Senate's comprehensive immigration failed in June because it granted amnesty. The American public clearly is not in favor of this.
So how can -- how can you continue to promote The STRIVE Act through hearings?
Luis Gutierrez: Well, we did have a hearing last week. We have a broken immigration system. We want security in the United States of America. The STRIVE Act calls for 12,000 more border enforcement agents. It calls for over 2,000 more agents to come in to work sites. It increases the penalties. It's certainly a bill that espouses security, security, security. And part of that security, Kitty, is that let's say tomorrow we made them all felons.
Would they all suddenly disappear from our streets?
Would they all suddenly disappear from our neighborhoods?
Would they all disappear from America?
Absolutely not. This is criminalizing an element of a community. I mean watch the words. The first thing we do is we talk about [the terrorist attacks of 2001/09/11]. We talk about the terrorists. We mix them up with immigrants that clean our bathrooms, make our beds, raise our children, pick our foods and try to mix them altogether, criminalizing and calling them all terrorists.
They're not all terrorists.
Brian Bilbray: We're talking...
Luis Gutierrez: They do fundamental work that is necessary. I'm not saying that. The growers associations are saying that across this country. Industry after industry is saying fix the immigration system, fix the immigration system for the security of our economy, because they are essential workers to our economy.
Brian Bilbray: Congressman...
Kitty Pilgrim: Congressman Bilbray, go ahead...
Kitty Pilgrim: I'm going to have to give Congressman Bilbray the last word.
Luis Gutierrez: ...give them correct [Socialist Insecurity numbers, SINs]...
Brian Bilbray: Mr. Gutierrez is trying to hide illegal immigration...
Luis Gutierrez: ...and make sure...
Brian Bilbray: Illegal immigration with legal immigration...
Luis Gutierrez: ...he -- here's the -- here's the problem you get.
Brian Bilbray: ...and mixing between legal and illegal.
Luis Gutierrez: Here's the problem you get...
Kitty Pilgrim: Congressman Bilbray, I'm going to have to give you the floor for the moment.
Luis Gutierrez: And everybody can look at the tape and what they will notice is that I never interrupted Mr. Bilbray...
Kitty Pilgrim: All right. Let's let him...
Luis Gutierrez: Yet he insists on interrupting me.
Kitty Pilgrim: Let's let him actually reply to you...
Brian Bilbray: Actually, Congressman...
Luis Gutierrez: Thank you very much.
Brian Bilbray: I was given the floor because you're mixing -- you are the one that's mixing legal and illegal immigration...
Luis Gutierrez: No, but I didn't interrupt you, did I, Mr. Bilbray?
Brian Bilbray: And...
Luis Gutierrez: But you insist on interrupting and interrupting.
Brian Bilbray: See, she...
Luis Gutierrez: I let you finish making your point...
Brian Bilbray: She offered me the floor, Congressman.
Luis Gutierrez: ...and then I tried to make a point. That's the American way.
Brian Bilbray: The American way is not to mix legal and illegal activity...
Luis Gutierrez: Maybe because my...
Brian Bilbray: ...and that is what you're doing.
Luis Gutierrez: ...of the English language, I have learned how to comport myself in an appropriate democratic fashion.
Brian Bilbray: I appreciate that.
Kitty Pilgrim: All right, Congressman Bilbray, please reply.
Brian Bilbray: My reply is that the congressman is mixing -- he's the one mixing legal and illegal immigrants. He's trying to hide illegal activity under the guise of immigrants.
My mother was a legal immigrant. Many people who are legal are more outraged at people like the congressman trying to hide illegal activity under the guise of those of us who are children and families of immigrants.
So, the fact is, any time you reward or you try to protect illegal activity, you're going to have a bad result. And the fact is, what we saw in New Jersey, what we've seen in neighborhoods, what we saw in 9/11 and what we're seeing along the border -- I grew up and was raised on the border and I've seen the deaths that are happening there and they happen because we started rewarding illegal immigration with 1996...
Kitty Pilgrim: Gentlemen, we have to leave it there.
Brian Bilbray: ...with the '86 amnesty and we don't -- shouldn't do it again.
Luis Gutierrez: And notice, I didn't interrupt Mr....
Kitty Pilgrim: And, gentlemen, we have to leave it there.
Luis Gutierrez: ...Bilbray.
Kitty Pilgrim: I'm terribly sorry...
Luis Gutierrez: I hope he will do the same the next time.
Kitty Pilgrim: We will continue this debate. You can be assured of that.
Luis Gutierrez: I'm not afraid of the debate.
Brian Bilbray: Good.
Kitty Pilgrim: We embrace it.
Luis Gutierrez: Thank you.
Kitty Pilgrim: Congressman Brian Bilbray and Luis Gutierrez.
Thank you very much for your participation tonight...
Kitty Pilgrim: Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia wants to end the North American Union and the proposed NAFTA super-high-way which would move Mexican trucks through Texas.
Now, Congressman Goode joins us...
Today, you and several of your colleagues had a news conference in support of your resolution, which would say that the United States should not create a NAFTA superhighway or a North American Union with Mexico and Canada.
How much support are you getting on this?
representative Virgil Goode (R-VA): We are now to about 37 cosponsors. So I'm pleased. We gained 4 or 5 cosponsors today. And it's slow. We need to get over a hundred, I think and -- but we're going along in the right direction and more citizens across America understand the dangers of having a North American Union and a superhighway that would run from the West Coast to Mexico, across the country of Mexico, and enter the United States in Texas, come across Texas and up through the heartland of the United States and on into Canada.
And with the NAFTA provisions that allow for Mexican trucks to pick up goods from China or any other country on its coast and then bring them right on into the United States, it's fraught with danger to our security and to our safety and it would provide a better avenue for those wanting to enter the country illegally.
Kitty Pilgrim: You know, sir, legislation by representatives Hunter and Kaptur passed in the House this summer that bans federal funds going toward these projects, SPP, the NAFTA super-high-way and the Mexican truck program. That passed in the House by 362-63.
Do you see similar legislation in the Senate passing?
