President blames unemployment on lack of skills

[Paragon]

http://capwiz.com/ieeeusa/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=3008896

During a Wednesday morning (July 30th) press conference, President Bush was asked a question about jobs going overseas as a result of technological innovation. His response was:

"I fully understand what you're saying. In other words, as technology races through the economy, a lot of times worker skills don't keep up with technological change."

-----

·600,000 IT jobs were lost in the US in 2001 and 2002.

·During that same time, over 500,000 H-1B visas were issued or renewed, two-thirds of which were used in the high-tech section.

·Another 500,000 L-1 visas were issued between 2001 and 2002.

·Together, this represents 1.6 million jobs that are no longer available to American high-tech professionals, including electrical, computer, and software engineers.

·Unemployment for electrical engineers reached 7% earlier this year, the highest ever seen. This rate was significantly higher than the rate seen during the recessions in the 1970s and 1980s.

-----

Freepers are PISSED:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/955929/posts

[flamingyouth]

Well, he's living proof of his claim

Look how unskilled he is ... and he has a job! (Although hopefully not for long). Moran.

[saigon68]

12. unemployment = jobs exported where children work for 5 cents an hour

THE CHIMPANZEE was out last night smoking crack. If he could figure out a way to have his toilet cleaned by a peasant in China or Bagladesh he'd do it in a minute.

[LiberalFighter]

87. I would rather see *

clean the crack of a Chinese or Bagladesh peasant

[izzie]

Has he ever heard of education? You educate your people.

I bet he would not be for the GI bill.

[RainDog]

106. I remember him sneering

while giving a speech...Conason wrote about it in his journal at the time, too.

Bush was sneering that workfare mothers were getting an education via the program instead of knowing their place as Walmart greeters with no future, no living minimum wage, no benefits...

it made me want to throw a shoe at the tv.

the asshole who couldn't get into Yale on his own, who couldn't run a business on his own, was acting like it's a problem to try to educate people so that they can contribute to society???

The reason he's only given nine press conferences is because everytime he opens his mouth he reveals what a disgusting, meanspirited, overprivledged, ignorant little twit he is.

[wontmoveon]

88. He got a job didn't he? This can't be the reason.

Unqualified, unprepared, unfit, and unelected. Shoots this theory to hell.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Doesn't seem to be holding him back

from having a job? Have we ever had in American history, a president so devoid of any real skill in anything?

[madmax]

42. He's a stand up comedian

and a bullshit artist. Those are his strengths.

He gives me a major headache :grr:

[Karenina]

75. Thanx, Madmax!

When he gutted the program which allowed welfare mothers to attend school, saying it wouldn't teach "them" the value of work, I went ballistic. It has only been downhill from there.

[MUAD_DIB]

50. Our Emperor Chimp is definitely

a first-rate second-rate man.

[Karenina]

77. Yeah, I OFTEN wonder

This pampered arrogant no-account *DICKHEAD needs to be dragged out of his bubble and placed before cameras to answer "just a few" questions that I'm sure by now the more intelligent of the Joe six-pack crew could formulate. HE HAS NO QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE POSITION HIS HANDLERS HAVE SEIZED FOR HIM. NONE, NADA, BASTA! The *asshole can't even construct a coherent sentence. He flies around the world leaving huge piles of stinking, fetid dung everywhere he lands. American kid are DYING by the thousands to secure more wealth for his already FILTHY RICH cronies. Trot the *dauphin-swine out in front of the cameras WITH NO SCRIPT. THEN sit his pansy-ass in front of a PC COMPLETE with MS bullshit programs and lets see him perform even the simplest tasks. THE ARROGANCE! THE FUCKING, BLATANT, LYING ARROGANCE of this pantywaist *creep and his *cronies is enough to blow another BIG HOLE in the ozone layer. Forgive me, kids, I'm RANTING.
:mad: :mad: :mad:

[lastliberalintexas]

2. If he means

his lack of skill at managing America's economy, I wholheartedly agree.

[ninkasi]

3. He lacks skill

to do anything but ruin the country and make an even bigger idiot out of himself. Some workers whose previous jobs were lost retrained to take IT jobs, which are going overseas.

What does he suggest they train for now? Flipping burgers, or being greeters at Walmart?

[BiggJawn]

48. Ding! Ding! you get a prize!

"What does he suggest they train for now? Flipping burgers, or being greeters at Walmart?"

On the NOSE, Kasi!

Welcome to the seamier underside of the "Service Sector", where you get to wait on the folks who are now "Project Managers".
Yep, they manage "projects", since the workers are all overseas and they only deal with the labour "vendor"...

Sure, the Chimpster blames it all on the Worker for letting his skills get "stale"...Never entered his cocaine-addled, booze-soaked mind that his "pioneer" buddies are shipping their jobs overseas for a dollar a day?

Wish I could become rich quickly, because at this rate, in about 10 years I could sleep with every pretty girl in town on her wedding night, because it would be my "Right" as Lord of the Manor.....

Instead, I'll be a Serf, just like the rest of you....

[Fovea]

4. If that is really what he thinks is wrong...

Why is he distroying the educational system?
Further, why is it that countries such as India are able to produce skilled workers with more current skills.

