CSNbbs

The hypocrisy and greed just doesn't end with these folks, does it?





SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Banks collecting billions of dollars in federal bailout money sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers to the U.S. for high-paying jobs, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications.

The dozen banks receiving the biggest rescue packages, totaling more than $150 billion, requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years for positions that included senior vice presidents, corporate lawyers, junior investment analysts and human resources specialists. The average annual salary for those jobs was $90,721, nearly twice the median income for all American households.

The figures are significant because they show that the bailed-out banks, being kept afloat with U.S. taxpayer money, actively sought to hire foreign workers instead of American workers. As the economic collapse worsened last year — with huge numbers of bank employees laid off — the numbers of visas sought by the dozen banks in AP's analysis increased by nearly one-third, from 3,258 in fiscal 2007 to 4,163 in fiscal 2008.

The AP reviewed visa applications the banks filed with the Labor Department under the H-1B visa program, which allows temporary employment of foreign workers in specialized-skill and advanced-degree positions.

It is unclear how many foreign workers the banks actually hired; the government does not release those details. The actual number is likely a fraction of the 21,800 foreign workers the banks sought to hire because the government limits the number of visas it grants to 85,000 each year among all U.S. employers.

During the last three months of 2008, the largest banks that received taxpayer loans announced more than 100,000 layoffs. The number of foreign workers included among those laid off is unknown.

Foreigners are attractive hires because companies have found ways to pay them less than American workers.

No surprise there.

It's amazing how many foreign workers businesses have brought into this nation and exploit to a certain extent on some occasions. They don't dare complain and end up getting screwed on wages and bennies.

Was watching a special on Macinac Island the other day and they interviewed all the young people (18-20?) working in a Fudge shop there. Probably 5-6 people. All of them were from eastern europe-Ukraine, Bulgaria, Rumania. Apparently they're being brought in to work the jobs Americans don't want to. All well and good but you know they're not in a position where they can complain much about working conditions.

Pfffft. That "doing jobs that Americans don't want to do" is a bunch of hooey. They work cheaper, that's all.

They do no service to anyone, including their home countries by leaving there and undercutting American workers here, another reason that we're having a systematic collapse right now. It's incredible how corporations facilitate the myth since the guys have funny accents that they're more intelligent. They're cheap and help them hit their budget, performance be dammed.

I think that total collapses of companies that are full of mindless dolts in middle management would be a good thing, at all levels. Propping them up just continues business as usual and guts the principles of capitalism.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090205/ap_o...imulus_126

He has a strong hold of the dems and doesn't need the repubs. I doubt the repubs would filibuster this, although they would threaten it. He just want to act like this is another "bi partisan"

I will say this either the media is just goofy over this guy or he can manipulate the media like no other.

Quote:"This recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse," Obama wrote in the newspaper piece titled, "The Action Americans Need."

He rejected the argument that more tax cuts are needed in the plan and that piecemeal measures would be sufficient, arguing that Americans made their intentions clear in the election.

"I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change," he wrote.

Seems we've heard this song and dance before about how urgent this is and how quickly we need to spend this huge amount of money. Perhaps he's been talking w/Pelosi ("500 million" Americans lose jobs) who seems intent on rushing this through with as little debate as possible. If Obama is as smart as so many think he is, perhaps he should think twice about letting Pelosi's version of the bill get through because if he signs off on whatever the house and senate reconcile, he will own it. There will be a few senate Republicans that get suckered into voting for it, no doubt.

Rasmussen's latest poll shows that the more Americans hear the details about what is in this 600+ page bill, the more support drops for it. Down to 37% support this week and independents really dislike it. Americans can see this political payback spending bill for what it is - a giant crap sandwich that won't do much to stimulate anything except more dependency on the ever growing government.

Memo to Barack: This bill does not represent "change." Like much of your transition, it represents more of the same old D.C. politics. What worries many is that massive new government bureaucracy and interference in the private sector rammed through during this crisis is what is unlikely to be reversed.

Update: the Senate bill is now 736 pages and growing. 300 amendments offered, only 20 considered and 9 approved.

Hooray for Sen. Coburn - “Hurry up is what got us into trouble in the first place.” Yet, Harry Reid is trying to rush this through with little to no real debate on it.

Our President, who campaigned against the politics of fear, apparently felt the need to resort to just those tactics in telling us what doom awaits us if this porkulus spending bill is not passed right away.

Gee, I always wondered what it'd be like to live in the 30s. I just didn't want to find out first hand.

It's up to Republicans to fillibuster this as long as possible, to get the word out there what a PORK bill it is. The more Americans hear about it the less likely it will be to get passed.

Not only will this bill NOT help to stimulate the economy, it will further weaken the Dollar and thereby make the recovery longer and more painful. It's poison to our economy, DEFEAT IT!!