Virgil Goode: I don't -- well, since I'm in the House, I can't speak for the Senate. I think if the Senate had a floor vote on it, that it would be similar to the amendment offered by Duncan Hunter and Marcie Kaptur of Ohio.
And Congressman Hunter was at our news conference today. And I want to salute him and Marcie Kaptur and all of the support of that resolution. That was 362 votes against allowing any part of the transportation budget to fund these working groups that now work with Canada and Mexico. So that was really a lopsided win on prohibiting crimes out of the transportation part of the budget.
2007-09-19
Keith Evans _Sioux City Journal_
Politicians thwarting the will of the citizenry
"Both political parties and the last 4 presidents have made extraordinary efforts, against the will of the voters, to unite our country with Mexico. Now, the Senate is about to pass a Defense Department [Appropriations] bill that has 3 amendments attached that will effectively provide a free ride for millions of illegal [alien] students and provide amnesty to 'agricultural workers' (meat packing plants are 'agricultural'). This is titled the 'Dream Act' and is an obvious attempt to thwart the will of the people on this issue by the proponents of open borders."
2007-09-19
_Washington Times_
No DREAM at all
2007-09-19
Meghan Murphy _Greeley Tribune_
Illegal immigration forum
2007-09-19
Allison McCartney _Oklahoma State University OColly_
Play like a champion: Go legal or go home
"I think it's ridiculous that in places like Southern California there are Spanish-speaking schools. Our tax dollars shouldn't be used to make it convenient for someone who may not even be here legally to go to school. Also, for people who are here illegally, and obviously they're everywhere, as there are more than 8M of them running around, they shouldn't get angry when laws are passed that aren't in their favor. They aren't supposed to be here, and I think that the people who are citizens of this great country deserve a little protection from these people who think they can just come in here and get the same benefits without doing anything to receive them."
2007-09-19
Marcus Epstein _V Dare_
Patriots arrested in Islam-occupied Brussels
2007-09-19 (5768 Tishrei 07)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
Mugged by reality part 2
2007-09-19 (5768 Tishrei 07)
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg _Jewish World Review_
If only it were so simple
"The discomfort with sin really amounts to a belief that people are immutable and will never change. A sin is an act, a violation. If people cannot change their actions, however slightly, then the High Holidays become a wasted opportunity."
2007-09-19 (5768 Tishrei 07)
Walter E. Williams _Jewish World Review_
Stupid, ignorant, or biased?
"President Franklin D. Roosevelt's closest adviser and architect of the New Deal, Harry Hopkins, advised, 'Tax and tax, spend and spend, elect and elect, because the people are too damn dumb to know the difference.' Professor Bryan Caplan, my colleague at George Mason University, sheds some light on Hopkins' observation in his new book, _The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies_. Caplan is far more generous than Hopkins. Instead, he says people harbor economic biases, several of which he discusses. There's the anti-market bias, the failure to believe that market forces determine prices. Many believe that prices are a function of a CEO's intentions and conspiracies. If a CEO wakes up feeling greedy, he'll raise prices. They also believe that profits are undeserving gifts. They fail to see that, at least in open markets, profits are incentives for firms to satisfy customers, find least-cost production methods and move resources from low-valued to high-valued uses. Then there's the make-work bias, where many believe that labor is better to use than conserve. Thus, the destruction of jobs is seen as a danger. Technology, as well as out-sourcing, throws some people out of work... Next is the anti-foreign bias... Added to the anti-foreign bias is the balance-of-trade fallacy. Caplan says that nobody loses sleep over whether there's a trade balance between California and Nevada, or between him and iTunes. Trade balance fears arise only when another country is involved. The fallacy is not treating all purchases as a cost but only foreign purchases as a cost. There might be another bias as well. Caplan reports that, according to an opinion survey, 28% of Americans admitted they dislike Japan but only 8% dislike England and a scant 3% dislike Canada."
2007-09-20
2007-09-20 05:30PST (08:30EST) (13:30GMT)
Subri Raman & Tony Sznoluch _DoL ETA_
un-employment insurance weekly claims report
current press release
"The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 259,721 in the week ending Sept. 15, an increase of 14,270 from the previous week. There were 267,036 initial claims in the comparable week in 2006. The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.7% during the week ending Sept. 8, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,246,792, an increase of 10,389 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.7% and the volume was 2,152,929. Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Sept. 1."
graphs
2007-09-20
Ken Borsuk _Greenwich Post_
Himes & Whitnum run for Greenwich congessional seat: Shays demands Rep. leadership of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
"Ms. Whitnum also pledged to work on illegal immigration, but in doing so she took a stance that could potentially prove unpopular within the party. She said illegal workers in the country weren't paying taxes and that had to change, suggesting a registry so their wages could be taxed like every other worker's. 'If they don't want to sign up and register by a certain date, they need to be rounded up and deported.', Ms. Whitnum told the Post, adding that she would call for an elimination of the H-1B Visa, which allows for foreign-born people to come to the United States to work and generally impacts technical positions. 'We have plenty of technical people here. We have a surplus of 245K kids being turned out from American universities who will never find technical work. I've been a displaced worker. It's a racket put together by immigration lawyers, recruiting firms and technical companies. They're screwing the American people.' Mr. Himes said he had talked with Ms. Whitnum in the past about her interest in running, but hadn't known she was going to declare last week. He said her campaign was evidence he wasn't the only person who thought the country was on the wrong track."
2007-09-20
John W. Lillpop _Canada Free Press_
Why is federal authority over-riding in Hazleton but irrelevant in Newark?
2007-09-20
David Horowitz _Front Page Magazine_
Senators subbornly pursuing financial aid and citizenship for illegal aliens
"After the Senate rejected President Bush's immigration bill this summer, numerous senators vowed that they would press forward in trying to pass certain parts of it. The American people, quite naturally, expected that this meant their elected officials would eschew the bill’s amnesty and entitlement provisions for illegals, and would instead pursue such measures as tougher enforcement, enhanced border security, and work-place checks on employers. But now we learn that our elected officials are doing precisely the opposite. And to some extent, this betrayal of the American people is bipartisan."