I submit that the real reason is cheap labor. Like the old Earl Butz joke, all Repubs want cheap labor, myopic accounting practices, and big golden parachutes.
They could give fuck all about anything else.

[MUAD_DIB]

52. They are going to learn a hard lesson...

a very hard lesson.

This is one of the most heavily armed countries on the planet, and once joe freeper sees his job going overseas (for good) just who do you think that he will take it out on.

Bill Clinton's dick isn't occupying the Oval Office.

I wouldn't want to be a "Gold Parachute" executive in this country when the shit happens.

They will learn a very hard lesson indeed.

[mreilly]

5. He's partially right

I can think of one person who became unemployed due to his lack of skills: his father. Next year Georgie himself will also be fired thanks to his inability to do his job properly.

Seriously, the IT jobs being exported overseas are not because anyone is letting their skills lag, but rather George's big business buddies want to get cheaper labor and don't mind screwing the American workers over sideways if they have to get it. They also "relocate" overseas to avoid paying taxes, but of course they want American consumers to keep buying the products and also get government contracts, preferably of the no-bid variety.

What do you expect from the crowd that brought us Enron, Worldcom, lost retirement funds and corporate scandals?

[aquart]

70. If the CEO took ten million less

How many American jobs could be saved?

[PROGRESSIVE1]

6. Like his inability to be President:

he should know about "lack of skills"!!!

[Zero Gravitas]

7. WTF?

The idiot-in-Chief really said that? Mr. George "I've never had a real job in my life" Bush? Riiiight all those IT jobs are going to india because people in the US aren't keeping up witth he latest in the IT industry. It has nothing to do with salaries over there being 1/10th of what they are here, right Georgie? you cheap-labor conservative scumbag.

[Robin Hood]

8. What a way to stick up for your people.

What an ass.

[DagmarK]

9. Oh, we should start a resume sending campaign to the WH......

Indeed we should!!!!!!

so, when IBM outsources their accounting and financial jobs to Russia and China soon.....shall we assume that ALL THOSE americans who will get pink slips were total failures at their jobs......couldn't keep up, and have severely compromised the integrity of IBM's ability to compete in the workplace?????

So, IBM just had to get real honest and do something about the lackluster, incompetent employee base and it had NOTHING to do with paying top salaries and ALL the benefits and retirement and ss taxes, etc? It had nothing to do with that at all.

[discordian]

10. this really burns me up

That idiot needs to shut the fuck up. I bet he doesn't even know how to check his own email. American IT folks are very skilled and very adaptable, but we just can't live and support our families and pay off $30K in school loans on a $6k salary like people in some other countries.

[MUAD_DIB]

54. He can't check his own email because

he layed off all the IT folks at the WH.

He can't check his own email because he's a fucking luddite moran.

[KoKo]

11. In yesterdays Press Conf. he said go to your local Community College

and get retrained. Can you believe that "clueless idiot!!!" :puke:

My local Community College has had funding cut by the state but you can get training to become a "pastry chef."

[hang a left]

31. to do what?

move to alaska and drill?

I can't believe that they let him answer that question like that. Dickwad has attended one too many Dale Carnegie seminars.

[cprise]

13. This one needs to be seen (Kick)

.

[hadrons]

14. those freeper are soooo smart

I would rather get a root canal than set foot on a college campus nowadays. Colleges are for propagandists and Bolsheviks, not for people who want to learn something useful.


58 posted on 07/31/2003 12:14 PM PDT by Elliott Gigantalope (Formerly Billy_bob_bob)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/955929/posts?q=1&&page=51

[koopie57]

64. it says this thread has been pulled....

I wonder why? Maybe the tech was untrained, didn't know what he was doing and did it by accident.

[Shae]

105. And from the same post the freeper says ...

"Oh yes, community colleges. The last time I set foot on a community campus I had to leave ten minutes later or I would have puked. Everywhere you looked there were signs up proclaiming the wonders of "diversity" and "tolerance" and "multiculturalism" and "gay studies" and "privilege studies" and on and on and on and on and on until you want to scream"

Must have been hell on earth for him.

[SharonAnn]

15. Hmmm, and here I thought it was due to a lack of jobs.

Silly me. High skill IT jobs are being exported to India adn we're told to get more skills? What skills would those be?

[slappypan]

16. This is a MAJOR gaffe. HUGE.

A spectacularly stupid and insensitive remark. Worse than when his Dad was amazed by a supermarket scanner. This is the type of gaffe a politician never recovers from. Email it to every news outlet, columnist and blogger you can think of.

[JohnyCanuck]

26. Next he'll be saying, "Let them eat cake." The fucking idiot. n/t

[kcwayne]

17. Moron

I fully understand what you're saying. In other words, as technology races through the economy, a lot of times worker skills don't keep up with technological change." GW Bush

Hey George, it isn't about skills, it is about costs. It doesn't matter how skilled your population is if you allow American corporations to move their manufacturing and service base to countries that use slave labor, and freely import the goods and services produced by slaves into our country, with total price dominance against companies that try to operate here.

