President Donald Trump’s next immigration policy to target what Silicon Valley fears most

107 Comments

“President Donald Trump’s next target in his administration’s immigration policy will focus on what Silicon Valley fears most: the work-visa programs that tech companies rely on to hire tens of thousands of workers each year,” Elizabeth Gurdus reports for CNBC.

“The executive order is still a draft, according to the report, but if enacted, it could mean major overhauls in the way tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon recruit their employees. Under the order, companies would have to prioritize hiring American workers, and if they must hire foreign workers, then they must prioritize the most highly compensated, according to the report,” Gurdus reports. “‘Our country’s immigration policies should be designed and implemented to serve, first and foremost, the U.S. national interest,'” the draft says, according to a copy obtained by Bloomberg.”

“‘Visa programs for foreign workers … should be administered in a manner that protects the civil rights of American workers and current lawful residents, and that prioritizes the protection of American workers — our forgotten working people — and the jobs they hold,’ the draft states,” Gurdus reports. “Trump’s order affects a number of visa programs including H-1B, L-1, E-2, and B1 visas…”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: American high tech workers should back efforts to curb the abuse of H-1B and related visas.

SEE ALSO:
President Trump’s travel ban stirs little outcry beyond Silicon Valley – January 30, 2017
Tech industry frets over possible H-1B visa program changes under President Trump – January 28, 2017
President Trump eyes an H-1B visa aimed at ‘best and brightest’ – January 27, 2017
Silicon Valley chiefs frozen out of President Trump’s White House – December 3, 2016
Silicon Valley uncertain after Donald Trump wins U.S. presidency – November 10, 2016
Silicon Valley donated 60 times more to Clinton than to Trump – November 7, 2016
99% of Silicon Valley’s political dollars are going to Hillary Clinton – October 25, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook and the rest of Silicon Valley throw big money at Clinton and pretty much bupkis at Trump – August 23, 2016
Donald Trump’s most unlikely supporter: Silicon Valley billionaire Pete Thiel – July 21, 2016
Tech investor Peter Thiel’s embrace of Donald Trump for U.S. President has Silicon Valley squirming – July 20, 2016
An open letter from Apple co-founder Woz, other techies on Donald Trump’s candidacy for U.S. President – July 14, 2016
Apple refuses to aid 2016 GOP presidential convention over Trump comments – June 18, 2016
Apple and Silicon Valley employees love Bernie Sanders. Donald Trump? Not so much – May 6, 2016
Trump: We’ll get Apple to manufacture ‘their damn computers and things’ in the U.S.A. – January 18, 2016

107 Comments

  1. President Donald Trump does more every 8 days than Obama did in 8 long, malaise-filled years!

    I cannot wait for President Trump to fix this highly-abused work-visa system.

    For Silicon Valley and Apple’s Tim Cook, it’s all about H-1B visas and cheap labor.

    American companies and their shareholders, in general, want skilled labor as CHEAPLY as possible. That’s a main reason why Tim Cook, Apple and other tech firms backed the loser Clinton – they wanted unlimited H-1Bs to continue, so they can pay Ajeet from India half what they’d have to pay Tom from Tulsa who can’t find a job after graduating from college and has to live in his parents basement because Apple got Ajeet from India to do it on the CHEAP.

    H1-B visas for skilled workers DO NOT EQUAL uneducated illegal aliens streaming across the southern border intent on cashing in on American taxpayer’s largesse while setting up shop in the domestic drug trade and/or other crimes (gangs, rape, robbery, etc.).

    Trump is for upholding the laws already on the books designed to protect our borders and our nation’s sovereignty.

    The Trump campaign’s policy:

    Increase prevailing wage for H-1Bs. We graduate two times more Americans with STEM degrees each year than find STEM jobs, yet as much as two-thirds of entry-level hiring for IT jobs is accomplished through the H-1B program. More than half of H-1B visas are issued for the program’s lowest allowable wage level, and more than eighty percent for its bottom two. Raising the prevailing wage paid to H-1Bs will force companies to give these coveted entry-level jobs to the existing domestic pool of unemployed native and immigrant workers in the U.S., instead of flying in cheaper workers from overseas. This will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program. Mark Zuckerberg’s personal Senator, Marco Rubio, has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities.