2007-09-20
Frosty Wooldridge _News with Views_
Letters from Americans disgruntled by illegal immigration
2007-09-20
Drew McKissick _Conservative Outpost_
Bad Dream Act Back Again
"You can't keep a bad idea down, at least not in Washington. The whole amnesty thing is like some creature from a bad horror movie that you just can't kill. To make things worse, this time they're trying to tie it on as a amendment to the Defense authorization bill."
2007-09-20
Jim Brown _One News Now_
'Dream Act' could be immigration nightmare
2007-09-20
John Derbyshire _National Review_
Islamo-phobo-phobia
"Would I exclude foreign Muslims from settlement in the U.S.A.? Yes, I would; but this is not actually saying much, as I would stop all mass immigration if I could. Islam needs particular attention because of the sheer quantity of lunacy it has thrown up in the present generation; but it is not the only counter-example to the Diversity Theorem, only the most pressing one."
2007-09-20
Russ Neal _Paradise CA Post_
Self-flagellation is an American tradition
"They broke the law and entered the country without permission or appropriate documentation. They did this willingly and enthusiastically... Many of these illegal lawbreakers believe they have this barrel full of rights that allows them and their families free access to our schools, hospitals, unemployment benefits and [Socialist Insecurity] payments. This just plain isn't right. Their only rights, as I have said before, are to be thrown in jail, treated humanely, and deported."
2007-09-20
Michael Kraft _Charlotte Conservative News_
Loop-holes designed into the DREAM act
2007-09-20
_Arizona Daily Star_/_AP_
Tunnel under border found in San Luis
"The U.S. Border Patrol water truck driver was using his vehicle to pack a dirt road paralleling the international boundary Wednesday afternoon when his truck sank about 3 feet, according to Border Patrol agent Eric Anderson... The entrance to the tunnel was discovered in a home in San Luis Rio Colorado, according to Cecilia Loera Ochoa, spokeswoman for the Mexican federal prosecutor's office. She said the tunnel extended 250 feet, with 142 feet of it in Mexico and the remainder in the U.S.A."
2007-09-20
Sher Zieve _Michigan News_
Senate's DREAM act slaps US citizenry in the face... again
2007-09-20
Thad Williamson & Norman Leahy _Richmond_
The US economy
"Median wages in the United States have fallen from $15.32 in 2003 to $15.14 in 2007, and, for workers near the bottom, from $7.87 to $7.82. Total compensation for the median worker has been essentially flat since 2003 as well. Only (as usual) at the top end of the wage distribution has take-home pay per hour been increasing... From the end of World War II through the 1970s, American workers' wages grew in almost lockstep with productivity. But for the last 30 years, wage increases haven't remotely kept up with increases in productivity... Consider this statistic: According to data assembled by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, average productivity per hour jumped 76% between 1973 and 2004. But median compensation (wages plus benefits) only increased by 18.5% over that same time period. If compensation had increased at the same rate as increases in productivity over that entire time period, the median compensation in 2004 would have been $25.76 per hour, not the $17.36 it actually was. Throughout much of the last generation, wage stagnation has been offset by increases in hours worked, particularly hours worked by women. Those increased hours allowed family incomes to continue to rise slowly even as wages remained stagnant. But this strategy has run its course: median family income in 2006, according to Census Data last month, was $54,726, compared to $57,101 in 2000, when the economy reached its last peak. Consider also some facts about poverty: Despite a slight improvement in 2006, the poverty rates remains higher (12.3%) than it was in 2001 (11.7%), including a rate of 17.4% for children (compared to 16.3% in 2001). Meanwhile, the number of persons without health insurance rose by some 2.2M in 2006, and now totals 47M, compared to 39.8M in 2001... American manufacturing has never been stronger. Manufacturers' output, revenue and profits set all-time highs in 2006. And as for [Red China] and the rest of the world's manufacturers, the U.S. still produces more goods than anyone else, commanding more than 20% of global industrial output."
2007-09-20
"Citizen Carrie" _Carrie's Nation_
Stealthy Little Piggies on the Senate Floor
Brilliant at Breakfast
2007-09-20
Steven Shulman _Fort Collins Coloradoan_
Facts about illegal aliens
"I suggest that we have a conversation about immigration that is rooted in fact rather than political correctness. Let's talk about these facts: 1.6M immigrants settle in the U.S.A. each year, and 350K leave each year, resulting in net immigration of 1.25M each year. Illegal immigration accounts for more than one-third of total net immigration. If immigration continues at current levels, the U.S. population will increase from 301M today to 468M in 2060 -- a 167M (56%) increase. Immigrants and their descendants will account for 105M (63%) of the increase. That total increase is equivalent to adding the combined populations of California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia and New Jersey. It is more than the entire U.S. population in 1950. The 105M from immigration by itself is equal to 13 additional New York Cities. It is almost as much as the entire population of Mexico."
2007-09-20 (5768 Tishrei 8)
Jonathan Tobin _Jewish World Review_
Looking at the new year
2007-09-20 (5768 Tishrei 8)
Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz _Jewish World Review_
Mugged by reality part 3
2007-09-20 (5768 Tishrei 8)
Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz _Jewish World Review_
Divine vindictiveness?
2007-09-21
2007-09-21
Ron Branstner _Saint Cloud MN Times_
Electoral misrepresentation
"Steve Sailer of UPI crunched the numbers for California's whole delegation. In the eight districts won by Hispanics (all Democrats), an average of 80K voters went to the polls. In the other 45 districts, an average of 143K turned out. That's 79% more. In Montana, the whole state consisted of 900K people and one district. That's 50% higher than a typical House seat. Yet Montana doesn't have a second congressional seat because reapportionment rules give preference to states such as California, which gets extra representation and is also home to an estimated 2M illegal immigrants. Montana isn't the only loser. According to a new report by the Center for Immigration Studies, Indiana, Michigan and Mississippi are also shy a seat in the House because of illegal immigrants residing elsewhere."
2007-09-21
_Houston Chronicle_/_AP_
Jacobs Engineering spent $400K on lobbying in 1st half of 2007
"The Pasadena, CA-based company lobbied on a wide range of issues, including the environment, homeland security, housing, immigration and highways, according to the form posted online Monday by the Senate's public records office."