Of course, this is the strategy of the neo-cons. The US can become a secondary market (when unemployment rises to 25-30%) and they won't care because they will have moved their corporations to China, Viet Nam, and India, facing no tax, pension, or legal liabilities. They will make up for the loss in the US market by being able to service a global economy with products whose labor component costs couldn't be matched by the ancient Romans.

The problem is, how many TV's, VCR's, microwaves, and cell phones will the Chinese be able to buy on their $100 a month of income??
I predict the neo-cons will have a response: "Let them eat cake!"

[northzax]

18. what he really meant

'people are out of work because of a lack of rich daddies to get them cushy jobs.'

[LauraK]

He will soon join the unskilled unemployed.

Or I will join the unemployed expatiriots in a very foreign land.

[damnraddem]

19. Imagine that! Millions of Americans have suddenly lost their skills!

And I guess U.S. graduates are coming out with no skills.

Funny how all of the skills are now possessed overseas.

But something I don't understand: if keeping a job depends not only on HAVING skills but in KEEPING UP, what explains how it is that Dubya still has a job?

[DagmarK]

23. Don't most of those furriners come HERE for college???????

Are they in different classes than we are???????

[MUAD_DIB]

55. Possibly yes.

To send your kid to another country to attend an institution of higher learning denotes wealth.

Most of the kid's parents that I went to school with were wealthy.

[arcane1]

20. lol "I fully understand"

hehe, he cracks me up! Shoulda been a comedian...

[wryter2000]

21. Amazing

He's losing the freepers! Stick a fork in him. :nuke:

[methinks2]

22. just too good

We can all watch him self-destruct now. Ha Ha!!!
:evilgrin:

[Jokerman]

24. Typical "blame the victim" B.S. n/t

.

[Ilsa]

25. Did you folks see that software engineer on ABCNews the other night,

The one that had to train his foreign replacement for his $60,000 a year job because they are only going to be paid $6,000 a year?

Keep kicking this one. :kick:

I heard Bush's comments on this and was infuriated by it.

[gristy]

27. Oh, yeah, the Free Republic guys were pissed

In the first 19 minutes of that thread, there were 50 posts.

They were ALL rightfully pissed.

Folks, those people you call "freepers" think JUST like us on economic issues.

[Ilsa]

28. Lets collect some job retraining brochures to send him

after he becomes a lame duck pResident.

What an ASSHOLE!

[Lars39]

29. That little pissant wouldn't know skill if it came up and bit him!

:mad:

[snippy]

30. Republican presidents are always bad for job creation.

Since Harding was president, the annual rate of job creation under republican presidents is always lower than under democratic presidents. No republican president has had a higher annual rate of job creation during his term than occurred during any democratic president's term. Comments like Bush made may illustrate one of the reasons for this fact.

[w4rma]

32. The wages overseas are 1/10th! of the wages here. Unless one can work 10x

better/faster/whatever then there is NO way for a computer engineers/mechanical engineers/biological engineers ... ANY engineers to compete against overseas engineers (without moving overseas where the standard and cost of living is 1/10th of what it is in America).


Playing the Savings Game
As these average-salary figures show, outsourcing lowers costs

SOFTWARE PROGRAMMER
U.S. $66,100
INDIA $10,000

Mechanical Engineer
U.S. $55,600
INDIA $5,900

IT Manager
U.S. $55,000
INDIA $8,500

Accountant
U.S. $41,000
INDIA $5,000

Financial Operations
U.S. $37,625
INDIA $5,500
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030804-471198-3,00.html

[On the Road]

33. Job Flight is a BIG Issue

This is the tip of the iceberg. For every freeper programmer who's been laid off, there are ten who are afraid of the same fate. Bush showed absolutely no understanding of the situation and indicated by his silence that he will allow it to continue.

Look at some of the quotes. Bush of course had some defenders, but they were drowned out by outrage and disappointment:

"I email the White House about this often. But if Karl Rove can't stick his finger up in the wind and feel the anger and resentment blowing from this issue, he must have nerve damage in that thar political finger.

"Is President Bush TRYING to convince the rest of us that he is completely out of touch with the average American? That little comment is going to cost him a lot of votes.

Mr. President, if our skills are so out of date, then why are so many companies requiring their American workers to train their foreign replacements before firing them? People are killing themselves over this issue, and our President says "let them eat cake".

This is not going to make Joe Sixpack think good thoughts about our President.

"If this is true, Bush just lost the 2004 election.

"I am disgusted there is no way I will vote bush.

"Ok I'll just ask my employer to cut my salary to 6k a year so I can be more attractive to employ. Is that what you're doing?

"So let's see how this works. We use tax dollars to train manufacturing workers how to become low-level tech workers ... and then they'll graduate and not be able to get a decent job because they've all been outsourced overseas. So I guess we'll then train them how to be Wal-Mart greeters.

"Bush is just repeating what industry leaders are telling him, which really translates to: "We don't feel like paying Americans with up to date skill sets what they are worth in the market, so we have to go to India, where the same skill sets can be bought cheaper. I can't repeat it enough: corporate America hates IT...