    Requirement to hire American workers first. Too many visas, like the H-1B, have no such requirement. In the year 2015, with 92 million Americans outside the workforce and incomes collapsing, we need companies to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed. Petitions for workers should be mailed to the unemployment office, not USCIS.

    End welfare abuse. Applicants for entry to the United States should be required to certify that they can pay for their own housing, healthcare and other needs before coming to the U.S.

    Jobs program for inner city youth. The J-1 visa jobs program for foreign youth will be terminated and replaced with a resume bank for inner city youth provided to all corporate subscribers to the J-1 visa program.

    Refugee program for American children. Increase standards for the admission of refugees and asylum-seekers to crack down on abuses. Use the monies saved on expensive refugee programs to help place American children without parents in safer homes and communities, and to improve community safety in high crime neighborhoods in the United States.

    Immigration moderation. Before any new green cards are issued to foreign workers abroad, there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers. This will help reverse women’s plummeting workplace participation rate, grow wages, and allow record immigration levels to subside to more moderate historical averages.

    Reply

    1. Such flawed logic. Guess why they hire H1B people over Americans… STEM programs in the US suck! I’m an international grad student in a top 10 American school, and I’m witnessing how cripplingly terrible the Physics and Math college programs are here.

      Reply

        1. Absolutely agreed. You shouldn’t restrict the hiring process first and then hope that education will catch up on its own. Unless you want the American technology market to take a dip for a few decades.

        2. Companies won’t stand for a dip, they’ll just outsource. To a company, what’s the difference between 14 highly paid managers working with those teams in other countries… paying taxes and contributing to the coffers of US small businesses

          AND

          Those same 14 managers also being outsourced to another country?

          Not much

        3. I much prefer the dip for a few decades. It’s better that than keep using foreigners from countries to manufacturer technology outside of the US and then turn right back around and wonder why our electronic technology infrastructure is so hackable. I have no sympathy for any of these technology companies because they wouldn’t hesitate for a second to pull the pink slip trigger when their business is struggling while almost simultaneously handing out multimillion dollar pay checks to their high level management personnels whom do nothing but rely on feedback from those same cheaply paid foreign employees to make their decisions.

  2. So in the last few days the tech industry in general rejected tRump’s muslim ban and then today he comes out with proposed legislation targeting their recruitment efforts thereby hurting everyone including himself…hmmm.

    A vindictive billionaire shortsighted megalomaniac toddler president is just what America needed to Make America White, um…Great Again.

    Reply

      1. Not completely. Yet. This is just an experiment to see how much they can get away with. How far they can push it. I know what they’re doing. Hence the outcry and the resistance. You put a stop to it now so it does not BECOME…

        First they came for the Muslims….

        Anytime you start thinking of people and treating them as herd instead of individuals with you unique pathways and stories then we become the enemy we fear.

        Reply

        1. Oh, so you’re a mindreader now?

          This is what a real change agent looks like, Dem dum-dums.

          Welcome to real hope and change, Dem dum-dums.

        2. The people do not want this change for the worse. Extremists are asking for extremist policies and Trump is implementing them. We’ll fight it because it’s wrong. His current policies and his proposed policies are unjust, bigoted, and devastating to our economy. Come join the fight for our constitution and our American values.

        3. The people voted for Donald Trump and put the GOP in power in both the House and the Senate.

          Don’t conflate a handful of commie nutjobs with “The people.”

          In 8 days, Trump has done more work than the feckless weakling Obama did in 8 very, very, very long and malaise-filled years.

          The people granted the GOP the:
          1. Presidency
          2. Senate
          3. House
          4. Supreme Court for decades to come

        4. I’m not sure how was the Supreme Court “granted” to the GOP. For the next two years, the only obvious change is the replacement of the most rabidly conservative judge that died last year, so ideologically, court can at best (for the conservatives) stay where it was, and more likely, move to the left (old conservatives such as Scalia are dying away; even Roberts ruled in favour of ACA).

          Two years from now, mid-term elections could give Democrats the Senate (a likely outcome, if the current crop of Republicans continues to support vastly unpopular Trump and his moves). What Republicans did last year (refused to confirm replacement, leaving vacancy open for more than a year), Democrats could do until Trump is voted out four years form now. The first likely SCOTUS judge to retire is Ginsburg, and unless she dies, it is unlikely that she’ll retire during Trump term.