2007-09-21 (5768 Tishrei 09)
Caroline B. Glick _Jewish World Review_
How not to help "moderates"
2007-09-21
| DJIA | 13,820.19 |
| S&P 500 | 1,525.75 |
| NASDAQ | 2,671.22 |
| 10-year US T-Bond | 4.63% |
| crude oil | $81.62/barrel |
| gold | $738.90/ounce |
| silver | $13.62/ounce |
| platinum | $1,331.60/ounce |
| palladium | $342.55/ounce |
| copper | $0.22453125/ounce |
| natural gas | $6.08/MBTU |
| reformulatedgasoline | $2.1145/gal |
| heatingoil | $2.2562/gal |
I usually get this info from MarketWatch, which gets them from BigCharts and FT Interactive.
2007-09-22
2007-09-22
Norm Matloff _H-1B/ L-1/ Off-Shoring e-News-Letter_
lobbying group of H-1Bs wants shorter waits for green cards
It's amazing how the industry lobbyists are so skilled that they can take a phony issue and make a crisis out of it. Fueled by a sympathetic report by Vivek Wadhwa and co-authors (see my earlier review) the lobbyists are claiming that unless we don't speed up the wait for employer-sponsored green cards, the U.S. will lost lots of geniuses that could really contribute to American competitiveness in the tech area. They say these foreign workers just won't want to wait the 6 years or more it is taking for many green card applications to go through.
But as I said in the quote at the end of the article, this is simply false. The wait time for green cards for "the best and the brightest" is very short, a matter of months in the "genius" green card category, EB-1. Even for EB-2, which is the "excellent but not genius, OR in of ordinary talent but in possession of a Master's dgree" category, the wait is only a couple of years.
The ones who are waiting 6 years or more are those in the lowest category, EB-3, which is for plain ordinary folks. But we don't need these workers (and for that matter most in EB-2). So though one might sympathize with their situation, it is not having a negative impact on U.S. well being. On the contrary, these workers are displacing Americans.
Norm
National Journal
2007-09-22
Jerry Zremski _Buffalo NY News_
Hillary Clinton tied to off-shoring & cross-border bodyshops
2007-09-22
Arthur Waldron _Family Security Matters_
US hedge funds invest in Red Chinese repression
"China Security and Surveillance Technology... is a company that supplies high technology tools of repression to Beijing's secret police and whose stock is hot right now; it has also received the lion's share of its capital from U.S. hedge funds, and is about to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Columnist Harold Meyerson tells the story in today's edition. He estimates that 'high-end surveillance equipment' which was a $500M industry in 2003 may be worth '$43G... by 2010'... &nnbsp; under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act we ban bribery, kick-backs, and so forth by American firms doing business over-seas -- even when other, competing countries are using such tools to win contracts. What we need now is a 'Foreign Oppressive Practices Act' that would outlaw American investment in, technology transfer to, or any other cooperation or collusion with the secret police and militaries of states that are not free. Drafting such a law will not be difficult. All we need is will and leadership. Some investors and traders will squeal, yes. And [Red China] and other dictatorships will still get much of what they need from countries that do not have such rules. But equipping foreign secret police organizations is no business for the United States of America (or any other country claiming to possess democratic values). The White House should speak out clearly. The Congress should take immediate action."
2007-09-22
Pete Yost _Washington Post_
GAO: Risk of fraud in visa program is high
"Nearly 10K foreigners from states sponsoring terrorism have obtained permanent residency in the United States in the past 7 years, congressional investigators say... Of countries designated by the State Department as sponsors of terrorism, over 2,700 people from Cuba have come into the United States through the program, as have 3,100 Iranians, 3,700 Sudanese and 160 Syrians. Fraudulent visa activity in other countries in the program also is a problem... Among the top participant countries in the program, over 36K people from Ethiopia have come to the United States through the program, 35K from Nigeria, 32K from Ukraine and 31K from Albania. These nations are not on the State Department's list of states that sponsor terrorism."
GAO report (pdf)
2007-09-22
P.A. Madison _Federalist_
what "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" means
2007-09-23
not much happening
2007-09-24
2007-09-24
Thomas Brewton _View from 1776_
Leftist Hillary Still Channeling Leftist Roosevelt
2007-09-24
Amir Efrati _Wall Street Journal_
Job market waning for US sheisters, too (with graphs)
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
"In the 2005-2006 academic year, 43,883 Juris Doctor degrees were awarded, up from 37,909 for 2001-2002, according to the American Bar Association. Universities are starting up more law schools in part for prestige but also because they are money makers. Costs are low compared with other graduate schools and class-rooms can be large. Since 1995, the number of ABA-accredited schools increased by 11%, to 196."
2007-09-24 11:58PDT (14:58EDT) (18:58GMT)
Fred Schruers _Portfolio_
The coming stand-off between Hollywood guilds & Producers
"The re-election of Writers' Guild president Patric Verrone and Screen Actors Guild president Alan Rosenberg puts the pieces in place for forthcoming negotiations between the trade guilds and their fond adversaries, the producers and studios... Rosenberg won a narrow victory, with 11,631 votes -- just 710 more than the feisty challenger Seymour Cassell. The SAG presidency requires a big personality to garner support from a turnout of the guild's passionate if under-employed 120K-strong membership -- 'mostly waitresses', says one producer who withheld his name to avoid having his Cobb salad poisoned. WGA members need to show recent and decent earnings to vote, and just 2,012 did so this time -- but Verrone's 90.2% of the tally (he had 68% when elected in 2005) is a palpable show of support. His job now becomes to throw himself on the barbed wire of the coming negotiations, in an effort that might be termed righteous posturing. That's because the almost certain course of events dictates that the WGA will slide past their contract end-date of October 31 by extending the pact, and add their influence to the combined power of SAG and the Directors Guild as those two bodies head for their June 30 dead-lines... It was long before, in a negotiation to which Schiff wasn't party, that, he says, 'the writers accepted a very draconian, bad formula for residuals for home video... and lo, many years later management is saying, ''Yeah, we said that then, but we can't [increase home video residuals] now because it's our main revenue stream and it will kill us to give you guys more than point three cents on every dollar we earn.'''"