"He'll be a one-term president if he doesn't get off his a$$ and do something to stop the flood of jobs out of the country. I refuse to take the blame that I didn't continue to go thru college every day of my life just so I can try to catch up to the jobs pouring into Mexico, Canada, and offshore...

[DrDan]

34. he's actually right, you know

in junior's 'murica, high-tech skills, business acumen, managerial skills, teaching skills, etc are not much in demand.

We need to focus our training in the use of Walmart box cutters, McDonald's spatulas, etc.

We have skills, just not the ones that will fit in the GOP dream for America.

[DagmarK]

35. OMG......I have never witnessed HUMOR from freepers before!

Actually made me laugh......

***There's more air in between those ears than meets the eye!

***A good case can be made that it's actually a vacuum.

Of course, there is a lot of DENIAL in that thread. Oh boy. Thick with denial! For example:

Apparently, it's a "personality" conflict between CEOs and those really objectionable IT workers - LOL:

"I can't repeat it enough: corporate America hates IT. They consider it a disparate service, like the janitorial staff, instead of an important part of the business; they hate having to deal with it; they hate having to hire and manage difficult IT people; and they hate spending the money to maintain an in-house IT presence. They feel they were gouged by IT salary levels during the tech boom, and outsourcing IT now is just a way of getting their own back and disposing of people they never wanted to hire in the first place."

OR

"It's not true..."

OR

"If your employer can find someone to do your job for less, you need to make yourself more valuable. Life is not fair. The tech industry is growing fast and a valuable skill today does not make your job secure for very long. Learn new skills. Stay ahead of the competition. It always bothers me when people complain about jobs going overseas. You do not have a right to a job because you were born in America."

OR

"It was a lame response, but in fairness he has a lot on his plate right now."

[Ilsa]

49. An exception:

"You do not have a right to a job because you were born in America."

Unless you are a logger. Then it's a guarantee.

[Ouabache]

72. "in fairness he has a lot on his plate right now" - freep said that?

Oh right, so that must be why he is taking a MONTH LONG vacation starting tomorrow, huh?

Really if his comment didn't show how out of touch Bush really is from average working Americans, it would be funny. As it is, he is either contemptible or clueless. They get their pick which he is.

[Sushi_lover]

36. Rove screwed up. Questions need better scripting.

Campaign mistake:

Bush talking freely about the problems of ordinary Americans.

[otohara]

37. They Speak The Truth???? OMG Who'd A Thunk???

Posted by Dirtboy:

Bush just lost several thousand tech worker votes with this line. There are millions of tech workers with more-than-adequate skills who are out of work because of H1-B and L1 visas and outsourcing. So what is the lesson to high school and college students? Work hard, get a tech degree, and look forward to a career at Home Depot.

[DagmarK]

51. OH yeah,,,,,,,,here's some more truth-telling.....

"I would rather have the republicans and democrats fighting all the time (1994-2k) than have one guy get to spend whenever he wants.."

OR

I'm not necessarily saying GWB was being flippant, but I'm getting madder by the day seeing NOTHING positive happening in the economy to get jobs going. All I read about is stuff heading for Mexico, Canada, offshore, and now there's a flood of jobs to, of all places, INDIA where our customer service jobs have found a nest. The Cleveland school system refused to return my calls for a teaching job (even tho I'm qualified), but they, instead, went to INDIA to recruit the teachers, ignoring the fact that there are plenty of out of work, degreed, certified humans in the Cleveland area.

I'm tired of hearing how the economy is RECOVERING. It's dead. It's flat. One out of five factories up here in northern Ohio is EMPTY. And we're being told we have failed to keep up with our schooling? There's one hell of a lot of highly skilled, highly educated unemployed people coming thru our offices every day, and NOBODY wants them. Dammit! So there! Peace!

OR

No this is the straw... The fact he is spending more money than Clinton ever dreamed of spending, the 'Patriot' Act, the total silence on the implosion of the technology sector in this nation and the fact hes more a free trader than his father have put me to this point..

OR

Well, I got a tax cut from Bush - but then he turns around and spends more money anyway, which means it'll have to come from somewhere, such as higher interest costs in the future. And my local taxes are going up, and I expect my state taxes to go up at least a percentage point here in PA. And there are plenty of stories of folks who used to make a good living in the tech sector who are now facing the loss of their home.

You want hard census data? It isn't in yet. But millions of unemployed, facing little prospect of reclaiming their old level of employment, means the middle class is shrinking.



MOST OF THESE are from dirtboy and N3WB13. When they join DU, we should welcome them with open arms. And give them a handicapp on seeing the light on all the other issues.......

[fortyfeetunder]

117. We have to keep turning up the heat on this one

12 months from now most Murkans will have forgotten this inane statement unless we turn up the heat and keep this one up front.

But hell, he's said so many effing stupid things so far...

[dragonquest8]

38. it is just soooooooooooo outrageous comment even for Chimpy

[Drifter]

39. You gotta agree with him there ...

Oops ... I thought he was talking about himself.

Cheers
Drifter

[TecnoCrat]

40. Moron.

I got laid off about a month ago, and have had maybe one call about a new job in the meantime, paying about 1/3rd of what my old one did.

I work in the IT sector. I've kept up with tech and training, even after my former employer stopped paying for it, but still required it.

