Gates, congressmen talk about H-1B
Gates, congressmen talk about H-1B
Date: Sunday, May 01, 2005 4:06 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
May 01, 2005 No. 1247
The articles about the lobbying by Bill Gates to have unlimited H-1B
visas continue to be published - and with them we get more information
about what transpired in thatmeeting at the Library of Congress.
This statement by Bill Gates has me laughing so hard it's kind of
difficult to finish the rest of the newsletter:
He continued: "So, we'll have Canadians waiting at the border
until some bureaucratic thing happens where a few more get
opened up. That's just wounding us in this global competition."
???Canadians??? Bill Gates must actually think that he can fool
the press into thinking his H-1Bs are coming from Canada. Probably all
American reporters will be fooled because most of them are lapdogs for
anything Bill Gates says. The Indian press on the other hand calls
Gates their savior because they know that the vast majority of H-1Bs
that work at Microsoft are from India.
The Indian internet and media company Sify thinks that the U.S. should
integrate our economies. It reads like a manifesto from the Council for
Foreign Relations to further the cause of globalism by integrating the
economies of nations and by dropping trade barriers.
It is in the natural interest of both the economies to
allow this integration of resources and talent. In this
day of globalisation, dropping of artificial barriers
such as this is essential to allow free flow of trade
and talent to benefit both countries while fostering
economic development at the same time.
Before examining statements from politicians it's always helpful to
check OpenSecrets.org to learn where the money is coming from. It's no
coincidence that all of the politicians that spoke out in the articles
below are on the Microsoft payroll. Their comments indicate that in
Washington D.C. money talks louder than logic. Bill Gates got his
money's worth and these politicians stepped up to show their loyalty to
"the King". Reichert's statement summarizes what these cash
contributions are all about when he proudly proclaimed that, "I'm his
congressman".
Listed below is the money received in the year 2004 from Microsoft:
Sen. Patty Murray, (D-Wash.) $145,253
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Ver.) $ 15,400
Rep. Dave Reichert, (R-Wash) $ 5,000
Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) $ 2,500
Sen. Murray
"He [Bill Gates] made a strong impression on me that they
need the best-qualified workers they can find," whether
they are trained in the United States or other countries,
Murray said.
Sen. Leahy:
"The post-911 effort to cut down on visas, I think that's
a bad mistake, I think we should be increasing them," Leahy
said. "We should be opening our borders more, not closing
them. It does not improve the security of the United States
by thinking we can become Fortress America and not interact
with the rest of the world."
Rep. Reichert
Freshman Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., said he was just glad
to finally meet Gates, one of the richest and most
influential executives in the world -- and a resident of
Reichert's 8th District.
"I'm his congressman," Reichert said.
Rep Dreier:
Drier told Gates the H1B visa cap could be increased if demand
was there.
"If the demand is there, why have the regulation at all? It's
almost a question of a centrally controlled economy," Gates
shot back.
Considering the amount of money that Bill Gates is willing and able to
throw around Washington D.C., this analysis by Earthtimes seems to be
far too optimistic, and incredibly naive:
At the moment though, Gates et al are looking for some ways to
get talent into America from other countries, but based on
initial reactions in the Congress, this looks a little bit tough
even for the Microsoft man.
Be sure to click this link to see some photos of Bill Gates in action
in Washington D.C.
http://news.com.com/Photos+Fed+limits+on+H-1B+under+fire/2009-1022_3-5687079.html?tag=nl
Artcles Used for this Newsletter
http://internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3500986
Gates Rakes Congress on H1B Visa Cap
http://sify.com/finance/it-bpo/fullstory.php?id=13731130
IT majors optimistic over H1-B visa
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1093499.cms
Gates may find opening the H1-B gates tough
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2005/05/01/biz/news04.txt
Gates, congressmen talk business
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/2631.html
Gates Attempts At Easing H-1B Visa Restrictions
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3500986
Gates Rakes Congress on H1B Visa Cap
By Roy Mark
April 27, 2005
WASHINGTON -- For Bill Gates, it's just another week: Host Bono over
the weekend, give an almost two-hour keynote at WinHEC on Monday and
tweak Congress today.
What's politically eating at Microsoft's chairman and chief software
architect? H1B visas.