          For GOP to keep control and continue replacing judges, they will have to keep the Senate at mid-term, and hold onto the presidency (either by re-electing Trump, which is unlikely, or sending someone else, such as Pence). With the rapid demographic changes in America favouring Democrats (as shown by the popular vote in last election), it will become increasingly more difficult for the republicans to win presidency again (or ever) with current policies. As a matter of fact, one of Trump’s messages to conservatives was exactly that: “I’m your last chance at Presidency!”

          Trump has successfully managed to destroy most of what is greatest about America in less than two weeks. The destruction will no doubt continue, with full support of all the republicans who were on the “Never Trump!” wagon a year ago. Eventually, he will be shown the door and rebuilding will begin. Americans just need to be patient and survive until then.

        5. He was told…
          “We don’t want you here. Go back home.”

          “Budweiser 2017 Super Bowl Commercial | “Born The Hard Way”
          Telling the story of the German immigrant who founded the Anheuser-Busch beer company, which makes Budweiser, the ad isn’t afraid to shy away from the xenophobia and hate that immigrants of all colors and origins had to face when they first arrived in the young republic. Detailing the rough sea journey that the young Adolphus Busch had to make simply to get here and work his way up, the ad tells a powerful human story.”

        6. Erroneous. The people, as proven by the tallies, did not vote for this wretched man. “The people,” largely, did not vote, followed by Hillary, followed by your pathetic excuse for a leader.

          The scum of the earth voted for Cheeto Jesus.

        8. Let’s just start with bigotry. That’s obviously deplorable. Now you can put yourself in your own bucket: do you support the bigotry? Let’s hear a clear cut answer on this. If you don’t support the bigotry, then help fight it. Show some character rather than just gloating on victory.

        10. You should try living as an expat in a foreign nation where they protect their own citizens employment opportunities and not foreigners and the corporation’s interest. Maybe folks would wake up and realize it is in a nations best interest to do this. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with a nation doing this.

        12. Cute. I enjoy locker room talk as much as the next guy, so type whatever helps staunch your Dem/Lib/Prog tears (even though I cannot get enough of them).

          I’m quite happy instead to own the:

          1. U.S. Presidency
          2. U.S. Senate
          3. U.S. House
          4. U.S. Supreme Court for decades to come

          Hey, look, those are all “U.S.” institutions, not Iranian, Iraqi, Libyan, Somali, Sudanese, Syrian or Yemeni. Imagine that.

        13. In the big scheme of things, it actually doesn’t matter. This country in this present timeline is stolen property founded on the slaughter of native americans, build upon slavery and the destruction of black people and poor white people. Blood of injustice is the foundation that built this country.

          Karma, that fateful faithful bitch, always comes around. The real saving of this country is what’s coming our way from that and how much damage we can mitigate for ourselves.

          At the end of the day, we are all children of earth. All those invisible borders and walls only matter to people who can’t see beyond them and embrace and protect humanities of all people on earth.

          There’s alway the biggies around the corner…
          supervolcanoes
          pestilence
          gigantic meteors, space rocks
          the sun destructive flare
          hurricanes
          the earth flipping
          tidal waves
          etc…

          Mother nature and lady karma has lots of balancing weapons at their fingertips. And some of that is coming our way.

          I’m sure the children will enjoy them.

        15. I’m sorry you hate women. Must hurt that one of them brought you here. You probably came out door number 2 though. Which of course is probably why you hate women. lol.

        18. I’ve been spending quite a lot of time thinking about Trump and his presidency since Kevin O’Leary is likely to become the leader of the Conservative party in Canada.

          Trump is an agent of change. No doubt there. But the way he is doing so is alienating quite a large number of Americans along the way. Hence the protests. His popularity will continue to stay about where it is, I expect, unless he comes across a situation that divides his support base. If that happens, he will have to try to gain support from the electorate he has been ignoring.

          He is running the country like a company, and selling his product to those who voted for him exclusively. Which is great if you are buying what he is selling. But is that the way a democracy is supposed to work? The tyranny of the 50%+1?

        19. Amusing you call Dems dum-dums when it’s been shown that, across the board, Republicans are less intelligent and more prone to emotional reactions than a Democrat. The bottom half of states (as ranked by IQ) is much more filled with red than blue.

        2. C’mon! The moment Obama starting doing any kind of Health Care reform, Republicans were fighting it with exaggeration and mis-information. Did Obama coin the term “Obamacare?” NO!