I guess it's my fault now that I'm not trained enough. Bush, go ahead and insult people left and right. Election through intimidation.

[metisnation]

103. welcome to DU

We need to hammer us corporations that try to do this to fatten their bottom line. Outsourcing should come at a cost superior to that of keeping on staff here in the US. Welcome to DU I am sorry to hear about your misfortune. I cannot tell you how upset I am with the abuse of US labor in this country. It is time to unite and march on these facist pigs!


:mad:

[LoneStarLiberal]

41. This Is The Other Shoe Dropping Of The Outsourcing Issue

<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=21849>

The Bush administration provides assurances to India over outsourcing

The Prez and his administration have already repeatedly told the India government that they will oppose all state-level attempts to block company's attempts to outsource jobs overseas.

[DagmarK]

53. Oh gosh,.....can someone post THAT on FR????

yeah....that has got to go in the FR thread........

I have never posted there.....and I don't want to start now......

[sangha]

43. We got bigger problems than foreign programmers

http://www.newtechusa.com/ppi/main.asp

[bpilgrim]

58. lol

actually artificial life in cs is an even BIGGER problem... seriously.

:hi:

peace

[sangha]

61. Maybe,

but I'm worried about those monkeys. They need a union.

[HFishbine]

44. The 6,450 textile workers who lost their jobs TODAY

didn't lose them because they are unskilled or because they were replaced by robots. They lost them because their company couldn't compete with cheap imports manufactured overseas by workers paid pennies an hour.

Here are the thoughts of one worker who was laid off today: "It's all over," he said. "There's nothing left."

http://www.news-record.com/news/local/rock/pillowtex31.htm

[schultzee]

46. I hate Republicans more and more every day....They are greedy

bloated leeches on the backs on honest hardworking Americans.

[JPace]

84. "It's all over"

Thousands of textile workers in Western North Carolina
have lost their jobs, most going overseas where workers
get paid pennies compared to over here. People cannot
find jobs here that pay a living wage anymore. For
many it truely is "All Over".

For all of you lurker republicans this message is for
you. Your pResident bush was born with a silver spoon
in his mouth, he knows nothing about what the pain
of struggle is for the common man or woman. He truely
believes that if you are poor it is your own fault.
Just remember that when you choose to vote for him
next time. It could be your job next!

[schultzee]

45. Bull! Thats why they are sendng tech jobs abroad! Liar Liar Liar

I wish the sheep realized what a liar bush is.

[sangha]

47. "I hope this isn't true"

Yeah, right Einstein. And while you're at it, why don't you hope Bush* isn't evil also?

[drewb]

56. "Well, not everyone can be president..."

n/t

[Riptide]

57. I couldn't believe he said to go to a community college to get retrained!.

My husband has a master's degree in computer science. We are still paying off the loans! My husband lives in constant fear that he will be outsourced soon. It does not matter how well educated he is, or how well he does his job, he just can't compete with someone who will work for $5,000 a year!

Chimp has no idea what he is talking about. Most of the IT guys my husband works with are repubs. I wonder what they think of boy wonder telling them to go to community college.

[sam sarrha]

68. your job is probably going to be 'IN' sourced... to a prison.

[janx]

128. I've heard Chimp talk about community colleges that way before.

The guy is so out of touch that he thinks a community college is where people go for job training, period. He literally has no idea.

[DagmarK]

59. Oh......FR PULLED that thread.............

A little truth hearts.....

close that cracked door now!

[Walt Starr]

62. It got up to 472 posts

Then they pulled the plug because ti was too negative for Dubya.

Freepthink, gotta love it. Let the thing go until there are more than 400 posts negative for Bush and pull the plug.

BTW, don't ask me how I know it was exactly 472 posts before being pulled. :evilgrin:

[Resistance Is Futile]

71. What you're up against

When people believe a leader was selected by god, there's just no room for criticism.


That's exactly what your up against.

[LoneStarLiberal]

65. VERBOTEN!

Criticism IST VERBOTEN!

[Iris]

60. He should know.

And does he really think the companies are sending the jobs overseas because they can't find "skilled workers" here? Has he even LOOKED AT the unemployment figures lately?

[tibbiit]

63. They (freeps) just pulled the thread

450 posts, gone. So if you are reading it now, copy and save before too late:)
tib

[Buns_of_Fire]

66. The thread on FR has been pulled

Now, it points back to THIS thread. :shrug: Apparently JimRob can't handle criticism of The Almighty Bush, even when his OWN people are pissed. Pitiful.

Anyway, I might as well add my own $.02: Having no discernable skills sure didn't hurt Bunnypants' sorry ass, did it?

[David Zephyr]

67. Amazing! Engineers in Silicon Valley are Already Pissed.

This story really needs to be aired and aired and aired until every tech worker in the U.S. has heard the words of the pResident.

[sam sarrha]

69. well that is what you get having a wet brain drunk for a presidint..

:toast: :beer: :tinfoilhat: :beer: :toast: :beer: :beer: :beer:

[scarletlib]

73. keep it kicked

n/t

[Unkaphaed]

74. My job is going overseas

Speaking as someone whose job is going overseas (and whose previous job was outsourced), this just goes to show that the pResident is a complete idiot who hasn't had to do an honest day's work in his life.