Gates was on Capitol Hill to promote science education, research and
development funding and to participate in a Library of Congress panel
discussion with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Ver.), Rep. David Drier
(R-Calif.), Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman and Phillip
Bond, under secretary of commerce for technology.
When asked what he would do if he could make the laws, Gates quickly
stated: "I'd certainly get rid of the H1B cap."
An H1B visa is a non-immigrant classification used by foreigners who
are sponsored and employed in specialty fields such as technology. The
current H1B ceiling is 65,000 workers per year, following caps as high
195,000 employees in the early 1990s.
The huge cuts, prompted by national security concerns and protectionist
lawmakers who think the jobs should go to Americans, are a longstanding
sore point for the technology industry.
"The whole idea of the H1B thing is don't let too many smart people
come into the country. Basically, it doesn't make sense," Gates said.
The lack of H1B visas is causing problems for Microsoft's hiring, he
contended.
"You can't imagine how tough it is to plan as a company where we say,
'let's have this engineering group and staff it.' You get a few and
then you go through these periods where nobody can come in," Gates
said.
He continued: "So, we'll have Canadians waiting at the border until
some bureaucratic thing happens where a few more get opened up. That's
just wounding us in this global competition."
According to Gates, the core of the problem rests with members in
Congress who want to step back to U.S. isolationism.
"It's very dangerous because you get this reaction: 'Okay, the world is
very competitive, let's cut back on trade; the world is very scary,
let's cut back on visas,'" he said.
Leahy agreed with Gates, but Drier politely demurred.
"The post-911 effort to cut down on visas, I think that's a bad
mistake, I think we should be increasing them," Leahy said. "We should
be opening our borders more, not closing them. It does not improve the
security of the United States by thinking we can become Fortress
America and not interact with the rest of the world."
Drier countered: "We can't be so naive as to believe that there is not
a very serious border security problem with which we have to contend.
We need to ask ourselves why it is that so many of these people who are
educated at Princeton and other great institutions, why it is they
leave?
He added, "It behooves us to spend time looking at our polices that
create disincentives for people to remain working right here."
Drier told Gates the H1B visa cap could be increased if demand was
there.
"If the demand is there, why have the regulation at all? It's almost a
question of a centrally controlled economy," Gates shot back.
Other than the H1B dust-up, the panel all agreed the U.S. needs to
increase its science and math education for grades K-12 in addition to
more funding for research and development.
"The interest in science has gone down quite a bit, some of the
research funding in terms of how its focused and in some cases even
going down, that's a big problem there," Gates said.
"We're quite concerned that the U.S. will lose its relative position
[in innovation] here in something that's very critical to the economy,"
he said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://sify.com/finance/it-bpo/fullstory.php?id=13731130
IT majors optimistic over H1-B visa
Saturday, 30 April , 2005, 12:22
New Delhi: The backlash was not here to stay! Cheering Bill Gates's
call to open gates to immigrants, Indian tech majors seem confident
that this is the beginning of voice of support getting more vocal and
the negative rhetoric dying out. This is the voice of US, Inc, says the
outsourcing brigade from Bangalore. To many, this is the impact of the
tightening of visa caps earlier and the American industry is feeling
the pinch now. And this will push for creating a conducive climate for
skilled people to have a choice to move to countries of their choice.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates had slammed the federal government's
strict limits on temporary visas for technology workers, saying that if
he had his way, the system would be scrapped entirely. The whole idea
of the H1-B visa thing is, don't let too many smart people come into
the country,' the world's richest executive said during an
invitation-only panel discussion at the Library of Congress.
There exists a demographic challenge in the US with an aging population
whereas India has dynamic and highly educated youth. It is in the
natural interest of both the economies to allow this integration of
resources and talent. In this day of globalisation, dropping of
artificial barriers such as this is essential to allow free flow of
trade and talent to benefit both countries while fostering economic
development at the same time.
