From the Guardian: Frightened by Donald Trump? You don’t know the half of it

[Lafayette]

Frightened by Donald Trump? You don’t know the half of it

Excerpt:

Yes, Donald Trump’s politics are incoherent. But those who surround him know just what they want, and his lack of clarity enhances their power. To understand what is coming, we need to understand who they are. I know all too well, because I have spent the past 15 years fighting them.

Over this time, I have watched as tobacco, coal, oil, chemicals and biotech companies have poured billions of dollars into an international misinformation machine composed of think tanks, bloggers and fake citizens’ groups. Its purpose is to portray the interests of billionaires as the interests of the common people, to wage war against trade unions and beat down attempts to regulate business and tax the very rich. Now the people who helped run this machine are shaping the government.

I first encountered the machine when writing about climate change. The fury and loathing directed at climate scientists and campaigners seemed incomprehensible until I realised they were fake: the hatred had been paid for. The bloggers and institutes whipping up this anger were funded by oil and coal companies.

Among those I clashed with was Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). The CEI calls itself a think-tank, but looks to me like a corporate lobbying group. It is not transparent about its funding, but we now know it has received $2m from Exxon Mobil, more than $4m from a group called the Donors Trust (which represents various corporations and billionaires), $800,000 from groups set up by the tycoons Charles and David Koch, and substantial sums from coal, tobacco and pharmaceutical companies.

For years, Ebell and the CEI have attacked efforts to limit climate change, through lobbying, lawsuits and campaigns. An advertisement released by the institute had the punchline “Carbon dioxide: they call it pollution. We call it life.”

This purports to be a grassroots campaign, but it was founded and funded by the Koch brothers. It set up the first Tea Party Facebook page and organised the first Tea Party events. With a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars, AFP has campaigned ferociously on issues that coincide with the Koch brothers’ commercial interests in oil, gas, minerals, timber and chemicals.

In Michigan, it helped force through the “right to work bill”, in pursuit of what AFP’s local director called “taking the unions out at the knees”. It has campaigned nationwide against action on climate change. It has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into unseating the politicians who won’t do its bidding and replacing them with those who will.

What, me worry ... ?

 

[jet57]

Frightened by Donald Trump? You don’t know the half of it

Excerpt:

What, me worry ... ?

And now you know why the flood gates are opened to immigration: they'll believe anything they're told, work for peanuts and just be so damned glad that they're in America that they won't rock the boat.

The times, they are a'changin.

 

[Absentglare]

Frightened by Donald Trump? You don’t know the half of it

Excerpt:

What, me worry ... ?

Unfortunately, the average people lack the knowledge and/or will to hold the wealthy accountable, and the above average people are outnumbered.

 

[Lafayette]

And now you know why the flood gates are opened to immigration: they'll believe anything they're told, work for peanuts and just be so damned glad that they're in America that they won't rock the boat.

The times, they are a'changin.

The more desperate and less skilled ones, yes. And, as I insist on saying, the American female is birthing a sufficient number of children to "supply" the workforce sufficiently - as shown here:

But, there are those that are also very well educated that are allowed in rightfully (with a visa) to work. I am concerned about what pay they are given, and if it is below those of Americans with the same qualifications looking for the same jobs. The law stipulates that they must be hired at the same pay as any American of the same qualifications.

But, is that actually happening ... ?

 

[Lafayette]

Unfortunately, the average people lack the knowledge and/or will to hold the wealthy accountable, and the above average people are outnumbered.

It's been more than thirty years now that the "average people" have had more than enough opportunity to enhance their skill-sets. But, are they actually doing it?

Your remark seems more an excuse than an explanation. Only half of American high-school graduates go on to obtain a higher postsecondary "skill-set". Yes, maybe because it is too expensive, but I don't think actually that is the case.

Anyway, we, the sheeple, were damn fools not to understand that Hillary willingly accepted Bernie's idea (itself taken from Europe) to have state-school tuition subsidized by the government for families up to $100K earnings a year, when the average income is at about half that amount - so almost 90% of all families would have been allowed send their kids to a post-secondary schooling (vocational, 2- or 4-year).

The cost of that program would have been a great deal for middle-class America; and we shall see that the Donald will spend that money on the DoD.

So, what you see is what you get - that is, Screwwwwweddddddddddd!

Ya wanted Trumpery, ya got Trumpery ...

 

[jet57]

The more desperate and less skilled ones, yes. And, as I insist on saying, the American female is birthing a sufficient number of children to "supply" the workforce sufficiently - as shown here:

But, there are those that are also very well educated that are allowed in rightfully (with a visa) to work. I am concerned about what pay they are given, and if it is below those of Americans with the same qualifications looking for the same jobs. The law stipulates that they must be hired at the same pay as any American of the same qualifications.

But, is that actually happening ... ?

There are many many immigrants that come over with degrees and into tech jobs, and there is a scandal going on in Silicon Valley with respect to the lower wages that Indian and Chinese techs have top take. Many more however flood th job market and keep wages low.

 

[Lafayette]

THE TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (TPP)

There are many many immigrants that come over with degrees and into tech jobs, and there is a scandal going on in Silicon Valley with respect to the lower wages that Indian and Chinese techs have top take. Many more however flood th job market and keep wages low.

Well, of this, I am sure of only one thing. The law states clearly that those coming in on a H1B work-visa are obliged to assume their jobs at the going rate. Not more, nor less. But is the law being inforced. (Fine a couple of hi-tech companies abusing the law, and watch the rest having a "Wakey, Wakey Moment"! ;^)

From WikiP, here:

Wage depression

Wage depression is a chronic complaint critics have about the H-1B program:The Department of Homeland Security annual report indicates that H1-B workers in the field of Computer Science are paid a mean salary of $75,000 annually (2014) almost 25,000 dollars below the average annual income for software Developers [67]and studies have found that H-1B workers are paid significantly less than U.S. workers. It is claimed that the H-1B program is primarily used as a source of cheap labor. A paper by George J. Borjas for the National Bureau of Economic Research found that "a 10 percent immigration-induced increase in the supply of doctorates lowers the wage of competing workers by about 3 to 4 percent."