Hell, he problaby hasn't ever had to balance a CHECKBOOK. Extra points if he uses a computer program like MS Money or Quicken.

I went from a $50k/year job to a $9.50/hour job because that's all I could find. I then found a $10.00/hour job (oh boy, big raise) - and that was still 50 cents an hour less than I was making from Unemployment. But I took the job anyway, because I didn't want to stay on Unemployment for forever. Then I got a big step up to $13/hour - but I still can't make ends meet. I cashed in my 401k and took the tax hit so I could continue to live in this house. My wife works OT whenever she can. And we still can't make ends meet - we're going to be bankrupt by the end of the year, because we had too many debts when I lost my good-paying job.

I'm not asking for sympathy here, because I know the debts are of my own making and I was stupid and careless - but I know my story is far from typical. This, after Bush-baby kept saying "spend spend spend," and the economy still went into the crapper and our jobs are going overseas.

Bread lines, anyone?

Oh yeah, and who is supposed to BUY all this stuff, when we're all making $8 an hour as vapid-brained blank-eyed greeters working less than 40 hours a week at Wallymart so they don't have to give us benefits? Is a whole generation of people supposed to go off and just die under a bridge somewhere?

[StandWatie]

76. I think that's the plan..

:shrug:

[scarletlib]

78. Yep, me too

What better way to keep from paying all us boomers SSA and Medicare benefits.

[Kipper58]

91. You may be right about dying under a bridge -

I read this article from a link on another thread - it's probably the scariest thing I've seen this year. If everything the writer describes comes to pass, the consequences for our present way of life will be dire. What are millions of people with no marketable skills except their own physical labour going to do in a world where robots can do ALL the tasks done by the majority of the current working population?

http://marshallbrain.com/robotic-nation.htm

[worldcomflunky]

93. I sympathize with you Unkaphaead

I work at good old Worldcom(no I was not in on any of it) and I have seen many of my friends have to fall on their swords as a result of our mess. Almost none of them have yet to find any jobs. Some of them been unemployed for over 2 years. It's only a matter of time before this entire country and it's economy implodes. When that happens we will be lucky to even be the equilivent of a 3rd world country. How the hell I have managed to not get laid off is beyond me. However, rumor has it we have another big one next month so my luck is probably up. Thanks a lot Chimpy!!! Shut your fucking piehole about us not being able to "keep up". DAMMIT!! I hate him so much.

[Mackay]

79. I'm thrilled shrub shot himself in the foot

BUT... I would also like to know if anyone out there has some ideas on how to deal with this problem... which definately seems to be one of the most serious facing the economy. What sort of legislation would work? Are there any pending campaigns on this issue? Or just share an opinion on what might work... Seems like a very hard thing to legislate against because corporations can just sub-contract etc. Comments appreciated...

[StandWatie]

81. the best solution

would be to pass laws lowering the threshold on Union organizing in the tech sector, the freeps might not like it but that's where reform is going to have to come from.

If those people on the h1b's are that good they are worth paying the same amount minus the employers $150 fee.

[Mackay]

99. It's easy to regulate the H1B's

What I'm concerned about is the jobs which are being sent overseas... not the people who are coming to the U.S.

[juajen]

108. Shut down NAFTA as Kucinich says

Strengthen unions and charge corporations heavily for every job that leaves our borders. In short, DENNIS KUCINICH, anyone?

[kskiska]

80. He couldn't even hack it when Poppy set him up

on the Carlyle board when he was down on his luck. He was asked to leave because he wasn't contributing anything, just the occasional dirty joke. Imagine him with a real job. He has a history of quitting after a few months.

[Best_man23]

82. That is the biggest steaming pile Dumbya's laid yet

I'm a technical writer who is currently enduring his third work stoppage in the last 12 months. Over the last year, I have had more idle time than at any point since high school. I am constantly going to school to update and acquire new skills. My background and skill set are extremely strong.

In 2001 (the last complete year I worked), I grossed over 80K. I have barely made more than half of that in the last 18 months. When I was unemployed last year, I had a grand total of three interviews in my job field between June and December. Unemployment benefits, conservative spending, and aggressive savings have been the only things that have kept me out of the poor house.

Lack of skills, my ASS!

[Melsky]

83. I'm in Shock!

Bush is the stupidest president in history. Can we recall this guy like they are trying to do to Davis?

and kick!:kick:

[demgrrrll]

85. Huge mistake, Big giant huge massive mistake. This one will haunt him. n/t

.

[jumptheshadow]

86. Deja vu

This faux pas reminds me of when King of the World's daddy was surprised by the barcode scanner in the supermarket. How out of touch with reality this family is. And how devastating the consequences are. It beats me why America would have wanted a second helping of these boobs.

[oldcoot]

89. Yes

I remember that incident. I also seem to remember daddy not knowing the price of bread.

Welcome to DU!

[juajen]

109. I believe it was a gallon of milk

N/T

[fishnfla]

90. What are these Visas?

HB L1 or such? I've never heard of them. Who gets them?