Indian tech majors agree that raising the visa limit will prove to be
good for the American and Indian industry as well as from the
intellectual property creation point of view. Bill Gates is an icon of
American industry. His voice creates a positive cluster of opinion and
is a clear signal to policy makers what US, Inc. wants. The current
annual Visa cap stands at 65,000 with an additional 20,000 cap exempt
visas, taking the total to 85,000. Prior to 2000, the H1-B programme
had a visa ceiling of 65,000 but was increased to 1,15,000 in 2000 and
subsequently to 1,95,000 for a period of three years, during the tech
boom. And after the three-year period ended, H1-B cap was brought back
to the original 65,000 per year.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1093499.cms
Gates may find opening the H1-B gates tough
URMI A GOSWAMI
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2005 12:55:16 AM]
Sign into earnIndiatimes points
NEW DELHI: Bill Gates has opened the proverbial Pandora's box on the
contentious H1-B visas issue - giving hope where there seems to be
little.
So will the average Indian skilled worker be living their American
Dream soon? While Gates has a track record of getting his own way most
of the time, this time round it may be somewhat difficult. The Bush
administration isn't taking the bait, instead claiming that there isn't
a shortage of technical skilled workers in the US.
While Gates may have articulated the desire of many an Indian skilled
worker, what are the chances that the system of annual quota for H1-Bs
will be thrown out of the window? The most likely scenario is an
increase in the annual cap. The current annual cap stands at 65,000
with an additional 20,000 cap exempt visas, taking the total to 85,000.
The highest number of H1-Bs allowed in a year has been 195,000, at the
height of the IT boom.
Compete America, a coalition of over 200 corporations, universities,
research institutions and trade associations - of which Microsoft is a
member - has been lobbying the US Congress to raise the annual cap. The
introduction of a provision for 20,000 cap exempt visas for foreign
nationals, with master's and PhD degrees from US universities in the
2005 Appropiations Act was largely a result of their lobbying.
Technology companies have consistently maintained the need for larger
number of skilled workers, and in the absence of qualified Americans,
the need to throw open doors to foreign workers. The administration
seems to hold a view that is divergent.
Commerce Department undersecretary for technology Phil Bond cautions
that unemployment among US computer engineers regularly exceeds
unemployment in other industries. US government figures showed 5.7 per
cent of information technology employees were out of work last year as
against 5.5% of all workers.
Bond may well be right, but the H1-B visa covers sectors beyond IT.
America is facing shortage of nurses, medical doctors, and teachers.
But traditionally, both in India, which has been the biggest user of
the H1-B, and in the US, the issue of the H1-B visa has been seen as
one that affects the technology sector.
Areas that are feeling the pinch of a lower cap are education
(teaching) and healthcare. Teaching, both at the higher education and
school level, and healthcare were areas where the demand increased
appreciably between 2001 and 2002 fiscal years.
According to a report of the US Department of Homeland Security, the
only three industries in the top 10 which increased between 2001 and
2002 were: colleges, universities, and professional schools (20 per
cent); elementary and secondary schools (20 per cent); and general
medical and surgical hospitals (22 per cent).
According to experts, these are the areas where problems will be faced
because of a lower cap. This too is primarily because the US is facing
a shortage in both areas. As a matter of fact, shortage in the
healthcare sector has been termed as "severe".
Experts feel that unlike the tech companies, players in these fields
don't really know much about lobbying for immigrants or highly skilled
workers.
So, while the US administration is not taking the bait, the US Congress
is willing to give Gates a second thought. The feeling being, if their
is a demand, then raising the cap could well be an option. In the
meantime, the 20,000 cap exempt visas mandated by the Appropiations Act
are yet to be issued.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2005/05/01/biz/news04.txt
Gates, congressmen talk business
By Associated Press
Apr 30, 2005 - 11:57:33 pm PDT
WASHINGTON -- Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates met with Washington's
congressional delegation late last week, urging them to push for
policies that improve worker training, relax immigration limits and
increase trade with China and other countries.
He also said a controversy over gay rights caught him by surprise,
adding that the company plans more dialogue to address concerns from
employees and other critics.
Gates declined to comment after the closed-door meeting at the U.S.
Capitol, but said he was happy to greet home-state lawmakers during an
infrequent visit to Capitol Hill.
"It's good to meet with people," he said in a brief interview as he was
hustled to a waiting car. "I'm not going to comment about what we
discussed."
