Feinstein and Snow on H-1B

Date: Monday, March 20, 2006 11:37 PM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

March 20, 2006 No. 1441

Two articles appeared today that are strange to say the least.

First, California Senator Dianne Feinstein declares that she thinks H-1B
should be increased. Many people thought Feinstein was coming around to our
side, but she now is showing her true colors. Feinstein was one of the
chief architects of the H-1B visa but she started talking like she had
second thoughts. In 2003 she made this statement in the Senate Judiciary
Committee:

"My view is (the H-1B cap) should go back unless we are able
to produce some stronger safeguards," Feinstein added. "I'm
elected to represent people from California, who are losing
their jobs big time."

To make matters even smellier, Feinstein made her statement in support of
increasing H-1B visas when she spoke at the Silicon Valley Leadership
Group. The very fact she was speaking in support for H-1B to a consortium
of industry shills should once and for all convince Californians that
Feinstein is an enemy. If you go to the website you will see a list of
issues SVLG thinks is important, including this one:

http://www.svmg.org/Committees/FedIssues.htm

Support ways to increase methods of attracting talent (e.g.
lifting cap on H1B visas, adjust Green Card Caps, adjust the
employment-based visa cap; and, cutting backlog and delays
by USCIS in processing applications.)

SVLG deserves to be skunked, so they are now enshrined at Skunks.org.
http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/Skunks.htm#SVLG

The next article appeared in the Washington Post and variations of it are
showing up in newspapers all over the U.S. In it, U.S. Treasury Secretary
John W. Snow was quoted as saying that H-1B increases don't have a chance
of passing this year. That's sort of pessimistic for a guy who had this to
say about outsourcing:

"You can outsource a lot of activities and get them done just as
well, or better, at a lower cost."

During Snow's tenure as Chairman of the Business Roundtable from 1994
through 1996 he played a major role in supporting passage of the North
American Free Trade Agreement. The Roundtable is another skunk:
http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/Skunks.htm#BRT

I can't imagine why someone like Snow would be pessimistic about an H-1B
increase. Every single member of the Senate supports an increase, and a
majority in the House. Every major news organization supports the increase
and there is a massive lobbying effort by Bill Gates to increase H-1B.
Usually Snow is such an optimist this seems really out of character. Here
is another Snow classic that bubbles with optimism over outsourcing:

"I think American companies need to do what they need to do to
be competitive, and as they're competitive, it's good for their
shareholders, it's good for their consumers and it's good for
their employees," Snow said.

So why is Snow so downbeat about the odds of an H-1B increase? Perhaps
Johnny boy thinks he is going to do a snow-job on some of you so that you
will just go back to your big screen TVs and forget about what is going on
in the Senate.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2006/03/20/daily13.html

Feinstein calls for increase in H1B visas
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - 2:50 PM PST Mondayby Timothy
Roberts
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said on Monday that she
supports an increase in H1B visas, a reduction of troops in Iraq and
tighter controls on greenhouse gases emissions.

Speaking to the Silicon Valley Leadership Group in San Jose, Feinstein said
she will support an increase in the H1B because "we have to ensure that we
have the best and the brightest people here," she said.

A total of 65,000 are allowed the current fiscal year, which began in
October. That number was filled by last August, and executives from
technology and other companies have been calling for more.

But as visa numbers go up, the number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq should go
down, she said.

"By the end of the year we should see a substantial reduction of U.S.
forces in Iraq," she said.

The U.S. mission in Iraq should be to focused on logistics and the training
of Iraqi soldiers, she said.

California's senior senator, who is running for re-election this year, also
said she will introduce legislation aimed at reducing green house gases
that cause global warming.

"The science is indisputable," Feinstein said. "Global warming is
happening."

The potential harm includes the melting of the California snow cap that
provides drinking water for 16 million people in southern California.

Her legislation, which is expected to be brought up April 4 in the Senate
Energy Committee Climate conference, would set caps on businesses that emit
greenhouse gases based on the current year and then gradually lower them
through the yea 2020. The legislation would establish a trading system,
allowing low emitters to sell credits to companies with greater emissions.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/15/AR2006031502304.html?referrer=emailarticle

Snow Doubtful About High-Tech Visas

U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, right, believes there is little
chance Congress will increase the number of visas to let skilled engineers
work in the country, National Semiconductor chief executive Brian L. Halla
said.

According to Halla, Snow said it is unrealistic in an election year to
expect Congress to raise the current annual limit of 65,000 H-1B visas.
That's "unacceptable because the pipeline isn't full of our own math and
science whiz kids right now," Halla said. The chief executive said Snow
made the comment to executives during a visit on March 2 to the company's
headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif.

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