[InkAddict]

101. Do you live in a Cave?

[fishnfla]

120. Excuse me for asking

and thank you for your kind insightful answer! I have never heard of these specific Visas before, I'm so very sorry. My experience with DU has been that members of this forum are generally helpful when a fellow taveler asks a question.

I have another question for you: are all Dean supporters so fucking petulant?

[Jose Diablo]

122. The visa's allow working in USA

For foreign nationals.

They are supposed to be only allowed in instances where the amount of work required in a specific industry excedes by a far margin the available AMERICAN work force to supply.

Of course, recently corporations have lobbied and won from our friends in congress laws greatly expanding the the number of permits issued.

The corporations have used these permits to discount the value they pay for labor. And of course, the permit holders get discounted too.

The basics of 'cheap-labor conservatives'. Expand the labor force, discount labor.

[fishnfla]

124. Thanx JB1! and welcome to DU

There are those that are claiming that Dems and Repubs are equally responsible for this situation. Some are blaming NAFTA and GATT.

[Jose Diablo]

126. Responsibility is collective

Who is responsible? I think we all share a certain amount.

What we are seeing today has at it roots a long history. At least as far back as Raygun. Maybe longer.

A few days back I read a post here with a link to an archived DU thread from someone describing New Zealands experience with their hijacked government. Maybe someone with far more DU experience can resupply the thread.

In essence, corporate power gained power over both sides of their election, and put some very greedy people in charge. It was a disaster for the country, but very very profitable for a few.

I think the real root cause is multinational corporations and those running them. We need to take a hard look at why we give corporations personhood and the right to influence elected officials. A closer look at what gave congress to give up its constitutional right and duty to maintain America's money system to a bunch of bankers a.k.a Federal Reserve will go a long way too.

As for why we share responsibility? I think most Americans, myself included, have been asleep and allowed all these things to happen. There is still time though to take back what has been stolen though, if we have the will.

[Paragon]

92. Thread back up at Freeperland

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/956021/posts

[Skittles]

97. aw, they're all wondering why the previous thread got pulled

they truly are stupid, are they not?

[are_we_united_yet]

94. Dear God

For once I agree with the Freepers. NOW THAT IS SCARY!

[InkAddict]

95. BAIT & SWITCH

Oh, please, don't get me started.....IT and Health Info Mgmt - Just about the time I obtained my Ass-ociate degree from community college, the 4-yr follow-on program pulls out of state and spouse's contracts dry up one after another, downsized, merged, major employers leave town and lay off everyone - not to mention the fact that the State decides that single welfare Moms should get a free ride at school in my program and "special job opportunities" upon graduation, after I pay upfront for my education/books/supplies and work full-time to pay for it and can't find a job in the field cause the "specials" are being subsidized.

No employer has ever offered training to my spouse - not even when he was "on-the-bench" and a couple of employers even supported their own "university." But he was sure good enough to make sure the world didn't stop in Y2K and not at Silicon Valley wages either.

So, who was supposed to raise the kids, and don't tell me I should have looked in my crystal ball - once upon a time I considered us fortunate enough to be able to take the time out to raise our own babies - yeah almost a 50% cut in gross income for six years - a sacrifice I'd do again in a minute.

1st marriage still intact after 33 years to a Viet-Nam era vet. - The Grandparents/daycare/preschool didn't babysit the kids - daughers are not unwed mommies, (I FEEL LIKE A DINOSAUR) - Gee, I guess we fail to get career points for personal tribulations brought on by bad choices. Didn't churn the moneywheel enough by living badly, huh? - Well, guess what - not this time either!!!!REPUKES WILL EVENTUALLY PAY BIG TIME FOR THEIR CORRUPTION!

Old Gramps, who failed to get a high school diploma or GED, didn't use the GI bill after WWII except for housing, and retired from the same job w/bonuses (stamping plant floor supervisor), and house after 50 years but never invested a fucking dime in Wall Street lala land is now living in the assisted living "Love Boat" while we lose it all ." True Confessions: Should I hope that his heart breaks soon watching the economic downfall of his children because he liked Runnin' Ronny? The guilt of such hateful thoughts tears me up.

What should I say to Grandma, who years ago liked "Goldwater" and doesn't drive because it makes Gramps feel more like a man and who has said she won't speak to her daughter or grandchildren until "somebody dies?" See, she got religion and is now sitting on His right hand -yup, a virtuous Christian woman.

Rant, rant, rant, and when it's all said and done there's nothing to say but that THERE'S NO LACK OF SKILLS EXCEPT IN THE WHITE HOUSE! Unless you mean skilled liars and con artists! It's real easy to buy your way through life, a whole lot harder to actually make a difference in making America great in ways that count. This usurper has forgotten his pledge! - one shudders to think that even our sacred votes may not win the battle - Will Americans have to resort to pitchforks American Gothic style once again?

[inthecorneroverhere]

96. LIE

A perfect example of the Big Lie !