2007-09-25
2007-09-25
Edwin S. Rubenstein _V Dare_
Tendentious junk from Christopher Jencks
2007-09-25 09:03PDT (12:03EDT) (14:03GMT)
Greg Robb _MarketWatch_
US consumer confidence took a dive in September
"A separate survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS Securities said chain-store sales for the week ended Sept. 22 fell 1% on a week-over-week basis..."
2007-09-25 12:14PDT (15:14EDT) (19:14GMT)
Chris O'Brien _San Jose Mercury News_
Mr. Google goes to Washington, spends big to ask for bigger labor subsidy while turning away thousands of capable applicants
"According to Google's filing, the company spent about $580K lobbying the federal government during the first 6 months of this year. Alan Davidson runs the Washington operation for Google. And the company's registered lobbyists includes Pablo Chavez, a former chief counsel for Senator John McCain. It has also retained three notable Washington lobbying firms to help push for approval of the DoubleClick merger. The first is Brownstein Hyatt & Farber whose lobbyists include Makan Delrahim, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the anti-trust division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The next is King & Spalding, whose lobbyists include Daniel Coats, a former ambassador to Germany. And the third is Podesta Group, which is also helping the company on a broad range of issues... According to Opensecrets.org, Google spent $800K on lobbying activities in 2006. But the problem is that 2006 figure only captures part of Google's activities... Cisco Systems of San Jose, which has a reputation for playing savvy politics, spent $680K the first 6 months of 2007. OTOH, Oracle spent $1.86M through June."
2007-09-25
Dino Perrotti _Computer World_/_IDG_
H-1B Battle: The War Within
"Owners and managers of all types of companies will say in secret that they prefer employees who are recent immigrants or foreign nationals over natural born American citizens... Each one of these employers said that they would prefer to hire Americans, but it is just bad business. They said that American workers are better workers when they are in the mood, but most have a sense of entitlement to things like smoking breaks and conducting personal business on company time. It is easy to see why American companies prefer H-1B engineers over American engineers. They cost less. They work harder. They do not complain or ask for anything."
2007-09-25
Chris Murphy _Information Week_/_CMP_
Why Tech Jobs May Fare Better In A Recession This Time
"It's true that hiring has picked up, and U.S. IT employment is higher now than it has been this decade -- 3.58M IT pros employed, based on second-quarter Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared with a previous high of 3.46M in 2001 and a low of 3.29M in 2004. In our just-published InformationWeek 500 research, 62% of those companies plan to increase spending, 23% to keep it flat, and 15% to decrease. Spending has edged up, but staffs haven't gotten fat. Impact: Better... Two-thirds of companies in our InformationWeek 500 use off-shore out-sourcing for IT work, up from 43% in 2004."
2007-09-26
John Bowe _National Socialist Radio_
Dysfunctional labor system
"[I wrote about] a case in Tulsa, where there was a guy who owned a welding company, who began experimenting with temp workers he imported from India. And very quickly he noticed, 'Wow, this is kind of cool, having these really good welders for $3 an hour. Why am I paying my American guys $15, $20 an hour?' So he started bringing more of 'em, and decided that it would be a good idea to keep them on factory premises. And he started threatening them with deportation. So very quickly, things escalated into a situation where he was hiring an armed guard to sit outside of the factory, just to kind of remind them that it might not be such a great idea to leave... the government is busy cutting the budgets of the Department of Labor... Like OSHA, EEOC, Department of Labor. It's not very glamorous, they're not very sexy, but it used to be that there's 1 DoL inspector for every 30K workers in the United States. Now, it's one inspector for every 150K workers. You increase the number of inspectors, Bingo, you don't have as many work-place problems... Well, one of the things I found that was so surprising is how little money it would take to make it so that the lowest-tier workers are adequately treated. So for example, for the 1M to 2M migrant farm workers we have in the U.S.A., for them all to be paid minimum wage would cost the average American household $50 a year. So I don't think it'd be stretching too far to be able to make it fair."
2007-09-25
_University of Pennsylvania_
Code of Work-Place Conduct for Penn Apparel Licensees
"With a view to stimulating economic growth and development, raising living standards, meeting staffing requirements and over-coming un-employment and under-employment, the University of Pennsylvania has adopted this Code of Work-Place Conduct ('the Code') to promote full, productive and freely-chosen employment."
2007-09-26
2007-09-26 10:30PDT (13:30ED) (17:30GMT)
Eileen Zimmerman _CNN_/_Money_
Wanted: Cheap, pliant foreign guest-workers
Info on Cataphora from Kim Berry of Programmers Guild
2007-09-26
Tom Abate _San Francisco Chronicle_
Tech jobs increase at slower pace say AeA lobbyists for tech executives
"According to the association, which compiled its report using federal unemployment figures, tech employers nationwide added 118,500 jobs -- an increase of 2% -- in the first 6 months of 2007. However, that number falls short of the 143K jobs that tech employers added in the first half of 2006, when pay-rolls grew 2.5%. And in another sign that tech hiring nationwide is softening, the report noted that the 2% growth so far in 2007 trails the 3.3% overall private-sector job growth rate, meaning that tech is lagging rather than leading current employment trends... 'Ever since the downturn of 2001, there's been a failure to see strong tech job growth primarily because employers are sourcing jobs over-seas.', [Marcus Courtney of WashTech, a division of Communications Workers of America] said."
2007-09-26
Alyssa Rosenberg _Government Executive_
Personnel chiefs grapple with work-force planning, pay systems, confirming that job markets are dysfunctional
"NASA's Dawsey used a similarly broad look at employees' skills to transfer projects among the agency's 10 research centers to provide assignments for under-employed workers and to hold job fairs so employees could apply for transfers to centers working on projects that interested them."