Lawmakers showed no such hesitation, saying Gates covered a wide range
of topics during the nearly hour-long session, from education to trade
to energy and the company's stance on gay rights.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant was one of the earliest
companies to extend benefits to gay couples, but has been criticized in
recent days for failing to support gay-rights legislation in the
Washington Legislature this year.
Critics say Microsoft caved to pressure from a local pastor who
threatened to launch a nationwide boycott over the issue, and tried to
tiptoe away from a bill it had previously supported. The measure failed
in Washington state's Senate last week by a single vote.
Asked about the controversy by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., Gates told
lawmakers that gay rights was simply not part of Microsoft's
legislative agenda for the year. Gates said the company will continue
to have discussions on the issue and will move to address concerns that
have been raised, lawmakers said.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she was disappointed at the way the
controversy has emerged -- especially given Microsoft's lengthy record
in support of gay rights -- but was satisfied with the Gates' answers.
"They have a huge portfolio" of issues that are important to the
company and cannot be expected to push all of them at the same time,
she said.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said she was reassured by Gates' promise
that Microsoft was looking at ways to "revisit" its decision to take a
neutral stance on the gay-rights bill it had once championed. The
company has said it took that stance so it could focus on a shorter
list of issues, such as computer privacy, education and transportation.
"I take him at his word," Murray said.
On other issues, Gates reiterated comments he made Wednesday, urging
the Bush administration and Congress to abolish immigration limits on
foreign engineers who can be hired by U.S. companies -- a sensitive
subject among American technology workers whose jobs are increasingly
being moved overseas.
"He made a strong impression on me that they need the best-qualified
workers they can find," whether they are trained in the United States
or other countries, Murray said.
At a panel discussion Wednesday, Gates said the government should
abolish its limit of 65,000 visas annually for overseas workers who can
be hired by American companies as engineers, scientists, architects and
doctors. The special "H1-B" visas are for highly trained, specialized
workers.
"The whole idea of the H1-B visa thing is, don't let too many smart
people come into the country," Gates said at the Library of Congress.
"The thing basically doesn't make sense."
Murray said she understands his concern, but that U.S. policy must
balance the needs of Microsoft and other high-tech companies with
incentives to ensure that qualified American workers get and keep
high-paying jobs.
"We need an educated work force, but we also want to make sure we have
jobs here. We can't just bring people in" from other countries, Murray
said.
Freshman Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., said he was just glad to finally
meet Gates, one of the richest and most influential executives in the
world -- and a resident of Reichert's 8th District.
"I'm his congressman," Reichert said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/2631.html
Gates Attempts At Easing H-1B Visa Restrictions
Posted on : 2005-05-01 | Author : Steve Walters
News Category : Business
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates appears to have opened a can of worms by
stating that the annual cap for H-1B visas should be raised. To recall
H-1B visas are issued to foreigners who are employed in specialty
fields such as technology.
Currently the cap on H-1B visas is 65,000 with an additional 20,000 cap
exempt visas, making up a total of 85,000 visas per year. There have
been strict restrictions on these visas due to security concerns post
9/11. However, Mr. Gates has other opinions, "The whole idea of the H1B
thing is don't let too many smart people come into the country.
Basically, it doesn't make sense," he said at a at a Library of
Congress panel discussion on Wednesday. Gates feels that the congress
is being very conservative, "It's very dangerous because you get this
reaction: 'Okay, the world is very competitive, let's cut back on
trade; the world is very scary, let's cut back on visas,'" he said.
Microsoft is just one among several technology driven companies who are
aggressively campaigning to lift the H-1B visa restriction so that they
may get a chance to hire skilled foreign labor. In the last year
'Compete America'-a coalition of over 200 corporations, universities,
research institutions and trade associations in the United States had
pressed hard for increasing the cap on the visa.
However, there are those who feel that Corporate America is ignoring
home grown talent. Commerce Department undersecretary for technology
Phil Bond says that last year there were 5.7 per cent of information
technology employees out of work last year as against 5.5% of all
workers. He says that unemployment among US computer engineers exceeds
unemployment in other industries.
At the moment though, Gates et al are looking for some ways to get
talent into America from other
countries, but based on initial reactions in the Congress, this looks a
little bit tough even for the Microsoft man.
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