          If Obama had started signing EO’s unilaterally making changes to health care (I’m sure they could have found some within the bounds of executive power) you would have recognized it as “a step towards what he wanted to do all along.”

          And that appears to be what Trump is doing. Taking the steps that he can within his Executive Power to move closer to what he stated in the past he wants.

        3. What he (and/or Steve Bannon) wants isn’t necessarilly what’s best for for Americans and our relationships with the world. Seems like he’s working more on isolating us than protecting us.

      3. If you say that you are a Christian, you can get in. 99.99% of the people that will be kept out are Muslim. If it looks like a Muslim Ban and it sounds like a Muslim Ban and it smells like a Muslim Ban then it is something else, right?
        #DeleteUber

        Reply

      4. A Muslim ban was trump’s original intent. Trump said that during his campaign. Rudy Guilliani said just this past Saturday on fox that Trump consulted with him on how to do it legally. No terrorist attacks from the 7 banned countries despite being removed from our visa waiver program in 2015 by Obama. The priority for christians. Religion is at the center of this ban.

        Reply

      5. If it walks on two clawed feet, clucks, has feathers, lays multiple clutches of largish uniform colour eggs, flies with difficulty, naturally flocks, spends most of its life eating grain and pecking the earth…and clucks….
        …only a misinformed, stupid or lying ignoramus would call it an ostrich.
        What is it about giving precedence to Christian refugees, that you don’t understand? Trump, ‘you’ and botty have inordinate posts here on TrumpDailyNews, bad-mouthing Muslims in the crudest terms. So now we are to believe your toddler-in-chief hatefest wacko white supremacist god…is really just doing the right thing?
        Thug mentality.

        Reply

  3. MDN, thanks for alerting us to Trump’s proposed abuse of our immigration system. I’m sure you agree that immigration is a cornerstone of America’s strength, and that the H1B system has been a wonderful way to bring highly skilled, well educated people into the US. Over the years I’ve known a lot of these people, and they’ve been great friends and colleagues. I’ve never witnessed any abuse that you mention, and so I’d hope that you’d support targeted fixes of abuses rather than devastating a great program. Instead of adding FUD to the process, I’d hope we’d expand the H1B program to allow more great people to join and fill roles so essential to an expanding economy. Let’s make a program that smooths out the rough edges, and makes it more timely for getting people started.

    Thanks everyone who wants to make our immigration even more effective and fight the vitriole coming from our president.

    Reply

      1. As I said, use narrowly targeted fixes to address small exceptions of abuse, instead of devastating a valuable system. In this Disney case, it looks like they found an inexpensive company to outsource to, so it’s more complicated than an H1B issue. If you don’t like outsourcing, you may want to reflect on the fact that unregulated capitalism will seek cut-throat ways to minimize costs, and those employees are at risk under a lot of scenarios if the company leaders don’t value their workers. Obviously Trump is not your leader if you’re looking for sensitivity on that front.

        In any case, my recommendation is rather than break something of value, fix what’s broken in a targeted way. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

        People need to stand back and realize the H1B system is tremendously valuable overall. It’s obviously better to expand it since it’s been so successful. Great people coming into our country, a vibrant culture of diverse ideas, jobs getting filled with relevant expertise, thriving industries that are then able to produce jobs at all levels.

        Reply

  5. Yep, history has shown that Americans can do this all on their own! No need for blood-sucking Italian, Irish, Polish, Czec and many other nationalities of immigrants.

    How many of you guys already regret your vote?

    Reply

  6. What American High Tech Workers?

    They already all have jobs. Maybe its time to re-think
    American Education. Clearly you need to export brains from other countries for anything beyond Burgers and Fries delivery people.

    Reply

      1. So… parents? Grandparents? His family is an immigrant family.

        As Ann Landers put in once when smacking down a frothing racist (approximately): “Unless your name is Singing Eagle or something like that, your family are immigrants.”

        Reply

  8. I honestly don’t have an issue with this. America may have lower STEM scores in general, but we are also a nation of nearly 400,000,000 people. There are plenty of good engineers and CS people here (and please note: that includes everyone in good legal standing irrespective of ethnicity, age , gender, etc.). They should indeed be recruited, and they should be paid fairly. I am not a big fan of the POTUS, but this has been a situation of exploitation for too long. None of the upper management at any of these companies are working on visas, period, so spare the me the crocodile tears.