A 2016 study found that H-1B visas kept wages for US computer scientists 2.6-5.1% lower, and employment in computer science for US workers 6.1-10.8% lower, but caused greater production efficiency, lowered the prices of IT products, raised the output of IT products and caused substantially higher profits for IT firms.

The Labor Condition Application (LCA) included in the H-1B petition is supposed to ensure that H-1B workers are paid the prevailing wage in the labor market, or the employer's actual average wage (whichever is higher), but evidence exists that some employers do not abide by these provisions and avoid paying the actual prevailing wage despite stiff penalties for abusers.

So, clearly, why are H1B-visas so popular? The US is not graduating enough high-talent professionals?

I kinda-sorta doubt that, because more likely than not, an H1B-visa applicant probably was educated in the US and simply wants to return in the hope of converting the H1B-visa into a more permanent status/

Moreover, I have seen some reports that Chinese students are particularly problematic as regards security measures surrounding some hi-tech development projects. For which, btw, the Trans Pacific Partnership was negotiated without the Chinese government, but with provisions (if China signs the agreement) to protect American patents from Chinese usurpation.

TPP is signed but not yet ratified by Congress. So, it's up to the Donald ...

 

[Lafayette]

Also from the Guardian: Trump's rich pickings: president-elect's team could be wealthiest ever

Birds of a feather, flock together.

Trump's Billionaire Cabinet - ask yourself, "Do they really have your interests at heart, or theirs ... ?"

 

[jet57]

THE TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (TPP)



Well, of this, I am sure of only one thing. The law states clearly that those coming in on a H1B work-visa are obliged to assume their jobs at the going rate. Not more, nor less. But is the law being inforced. (Fine a couple of hi-tech companies abusing the law, and watch the rest having a "Wakey, Wakey Moment"! ;^)

From WikiP, here:

So, clearly, why are H1B-visas so popular? The US is not graduating enough high-talent professionals?

I kinda-sorta doubt that, because more likely than not, an H1B-visa applicant probably was educated in the US and simply wants to return in the hope of converting the H1B-visa into a more permanent status/

Moreover, I have seen some reports that Chinese students are particularly problematic as regards security measures surrounding some hi-tech development projects. For which, btw, the Trans Pacific Partnership was negotiated without the Chinese government, but with provisions (if China signs the agreement) to protect American patents from Chinese usurpation.

TPP is signed but not yet ratified by Congress. So, it's up to the Donald ...

The US is graduating plenty, but the flood gates are open for lower waged techs.

How H-1B Visas Are Screwing Tech Workers | Mother Jones

 

[Lafayette]

The US is graduating plenty, but the flood gates are open for lower waged techs.

How H-1B Visas Are Screwing Tech Workers | Mother Jones

Thanks, well done. I suspected this was happening. (Because I had the same problem here in France, only it did not come from India but the French Maghreb.)

As I wrote in my post, it's illegal - and if the FBI had any balls they'd be all over it. The result would be, of course, that hi-tech American Workers would benefit most. The H1B should be purely a "stop-gap" measure in times of full-employment when such "imports" might be necessary.

Otherwise, why not do what Microsoft does already (and it is not the only one): Go to India, open up an office and hire all effing programmers that you want. With the Internet, the only hindrance to cooperative-working are the differences in time-zones.

But for those who must do "systems integration" - that is, putting all the parts together such that they work as an integrated whole-product - leave that to the home-bred. And, particularly when the subject application (a set of programs) is of "National Interest".

(Yes, Donald, just let me handle it and I'll make it "all right"! ;^)

 

[Fishking]

But, there are those that are also very well educated that are allowed in rightfully (with a visa) to work. I am concerned about what pay they are given, and if it is below those of Americans with the same qualifications looking for the same jobs. The law stipulates that they must be hired at the same pay as any American of the same qualifications.

But, is that actually happening ... ?

There is not right to an American job. H1B1s shouldn't be given out at all. These jobs should be given to our citizens first, regardless of equal pay or not. Also, how do you even enforce equal payment for H1B1s? That doesn't even make sense. It's simple supply and demand. If 50 people apply for the same skilled job they are going to pay whoever gets it peanuts and that worker will be happy just to have a job. We need to shrink our labor pool, at all levels, if we want to increase wages.

 

[jet57]

Thanks, well done. I suspected this was happening. (Because I had the same problem here in France, only it did not come from India but the French Maghreb.)

As I wrote in my post, it's illegal - and if the FBI had any balls they'd be all over it. The result would be, of course, that hi-tech American Workers would benefit most. The H1B should be purely a "stop-gap" measure in times of full-employment when such "imports" might be necessary.

Otherwise, why not do what Microsoft does already (and it is not the only one): Go to India, open up an office and hire all effing programmers that you want. With the Internet, the only hindrance to cooperative-working are the differences in time-zones.

But for those who must do "systems integration" - that is, putting all the parts together such that they work as an integrated whole-product - leave that to the home-bred. And, particularly when the subject application (a set of programs) is of "National Interest".

(Yes, Donald, just let me handle it and I'll make it "all right"! ;^)

Business is in the diver's seat, that why all this has been going on. It was the very same way prior to and following the Great Depression. But that didn't last long. It'll be over again pretty soon as well, as soon as people get tired of being beaten in that corner they're gonna lunge: happens every time.