2007-09-26
_Family Security Matters_
Illegal Aliens' Impact on American Jobs part 1 of 2
"illegal immigration distorts the law of supply and demand in a capitalistic society... The [Center for Immigration Studies] reported in Dropping Out: Immigrant Entry and Native Exit from the Labor Market, 2000-2005 that from 1980 to 1995 there was a 44% of the decline in the real wages of high school dropouts as a result of immigration. A commentary, Mass Immigration Takes Greatest Toll on African-Americans, by Dan Stein, Executive Director, Federation for American Immigration Reform, notes that: 'In some cases the influx of immigrants has allowed native-born workers to move up the ladder. But in all too many other instances, mass immigration has moved American workers off the ladder entirely, particularly black Americans. According to a report by the National Academy of Sciences done during the economic boom of the late-1990s, the dramatic rise in immigration was a direct cause of dramatic declines in jobs and income for Americans with a high school education or less. If one tracks the economic progress of African-Americans, or the lack of it, over the past century there is an unmistakable correlation with patterns of immigration. Blacks have made the greatest economic advances during periods of low immigration, while economic conditions have stagnated or regressed during period of high immigration.' The prestigious Wall Street investment firm Bear Stearns recently published a report, The Underground Labor Force is Rising to the Surface (pdf), which claims that the illegal alien population is double the official government estimates and that the Government vastly under-estimates the cost of illegalimmigration. According to Bear Stearns: The illegal alien population of the U.S. is about 20M -- roughly the population of New York State... Between 4M and 6M jobs have shifted to the under-ground economy since 1990..."
2007-09-26
_ChicagoLand Construction_/_AFL-CIO_
H-1B Visa Abuse on the Rise!
"The H-2B program has a long history of abuse coupled with the attendant exploitation of temporary workers. The H-2B visa program provides for the temporary admission of foreign workers to the United States to perform temporary non-agricultural work, if employed U.S. workers cannot be found. An approved H-2B visa petition is valid for an initial period of up to one year. An alien non-immigrant's total period of stay as an H-2B worker may not exceed three consecutive years. However, a new provision that was signed into law as part of the FY2005 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief (Public Law 109-13), provides that returning H-2B workers counted against the annual cap of 66K during any one of the three prior fiscal years were not to be counted again against the cap. For FY2005 and FY2006, approximately 35K previously approved H-2B workers qualified as returning workers who were exempt from those years caps – opening up an additional 35K slots for other H-2B workers. In the end, 89,135 H-2B visas were issued in FY2005 and 112, 541 were issued in FY2006. Equally problematic are the recent changes to the 'prevailing wage' provision relating to H-2B workers. Since the inception of the program in 1965, and until 2005 March, the 'prevailing wage rate' could not be less than the wage rate applicable to the H-2B employer's incumbent employees in the same or similar job classification set forth in a collective bargaining agreement between the H-2B employer and a union. If there was no collective bargaining agreement in place, then the 'prevailing wage rate' could not be less than the wage rate applicable to the occupation listed in a wage determination in the area of intended employment under the Davis-Bacon Act or the Service Contract Act. In the absence of a Davis-Bacon or Service Contract Act wage rate, the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) required H-2B employers to offer a 'prevailing wage rate' not less than the weighted average rate of wages paid to workers in similar classifications in a given area. Unfortunately for the H-2B workers and for U.S. workers, DoL adopted new regulations in 2005 March for determining the 'prevailing wage'. Pursuant to these new regulations, H-2B employers are no longer required to offer the Davis-Bacon or Service Contract prevailing wage rate. Instead, H-2B employers must simply offer 1 of 4 levels of wages derived from the DoL Occupational Employment Statistics, which are based on the H-2B employer's assessment of the experience, education, and level of supervision required by the job. These changes have substantially reduced the wage rates that H-2B employers are required to offer to U.S. workers during the 10-day recruitment period... and thereby reducing the likelihood that 'able, willing and qualified' U.S. workers will be interested in accepting such jobs."
2007-09-26
J. Philippe Rushton _V Dare_
Indians Aren't That Intelligent (On Average)
2007-09-26
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Scientific Snake-Oil
2007-09-26
Frank Madarasz, PhD _View from 1776_
Scientific Snake-Oil: Confirmation from the Playing Field
2007-09-26
J. Philippe Rushton _V Dare_
Average IQs vary in different parts of the world
2007-09-26
Rob Sanchez _Job Destruction News-Letter_
Norm Matloff's new paper on H-1B and Green Cards
"I cannot say enough superlatives about this new paper from Dr. Norm Matloff. The paper is posted at this link: http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/PrevWage.pdf For those of you who want to learn about H-1B and green cards, you can't go wrong reading this 25 page paper. It's divided into sections so you can read it in parts if there are particular sections of interest to you, or if you don't have the time to read the entire document. One thing I see over and over is that the public is very confused about the differences between employment based (EB) green cards and H-1B. Matloff did an exemplary job of explaining this in simple and concise terms. Section 4.1 has some of the most compelling data in the entire paper. Matloff provides data that shows that salaries for a wide range of college-educated professionals has been dropping since at least the year 2001. Matloff used this data as proof that there is no shortage of engineers, but surprisingly he never explained why. Perhaps he should have explained that if there is an over-supply of workers, wages go down. In our capitalist system you can't have declining wages at the same time there are worker shortages. I know that's what he meant, but he didn't say it. Later on Matloff discussed his reform proposals for improving on prevailing salary requirements. His proposal to go to a single-level prevailing wage scale would be an improvement but it will only delay the inevitable. That type of reform doesn't take into consideration the simple fact that flooding the labor market will depress salary levels, and thereby lower prevailing salaries. Call it 'supply and demand' or 'labor arbitrage' but Matloff doesn't seem to acknowledge either one. I'm nit-picking on details because overall it's a great paper and one that should definitely be put on your must read list. One more thing though -- Matloff never suggested the most obvious way to improve the H-1B and green card problem -- REDUCE THE NUMBER OF VISAS!"