    Reply

        3. I’d honestly like to find out exactly what part of what I wrote constitutes bigotry? It seems to me that you don’t quite know what bigot means.

          The dictionary definition of the word indicates hatred or intolerance towards other groups (ethnic, racial, etc).

          My post simply stated an observation: a vehicle, driving somewhere in Kentucky (near the Louisville airport, according to road signs), and the vehicle had a Trump flag, indicating that the driver of that vehicle supports him. In the last presidential election, Kentucky voted 2:1 for Trump, which qualifies as Trump land (i.e. land of Trump supporters).

          So, again, exactly where is bigotry???

        1. I did know that. But the ban is banning all refugees from Syria. Maybe the next Steve Jobs comes out of Syria again and now we are banning him/her and there is no more “One More Thing”.

          That would be tragic for America. That would be Making America Scared Again.

          There is no greatness in fear.

        2. Not much of a father, for sure, but the man who brought us the Mac (and the iPhone) had his genetic code in him. Had Abdulfattah Jandali (from Homs, Syria) lived today, he wouldn’t have been allowed into America (under the current ban), and Steve Jobs’s biological mother wouldn’t have received that genetic code that ended up producing Jobs.

          There are unintended consequences to all decisions. Some are unimportant, some aren’t. Many don’t happen immediately. It has only been four days. Let us see where this goes. I just hope (against hope) it doesn’t breed fresh new domestic radicalized young terrorists. Nothing says “we hate you and your kind” better than a travel ban for only your kind.

          I know, I know, it is NOT a Muslim ban, but try explain this to anyone in America (and especially Muslims).

        7. Do you not understand the word “contribute”?

          Honestly, there are times (increasingly more often) when you behave like a petulant 5-year old. Almost like your new president. I’m sure for you this is a compliment. I’d like to assure you, it isn’t.

        10. He’s not pretending, Predrag.

          I suspect a previously functioning brain. He comes out with enough historical references and occassional word play to indicate that.

          But his incessant hatred and inability to engage logically indicate, I think, a decent into Alzheimers. Having worked in the medical field, I have seen many people who become more and more stripped down to where there is little left but the essence of who they have been… be that positive or negative. Some such people become like happy children, some become pools of roiling poison, ready to boil over at the slightest provocation.

    2. Steve Jobs’s biological father, Abdulfattah “John” Jandali (b. 1931), was born into a Muslim household and grew up in Homs, Syria. Stephen’s mom

      Schieble became pregnant in 1954 when she and Jandali spent the summer with his family in Homs, Syria.

      Schieble gave birth to Jobs on February 24, 1955, in San Francisco. making him (as the Republicans define it) an Anchor Baby.

      If Steve Jobs parents had be banned by Eisenhower the same way that Trump is banning anyone from Syria there would be no Apple Computer or Macintosh or iMac or iPod or iPhone.

      Reply

        2. Supplement to reply below: As of late Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security was reporting that 741 people holding previously valid visas had been turned away at America’s “Golden Door.” As I discuss below, that is only the tip of the iceberg, since most of the people who have been banned (no quotes required) were stopped before they ever made it to a port of entry.

        3. Honestly, botvinnik, I don’t know how many and neither do you.

          The Homeland Security Department says that something over 700 legal permanent residents of our country have been detained at U.S. points of entry, most of whom were eventually admitted, but the Government has not provided any numbers for refugees, immigrants, workers, students, tourists, etc. who had valid visas (which required up to two years of “extreme vetting”).

          Logically, that had to have been a much larger number than the permanent residents who were entering with Green Cards. Again, it is hard to estimate how many non-resident travelers were eventually released from custody, but anecdotal evidence suggests that many were sent back.

          In most cases, the non-residents (and at least some Green Card holders) who actually made it to America were given a choice between “voluntarily” surrendering their visas or being deported and facing a five-year ban for reentry. Those people will never be reflected as having been “banned” under the new policy because they signed the documents obliging them to leave—if only under duress while being denied legal counsel in violation of a court order.

          In addition, the air carriers figured out very quickly that they did not want to be on the hook for a return passage, so they have been refusing to board anyone whose entry might be in doubt. As a result, far more people were turned away at foreign airports than actually made it to a U.S. point of entry. Some airlines have released the number of passengers they declined to board, but most have not. In any case, those figures would not include those who were turned away by airport staff or were advised to suspend their journey entirely. As recently as this morning, the French and German governments (after consultation with DHA) were telling their citizens with dual nationality not to bother.