[union_maid]

100. Everyone was trained at my husband's place..

and everyone got laid off anyway. New skills were never the issue. Cheaper labor was the ONLY issue. Jobs were outsourced to India and most of the inhouse jobs are being done by Indians on work visas, who are none too happy about being expected to do the work of the entire former IT staff. They didn't understand that they were replacing everyone. They thought they were there to help to facilitate a changeover that would entail a lot of work for a period of time. Maybe some of them hoped to get to stay, but I don't think they want to be there anymore.

[GaryL]

98. What a stupid little prick!

Does his brain ever work even a moment before he open his pie hole? What a pleasure it will be when this asshole meets up with his own umemployment.

[Octafish]

102. He should know.

He's the most unskilled idiot ever to occupy the Oval Office. Bush is lucky to have a job. And the crook knows it.

[NYC]

104. Who will consume the cheaply made products?

Not Americans. We won't have jobs. The corporations will save lots of money. Where will they sell their products?

[short bus president]

107. Is this Chimpy's "barcode scanner moment?"

[Oreegone]

110. SEND TO ALL YOUR UNEMPLOYED REPUBLICAN FRIENDS

No really this is the time for them to read this....

[Best_man23]

111. Ready...

:kick: it for the night crowd.

[Best_man23]

112. Ready...

:kick: it for the night crowd.

[DemBones DemBones]

113. I hope this clip gets played over and over and over again

until we get Bush* and all his crew out of there.

[wellst0nev0ter]

114. No, Look Over There! President Takes Responsibility For His Speech!

"Wow! What an earnest and adult man we have here," says the lapdog media, "taking responsibility for what actually comes out of his mouth, why lets give him another pass on his awe-inspiring lack of sympathy for the unemployed" :eyes:

[hippywife]

115. Awww, come on...

Personally, I just love it when he gets loose from his handlers and says stupid shit like this and so should you. I hope to see so much more of it as the campaign truly heats up.

Some folks hit upon it briefly but, yes, I do believe that what is planned is the squeezing out of the middle class into a South American style economy. Someone I knew from Quito once said that it works this way: "Either you have a maid, or you are a maid." There is no in-between in the vision of the best republican run government corporate money can buy.

NOW with Bill Moyers did an excellent piece on this many months back which I do believe was called "Squeezing out the Middle Class." If I can recall the figures correctly they stated something to the effect that currently the top 13,000 families control more of the wealth than the bottom 13,000,000 people. And you know that figure is growing when NPR reported yesterday the loss of 1,000,000 more jobs last quarter alone.

The idea has always been to get you into this position: fighting legistation for higher minimum wages, encouraging more and more spending which will build higher credit debt, re-writing the bankruptcy laws, pushing for faith-based initiatives, killing the estate tax, cutting taxes for everyone in order for them to look benevolent to the masses while the real motivation is to drain the federal tax-based income. (Even the most unskilled, uneducated person walking can tell you that to run a household budget in order to keep the roof over their family's head, they can't do it by cutting their income and increasing their spending. Mulitply this by the millions, it's still the same simple concept. If you give the people work, they get to feed their families AND keep the federal/state/local economies working with the tax revenues.)

This has all been laying the groundwork for what is now happening: breaking the American economy with an illegal and unjustified war in order to shut down federal and state mandated social programs while the wealthy continue to get wealthier and we all drain our retirement accounts (or what wasn't stolen from them by corporate dirty dealing) to just keep our heads above water.

They are all getting theirs and being able to pass it down to their families so why in the world would they need to give a shit about you and yours?

It's time for the true majority...the middle class American worker...to get a clue what is really in store for them and get their asses to the polls and vote as if their very lives depend upon it because it does. :mad: :mad:

[cap]

116. I wonder if this has made it on slashdot, hotjobs,

f*dcompany.com, or other IT message boards.

[scarletlib]

118. Keep it kicked

n/t

[area51]

123. webboards

cap said:

"I wonder if this has made it on slashdot, hotjobs, ...."

I submitted the link in the original posting to slashdot, didn't see it used, so I assume they rejected it. It would really have helped if a lot of slashdotters poured email into the Whitehouse protesting George W. Hoover's stupidity.



CBS News: "Statistically speaking, it's easier to get accepted by Harvard University than to get a job in this economy." (8/1/03)

[cheapbeemr]

119. Beautifully said

And as others have said, Bush knows so much about advanced job skills, a man who would be selling shoes if his name was anything other than Bush......

[fishnfla]

125. Great post, hip

You're on to something here, an echo from Gingrich and the contract with America, they felt that if Federal funds dried up and there was nothing left for social programs, then those programs would wither and die on the vine and it would only hurt the lower classes. They mean to starve these programs out of existance. How else can you explain the GOP sitting on their hands while * piles on the largest deficits in history? They want to have their tax cut and eat it too? Aren't conservatives by nature fiscally responsible?

Want to piss off a freeper? Ask it to name one spending bill from congess that * has vetoed.

Problem is, when the middle class gets caught up in the class warfare, all bets are off.

ON EDIT: Cripes-a-mighty I forgot to welcome you to DU!!

[5X]

127. kick

.


(the hippy)

[snippy]

129. Very good post.

[Jose Diablo]

121. Lack of skills?

Could this be a calculated statement meant to provoke a response, like civil unrest, like in the WTO's handbook on destroying a country?

Naw, Bush* is really that stupid.