2007-09-27
2007-09-26 19:25PDT (2007-09-26 22:25EDT) (2007-09-27 02:25GMT)
_Breitbart_
More Red Chinese and US citizens charged with espionage in San Francisco
Dan Nystedt: ComputerWorld/IDG
"A [Red Chinese] national and a US citizen have been charged with conspiring to steal sensitive microchip designs capable of use in military technology, justice officials said Wednesday. The US Attorney's office in northern California said Lee Lan and Ge Yuefei had been indicted on multiple charges of conspiracy to commit economic espionage and to steal trade secrets. Lee, 42, a US citizen, and Ge, 34, a [Red Chinese] national, had sought to steal secrets from their employer, NetLogics Microsystems, and from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, a statement said. The 2 men had set up a company for the purpose of developing and marketing products related to the stolen trade secrets, and had attempted to secure funding from the [Red Chinese] government, it added."
2007-09-27 05:30PST (08:30EST) (13:30GMT)
Subri Raman & Tony Sznoluch _DoL ETA_
un-employment insurance weekly claims report
current press release
"The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 246,181 in the week ending Sept. 22, a decrease of 15,741 from the previous week. There were 261,396 initial claims in the comparable week in 2006. The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.6% during the week ending Sept. 15, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,165,425, a decrease of 77,259 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.6% and the volume was 2,062,962. Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Sept. 8."
graphs
2007-09-27
_Asian Journal_
Jury trial set for 3 Filippino recruiters in Texas
"Judge Kathleen Cardone of the United District Court of Western District of Texas in El Paso set the new trial of 3 Filipino recruiters on 2008 Jan. 4. The accused are held for allegedly bringing hundreds of Filipino teachers into the United States even if most of them have no job employments waiting for them... Named in the 26-page 'second superceding indictment' were OMNI Consortium, Multicultural Professionals, Multicultural Education Consultants Noel Cedro Tolentino, his wife Angelica Tolentino, and his mother, Florita Tolentino. They were charged with 19 counts of conspiracy including Government/Visa Fraud, Visa Fraud, Destruction of Records, Misprison of a Felony, Money Laundering, and Notice of Forfeiture of '$2.7M personal money judgment' and other properties. In its original indictment, a grand jury accused the Tolentinos and four others with about 40 counts of violations of laws, including conspiracy to smuggle aliens, visa fraud and money laundering. After 8 weeks of the jury trial, Judge Cardone declared a mistrial upon learning that 2 of the 12 jurors read about the case in El Paso Times, making them prejudicial to the case. Cardone reset a new trial this month. But when the defense lawyers withdrew from the case, the judge set the trial on the first Friday of the New Year to give the newly appointed lawyers Luis Isla and Ray Velarde familiarity with the case. The Tolentinos were accused of recruiting mostly Filipino teachers for Ysleta Independent School District (YISD), Socorro Independent School District (SISD), El Paso School Independent School District (EPSID), all in El Paso together with South San Antonio Independent School District (SSAISD), and Brownsville Independent School District (BISD). They allegedly recruited more teachers than needed 'knowing said teachers had prior offers of employment rescinded and/or who had no confirmed teaching position with a specific employer, in order to bring such alien teachers to the United States for defendants' financial gain'. They also allegedly carried this out using 'false documents and' making 'false statements before the United States Department of State and CIS (Citizenship and Immigration Service) in order to secure the (H-1B) visas'... According to the indictment records obtained by this reporter, the defendants required each teacher, prior to being interviewed by the BISD Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, to pay $10 to submit resume, $130 to take Functional Academic Skills Test (FAST), $175 to have their credentials evaluated, $100 to be interviewed. After being selected by the BISD, each teacher was asked to pay $850 in legal fees, $110 for visa, $1K for expedited processing of a visa, and $6K 'security bond'."
2007-09-27
_Family Security Matters_
Illegal Aliens' Impact on American Jobs part 2 of 2
2007-09-27
Ron Paul _From Reason to Freedom_
The Tax Free Tips Act
2007-09-28
2007-09-28 08:52PDT (11:52EDT) (15:52GMT)
Ruth Mantell _MarketWatch_
UMich consumer sentiment index fell from 83.8 earlier in the month to 83.4
2007-09-28
Laura Baverman & Lisa Biank Fasig _Cincinnati OH Business Courier_
Tata to open center in Clermont county OH
"Indian information technology firm Tata Consultancy Services has committed to opening a North American delivery center in Miami Township, the company said Friday. Tata will occupy more than 150K square feet at the James River Corporation's former building at the 222-acre Ridgewood Corporate Center in Clermont County. The Business Courier reported in August that Tata was considering sites in West Chester and Miami Township for a center that would eventually employ 1K. Tata spokesman Mike McCabe would not confirm that figure, but said positions would include software engineers, computer engineers, IT consultants, pre-sales professionals and administrative support staff. He declined to specify the average salary of the workers... The Ohio Department of Development on Monday offered the company an incentive package worth $15.5M. Tata will receive a 90% tax credit for 8 years, but will have to maintain the operation in Ohio for 16 years."
2007-09-28
| DJIA | 13,895.63 |
| S&P 500 | 1,526.75 |
| NASDAQ | 2,701.50 |
| 10-year US T-Bond | 4.58% |
| crude oil | $81.66/barrel |
| gold | $750.00/ounce |
| silver | $13.92/ounce |
| platinum | $1,395.20/ounce |
| palladium | $351.95/ounce |
| copper | $0.2275/ounce |
| natural gas | $6.87/MBTU |
| reformulatedgasoline | $2.0683/gal |
| heatingoil | $2.2379/gal |
I usually get this info from MarketWatch, which gets them from BigCharts and FT Interactive.
2007-09-29
Not much happened on this day.