          Again, none of those people will ever be reflected in an official number of how many people have been banned, but they most certainly have been.

        5. How many terrorist attacks have happened on US of A soil since that Saudis (who aren’t banned) took out the twin towers and the Pentagon? Exactly ZERO!! Stop being such a fearful crybaby. Try being an American! Try being brave for once!

        11. Or your boyfriend will be one of the 1.3 million Americans to die from auto accidents each year?

          Or perhaps your boyfriend lover will be one of the 564,800 to die each year from cancer in America.

          At least most Americans aren’t stupid enough to ban cars, but I wouldn’t consider you that smart.

        13. I didn’t know wether you were homosexual or transexual.

          What you do in the privacy of your own bedroom is up to you.

          I don’t pre-judge you even if you make bad decisions.

        17. Sean: I had this friend growing up who had a Nintendo, which was awesome because I did not. Needless to say that when I would go over to his house to play video games, he was much better than me. But sometimes, I would find a good strategy and would start to win. And that’s when he would “accidentally” hit the power button.

          If he couldn’t win, he would cheat. If he still couldn’t win, he would quit.

          Not a very good friend, and, as I learned later, not a very good person.

        18. Nicely put, Doug.

          As when Slamm wrote, “Of course. Because they were Americans.”

          And being complety crushed by this simple fact, all bottvijerk could write was, “well, maybe your boyfriend will be massacred next time…”

      2. Isn’t it interesting now to listen now the very same individuals who have been screaming on this site for years about how affirmative action against racial, religious, ethnic, and gender discrimination constitutes interference by Big Government in the free market, allegedly forcing companies to pass over more qualified applicants (because white, straight, Christian men are always the most qualified). They have been demanding that Apple fire Tim Cook because he believes in a workforce that mirrors its customers (who are not just male, white, straight, and American), rather than a “qualified workforce” unhampered by diversity concerns.

        Government So Bad. Free Market Beautiful.

        Now they are demanding that the Trump Administration force Apple and all other multinational employers to engage in affirmative action to hire Americans (and I assume immigrants with legal permanent residency don’t count), rather than the most appropriate applicant for a given position. Rather than bring in a trained employee with seniority from overseas, the Suddenly Wonderful Government will make them hire an American… any American.

        After decades of shaming women and minorities as “Affirmative Action babies” who couldn’t compete without government interference in the free market, they are going to pass legislation that essentially says that Americans can’t compete in a free market without government assistance. How is that consistent with the dignity of the American working men (the examples are always men) that the President claims to love? Of course, once the rest of the world slams down similar barriers to an open market in labor, Americans will need local jobs since they won’t be welcome anywhere else. The foreign workers who might have been building wealth for American stockholders in multinational corporations will instead be working for foreign firms that will whip our butts because they can hire the best, rather than being forced to hire Americans whose own government thinks they can’t compete.

        Trump Government Huge. Silicon Valley capitalists Stupid.

        Reply

        1. “they are going to pass legislation that essentially says that Americans can’t compete in a free market without government assistance” brilliantly put, @TxUser

  11. Payback time for SV.

    SV backed the wrong horse and now, they are going to pay for it, and pay big.

    SV, like Hollywood has always lead left. Trump will take care of SV first, then move south to LA to deal with the traitors there.

    The time for reckoning is at hand. The SV Plantations have loved their cheap labor slaves. They got used to the slaves and now Trump will free them.

    Reply

  12. So why do the companies need to (ab)use the H1B visa system? Is it really just greed of their CEOs, their boards, and their shareholders? Is it possible that so many wealthy Americans are so greedy, they’ll do anything just to enhance their wealth?

    There is another likely reason. It may in the end boil down to greed as well, but not quite as blatant or as direct.

    The pay gap (between executive and median worker’s pay) has been rapidly widening in the US. In the early 90’s, the SEC started requiring publishing of the CEO pay, and that is when the disparity really took off. When a CEO contract comes up for review, the board will look at the competition and their CEO packages. They will determine the average value, and make sure they reward their own CEO better than most of the competition. There are two reasons for that: first, to motivate the CEO, telling him that he’s better than the others, and second, closely related, to tell their shareholders and the rest of the world that they are confident that their CEO is better than the others. It would be counter-productive to reward the CEO less than the average in the industry; what kind of message does it send? “We believe our CEO is below average!”

