BREAKING NEWS: Bush calls for more H-1Bs

Date: Thursday, February 02, 2006 2:59 PM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

February 02, 2006 No. 1408

It sure didn't take long after Bush did his State of the Union message to
come out swinging for more H-1B visas. Bush thinks that there aren't enough
bright Americans to fill the available jobs. He should speak for himself.

This newfound enthusiasm by Bush to increase H-1B is not mere happenstance.
If you recall, I recently published about three newsletters warning that
Minnesota Governor Pawlenty vowed to go to Washington DC in February to
raise the H-1B limit. I also have been warning that there will be a big
push in February to raise the cap on H-1B. WELL HERE IT IS FOLKS!

Guess who just rolled out the red carpet for Bush - none other than
Pawlenty! It appears that Pawlenty didn't have to go to DC to do his dirty
deeds.

In Minnesota, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty,
who introduced Bush,

NOTE FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION: Pawlenty has been on Lou Dobbs several times
lately. Dobbs has praised Pawlenty for his bold new tough-on-immigration
rhetoric. If you want to read what Pawlenty got away with on Dobbs go here:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/11/ldt.01.html

Material Used for this Newsletter

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2006-02-02T185031Z_01_WBT004708_RTRIDST_0_BUSH-VISAS-URGENT.XML
or
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z1FA4529C
Bush calls for lifting cap on special H-1B visas

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/02/AR2006020201056.html
Bush Expands on Competitiveness Plan

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060202-1.html
President Discusses American Competitiveness Agenda in Minnesota

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

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2006-02-02T185031Z_01_WBT004708_RTRIDST_0_BUSH-VISAS-URGENT.XML

or

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z1FA4529C

Bush calls for lifting cap on special H-1B visas
Thu Feb 2, 2006 1:51 PM ET

MAPLEWOOD, Minn., Feb 2 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Thursday
called on Congress to raise the cap on the so-called H-1B visas that allow
companies to fill high tech jobs with foreign workers.

"The problem is, is that Congress has limited the number of H-1B visas,"
Bush said in a speech.

"I think it's a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can
fill the jobs that are having trouble being filled in America, to limit
their number. So I call upon Congress to be realistic and reasonable to
raise that cap," he said.

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

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/02/AR2006020201056.html

Bush Expands on Competitiveness Plan

By DEB RIECHMANN
The Associated Press
Thursday, February 2, 2006; 3:16 PM

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. -- President Bush urged Congress on Thursday to give new
life to a research and development tax credit for business to better
compete with China, Indian and other rising global economies.

At a 3M Corp. plant outside Minneapolis, Bush said the United States needs
to embrace technological innovation and emphasize math and science
education. That was a theme of his State of the Union address and one he
intended to promote Friday in Albuquerque, N.M., and Dallas.

"Congress needs to understand that nations like China and India and Japan
and Korea and Canada all offer tax incentives that are permanent," Bush
said about the tax credit that expired Dec. 31.

For the budget year that begins Oct. 1, Bush proposes to spend $5.9 billion
on the competitiveness plan. Some $4.6 billion would pay for the tax credit
that U.S. companies get for investing in research and development projects.

"You cannot run a business and plan to make long-term investments if the
incentive program is only temporary," Bush told about 300 employees at 3M,
the industrial company known for its Scotch brand and Post-It supplies.

The White House said midterm election politics were not a factor in
deciding where Bush would travel to promote themes from Tuesday's address
to the nation.

In Minnesota, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who introduced Bush, faces
re-election. Also, there is an open seat in the U.S. House because GOP Rep.
Mark Kennedy is running for the U.S. Senate, and there also is an open
Senate seat because Democratic Sen. Mark Dayton is not seeking re-election.

In his remarks at 3M, Bush scolded Congress for not making progress to fix
the future solvency of Social Security. He appealed for passage of medical
liability legislation and a measure to compensate asbestos victims and halt
related lawsuits.

The president asserted again that America, with an intense focus on
developing alternative energy technologies to power automobiles, will be on
its "way to no dependence on oil from the Middle East."

In his State of the Union address, Bush said his goal was to replace
three-fourths of the country's oil imports from the Middle East over the
next two decades by developing alternative fuels.

Senior administration officials acknowledged Wednesday that even if the
president's push for substitutes for gasoline and diesel were successful,
the reliance on Persian Gulf oil by world markets _ including the U.S.
market _ is unlikely to change.

Bush's main message, however, was about priming the budgets of federal
laboratories and agencies to foster basic science research and
strengthening math and science education.

The president's motorcade drove down Innovation Drive to visit a 3M
business and graphics laboratory where a sign read "3M Innovation." The
president and first lady Laura Bush saw a 77-ton diamond turning machine
that uses measurements used in nanotechnology, which is in dimensions 10
times smaller than the human hair.

Bush said more scientists and high-tech workers should be given visas to
work in the United States. Federal law provides 65,000 H1-B visas H1-B
visas for scientists, engineers, computer programmers and other
professionals, every budget year. Of those, 6,800 are set aside for workers
from Chile and Singapore under terms of U.S. trade agreements with those
countries.

High-tech and other employers say too few such visas are available and more
are needed. Groups representing labor unions and high-tech workers say
Americans are being replaced by foreign workers who work for less money.

"I call upon Congress to be realistic and reasonable and raise that cap,"
he said.

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

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060202-1.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 2, 2006

President Discusses American Competitiveness Agenda in Minnesota
3M Corporate Headquarters
Maplewood, Minnesota

And so one way to deal with this problem, and probably the most effective
way, is to recognize that there's a lot of bright engineers and chemists
and physicists from other lands that are either educated here, or received
an education elsewhere but want to work here. And they come here under a
program called H1B visas. And the problem is, is that Congress has limited
the number of H1B visas that can come and apply for a job -- a H1B visa
holder can apply for a job at 3M. I think it's a mistake not to encourage
more really bright folks who can fill the jobs that are having trouble
being filled here in America -- to limit their number. And so I call upon
Congress to be realistic and reasonable and raise that cap.

We'll educate our kids. That's the goal. Of course, we want every job
that's ever generated in America filled by Americans, but that's not the
reality today. In order for 3M to remain competitive, in order for this job
base to remain strong, in order for us to be a leader in innovation, we got
to be wise about letting kids come here who've got the skill sets needed to
fill the jobs that help us remain the leader in the world.

www.ZaZona.com
Support this Newsletter and ZaZona.com by donating:
www.zazona.com/Donations.htm

To Subscribe, Unsubscribe or to view the Archive go to:
http://www.zazona.com/shameh1b/JobDestructionNews.htm

Back to archives