One thing about the dem debate that I noticed. No high tech mention.

[Robin Hood]

None of them really brought up the tech sector and the out sourcing of jobs and technology. Not only do i think that this is a financial issue but also a security issue. Do we really want other countries writing the code for our computers?

But that a side, Other than a few alternative energy mentions. there was no mention of what any of them plan on doing to further this nations lagging tech sector. I'm not sure that this is good for any of them.

[ulysses]

1. that's the Clinton legacy

coming back to bite everyone in the ass. Remember the early nineties, when it was ok to go with NAFTA and send a lot of American jobs to Mexican maquiladoras and EPZs in southeast Asia because everyone *here* was going to be retrained and become a "knowledge worker"?

[Robin Hood]

2. I would have to agree about nafta, but..

The Bush admin has not been tech friendly and has in fact let the tech sector slip because it was a Clinton success. ABC, Anything but Clinton.

[DBoon]

5. Read "Made in Texas"

Bush supports a plantation economy based on cheap, easily exploited labor producing basic raw materials (agriculture, mining & extraction)

This is opposed to efforts to build a high-tech knowledge based economy.

The book traces this back to the slave-vs-free state split in the mid 1800's. Feudal slave labor vs bourgeois industrial technology then, oil/gas versus hi-tech now.

Link to book on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0465041213/qid=1064609851/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-3261704-9798513

[Robin Hood]

6. Thanks for the suggested reading.

it looks like a good book. i read the reviews.

[im4edwards]

10. the tech disaster is the real Y2K bomb we all heard about

in 98 and 99 business was frantic for help to do the fixes. They turned heavily to the little used Indian market of tech people. One they had opportunity to work with them anc coupled with a very serious and aggressive (and smart) program by the Indian government to stimulate knowledge export and outsourcing... well it got really attractive.

Clinton's government OK'ed the dramatic expansion of visas to allow the influx of foreign help. I'm not sure who to blame for the near cessation of monitoring of the influx but quite a lot more people came in than the maximum allowed.

The success or Microsoft and IBM and a few others gave the rest reason to use off shore outsourcing.

Its not Bush's fault but he certainly isn't taking any action to revisit the import quotas nor is he addressing the outsourcing issue.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

3. Thank Clinton and the DLC "New Democrats" for NAFTA and H1B visas

Whenever a candidate says "job training" I've learned to hear "bullshit" - just a few years ago all the laid off factory workers were going to become highly paid computer programmers at dot-coms.

"What's your solution to the outsourcing of US jobs?"

"I support job retraining" - i.e., "Bullshit!"

[Robin Hood]

4. Totally agree.

My solution to out sourcing is this.

If you can't make it here, then you can't sell it here. And that includes tech support. Our law makers need to start sticking up for us, instead of selling us out at every turn.

[w4rma]

8. I totally agree with that

Lieberman on trade = bullshit.

...
LIEBERMAN: Well, that could be part of it.

But, look, the way we're really going to grow the economy is to invest in people, to invest in innovation, to have the federal government put money in the kind of research that will create the new high-technology, bio-technology industries that will create the millions of new jobs.

And one of the ways we do that is having the federal government partner with business, give business tax incentives to invest and grow and create jobs. And then, use public money to give lifetime opportunities for training and retraining to America's workers.

That's the way we are going to do it.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A433-2003Sep25.html

[im4edwards]

11. Joe is right here

It was the space program that gave us modern computers among other things and Military programs that brought more. This sort of partnership between government and business made the America of the 20th century great with innovation. How many jobs got created because of micro technology ? But even at that, there came a point where the whiz bang technology of the digital watch was mere commodity and unprofitable to manufacture here. But the high end chip work remains here.

Whats the next innovation going to be guys ? Bio-tech seems to be a sure bet. Anything else ? Better hook in so you can enjoy the ride.

[DesertSun]

7. High Tech is in the Congress

You're right...there was no mention of high-tech in the debate (can you wonder why?).

Here is an illuminating article from 9-22-03 in the "National Correspondent" titled "U.S. to Sharply Cut Number of High-Tech Visas". Apparently the Congress got the message first (from myself and many others)...however the Executive doesn't want "to touch it".

http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=70371

Got ideas???

[DesertSun]

9. It's in the Congress

You're right...there was no mention of high-tech in the debate (can you wonder why?).

Here is an illuminating article from 9-22-03 in the "National Correspondent" titled "U.S. to Sharply Cut Number of High-Tech Visas". Apparently the Congress got the message first (from myself and many others)...however the Executive doesn't want "to touch it".

http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=70371

Got ideas???

[dfong63]

12. too little, too late