2007-09-30
2007-09-29 17:11PDT (2007-09-29 20:11EDT) (2007-09-30 00:11GMT)
Barrett J. Brunsman & Steve Kemme_Cincinnati Enquirer_
Indian body shop Tata picked site in Miami township Clermont county
"Tata to hire [10]... Tata Consultancy Services, an international firm with $4.3G in annual revenues, announced Friday it had picked a site in Miami township [Clermont county] over another it had considered in Butler county's West Chester township. The office will be the base for IT and software engineers who will serve companies throughout the United States and Canada, said Mike McCabe, a spokesman for Tata, which has its [US] head-quarters in New York City... Instead, Tata will occupy an existing 196K-square-foot office building amid 222 wooded acres in the Ridgewood Corporate Center at 1000 Summit Drive. It's part of the Park 50 TechneCenter near Interstate 275. Last month, the federal government named the same site as the #1 contender for a planned $70M head-quarters for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH, which has 50-year-old labs on Columbia Parkway in the East End and on Ridge Road in Pleasant Ridge, researches and recommends ways to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses. The Summit Behavioral Center, 15 acres at 1101 Summit Road in Bond Hill, was the second site favored by NIOSH. Proud said Clermont County would instead urge NIOSH to locate at the site the federal government had ranked the third most favorable: the Ivy Pointe Commerce Park, about 68 acres Clermont County owns on Ferguson Drive in Union Township."
class action against Tata
2007-09-30
Mark Krikorian _Pittsburgh Tribune Review_
The illegals crack-down
"More illegal aliens are going home, leading to improved conditions for American workers and communities. The first consequence of stepped-up enforcement is attrition of the illegal population -- a steady decrease in the total number of illegal aliens as more people give up and go home. Attrition is the real alternative to amnesty and we're seeing it work... The Rocky Mountain News reported that in Greeley, CO, 'the line of applicants hoping to fill jobs vacated by undocumented workers taken away by immigration agents at the Swift & Co. meat-processing plant... was out the door'. New England Cable News reported that only after a raid on a plant making leather goods for the military in New Bedford, MA, were Americans and legal immigrants able to get hired. As one new employee said of the raid: 'In a way, you know, it's sad, and then in a way it's good because at least it gives people that were not employed for so many years... a break to be able to work and support their families.' When illegal aliens were removed from a Crider Poultry plant in Stillmore, GA, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Wall Street Journal documented the benefits to local workers: The plant raised wages significantly, began offering free shuttles from nearby towns and provided free rooms in a company-owned dormitory. For the first time, Crider sought applicants from the state unemployment office and began hiring probationers and men from a local homeless mission. And, as The Journal noted, 'for the first time since significant numbers of Latinos began arriving in Stillmore in the late 1990s, the plant's processing lines were made up predominantly of African-Americans'. Better enforcement doesn't result only in economic improvements. While there is an ongoing scholarly debate about the overall crime rates of immigrants versus the native-born, there's no doubt that tougher enforcement has had a notable effect on gang activity. In an upcoming study, the Center for Immigration Studies reports that using immigration law against gangs has helped bring about a 39% drop in gang activity in the Washington suburb of Fairfax County; and Dallas police report a 20% drop in the murder rate as a result of the same initiative... As recent enforcement victories are sustained and expanded, we can begin to document the benefits in other areas: less stress on hospital emergency rooms, less-crowded classrooms, slower growth in government social spending. But the results we've seen so far are clear: We can get illegal aliens to return home and doing so will improve conditions in American communities. Why didn't we start doing this a long time ago?"
2007-09-30
_US Department of Labor Office of Inspector General_
Several indicted for fraudulent H-1B sponsorships, DoL OIG Asks Congress to Provide Authority to Ensure the Integrity of the Foreign Labor Certification Process... again (pdf)
2007-09-30
Marshall Allen _Las Vegas NV Sun_
Indentured Doctors: abused, over-worked, scared to complain
series index
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"Your subject has heard that when the ancients made the 5 kinds of weapons, it was not for the purpose of killing each other, but to prevent tyranny & to punish evil. When people lived in peace, these weapons were to be prepared against emergencies & to kill the fierce animals. If there were military affairs, then the weapons were used to set up defenses & form battle arrays." --- imperial chancellor Kung-Sun Hung to emperor Han 124BC (quoted in _American Rifleman_ 1959 January vol 14; quoted in Les Adams 1996 _The Second Amendment Primer_ pp 20-21)
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2007 September
Lindsay Redpath, Deobrah Hurst & Kay Devine _Entrepreneur_
Contingent Knowledge Workers
"The [abuse] of contingent workers has become a part of many organizations' business models, and is likely to continue... Contingent employment has continued over the past 25 years, and although declining recently in the United States and the United Kingdom (Biggs, 2006; Morris & Vekker, 2001), has remained constant in Canada (Allan, 2002; Connelly & Gallagher, 2004)... Using the Bureau of Labor Statistic's broadest measure of contingency, there were 5.7M contingent employees in the United States, or about 4% of the total employment population in 2005. Comparatively, in the United Kingdom, 7% of all workers were considered to be contingent employees; in Canada, the number has fluctuated around 11% (Vosko, et al., 2003)... Overall, [only] 47 CKWs and 23 managers (n = 70) in 5 organizations participated [in the interviews]... some commented on the negative impact on personal lives. The most severe effects were felt in the areas of personal career goals and objectives, personal finances, opportunities for training and development, chances for promotion, and control. Getting the experience or training to progress to the next level of proficiency was challenging. Employers, they said, were willing to invest in some training, but most of it was specific to the current job or project... The main problems included inability to do long-term financial planning, to enter into longer-term financial commitments (e.g., buying a car, leasing an apartment, or arranging a mortgage), or securing access to credit..."
2007 August/September
Kerry Howley _Reason_
Dying for Life-Saving Drugs
2007 Autumn
Gene A. Nelson
The Greedy Gates Immigration Gambit
alternate link to pdf
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"[I]t is no wonder that the stock market value of the target company almost invariably increases during the take-over battle. No raider would make a bid for a company below its current market value... Study after study shows that the stock of the acquiring firm declines in the period following the announcement of the merger." --- Murray Weidenbaum _Rendezvous with Reality_ 1988
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Presidential candidate fund-raising, expenditures, and debt
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"There are general causes, moral & physical, at work in every monarchy, which elevate & maintain it or work its down-fall; all accidents are the result of causes; & if the chance of a battle -- that is, a special cause -- has ruined a state, there was always a general cause at work which made that state ready to perish by a single battle." --- Montesquieu _Considerations_ (quoted in Charles Adams 1993 _For Good & Evil_)
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