    This kind of executive compensation methodology created a continuous competitive race, with every other competing company doing the same when their CEO came up for review. This executive pay race had to be paid for somehow, and that money had to come from somewhere, so in order to pay their CEOs competitively, companies had to look for ways to save a lot of money, and replacing domestic workforce with half-price imported one was the most effective way.

    Reply

  13. “The executive order is still a draft, according to the report, but if enacted, it could mean major overhauls in the way tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon recruit their employees. Under the order, companies would have to prioritize hiring American workers, and if they must hire foreign workers, then they must prioritize the most highly compensated, according to the report,” Gurdus reports.

    The most highly compensated…

    What does that mean? Can mediocre foreign candidate request $1 million salary and even if they are “meh” for the job, just because they applied and requested the highest pay, they automatically get the job?

    Reply

    1. What it means is that a Manhattan Limousine Liberal who recently switched parties has taken the Republican Party away from its conservative principles. He shares the elite contempt for the working Americans who elected him and does not think that they are competent to compete for jobs in a multinational free market without intervention by Big Brother. Hard work has failed these losers, he thinks, so now the Government is here to help them. Conservatism be damned!

      He does not think that American employers can be trusted to make employment decisions without government “guidance” that specifically forbids them from hiring the most qualified applicant from the global applicant pool who falls outside a Federal quota. Competence and competitiveness be damned!

      He is using this affirmative action—and that is exactly what it is—not to aid the historically disadvantaged members of the national workforce, but the white males who used to be on top. Minorities (who didn’t vote for him) be damned! Women be damned! Immigrants and the children of immigrants be damned! (Except for the very first American President with four foreign-born grandparents, or two foreign-born wives).

      He does not trust free markets to provide the jobs (bread and circuses) that he has promised his followers. We need a planned economy and, perhaps, a Five-Year Plan. Our new ally Russia can help with that. Free markets be damned!

      Simply driving immigrants from the workforce may not provide enough jobs to satisfy his voters, so he is proposing a massive public works and infrastructure program. Alternatively, His People can send their sons (and perhaps their daughters) into the massively expanded military he has promised. Either program alone would drive the deficit through the roof, but he can always print more money like his liberal forerunners always have. Balanced Budgets be damned!

      He has not yet told us what he plans to use the expanded military for, since he is withdrawing America within its own borders. We can look to history for the assurance that no country has ever built up a massive army without the intention to use it somewhere. Do we have a clue in his threat to “send in the Feds” to Chicago? Does that tie into his promise to fight crime by empowering law enforcement to stop and frisk random citizens on the street based on hunches and profiling? He has threatened Apple if it will not invade its customers’ privacy. Fourth Amendment be damned!

      He believes that the states and cities cannot be trusted to hand out bread and circuses in the form of enough made-up jobs to reward his voters, so he will centralize the national job market while divorcing it from the world job market. Federalism be damned!

      He also believes that a Congress controlled by genuine conservatives cannot be trusted to pass appropriate bread and circuses legislation without his firm hand exercised through Executive Orders. Separation of Powers be damned!

      To top it all off, he is laying the predicate for a de-facto Ministry of Truth that will spread “alternative facts” and use them against the uncontrolled media, “the real opposition party.” We conservatives may never learn what is coming to get us because the news of it will be suppressed. First Amendment be damned!

      A bit over the top? I wish it was.

      Reply

      1. Illustration: given a head to head choice tonight, the President went with the Ivy League guy, not the one who worked his way through Georgetown Law. With hundreds of law schools in America, only two will be represented on the Supreme Court—Harvard and Yale. Another f-you to working class folks in America. An irony: the nominee’s mother was once the EPA Administrator.

        Reply

        1. …man, TxUser, don’t you ever get tired of losing? You have some type of bizarre masochism for getting your ass kicked on virtually every topic brought up on this forum. I would surmise your gluttony for punishment is the result of a lifetime of being a sheep. Even Melvin isn’t wrong 100% of the time.

        2. Botvinnik, do you ever get tired of being Pwned? Or is that your natural state with your boyfriend?

          When you finally stop with the “Alternative Facts” and can have a logical, reasoned discussion, we will allow you to sit at the big boy table.

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