Category: Immigration

Unless you’re Native American, we are all immigrants.

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Could YOU pass a citizenship test?

Years ago I knew a Turkish man who obtained US citizenship. Shortly after his induction ceremony, he told me about the test he had to take AND pass as part of his path to US citizenship.  I remembering thinking at the time that I was not sure I could have passed that test, and I am from a generation that was required to take Civics in high school and then again in college.  Plus for a while I majored in History, and I have always had an interest in the subject, especially the revolutionary period of American history.

All this came back to mind as there was an article on the da ‘net: Do you know the 3 branches of US government? Many don’t, leading to a push for civics education

In the article there is a link to a very short quiz that gives a small sampling of the type of questions on the citizenship exam.  It also stated that the actual test  was not multiple choice like the one connected to the news article.  I managed to get all 10 correct, but, most likely, only because it was multiple choice.

Here is the link: Could YOU pass a citizenship test?

I am definitely of the opinion that all students in the USA should have to take Civics course before high school graduation as well as American History.  While I am on the subject, why not Home Economics, not matter what your gender.  They all definitely are needed in our quotidian lives.  As an outsider looking in, I am not so sure all the super concentration of STEM subjects is benefiting our children or our country. I say this as a person with a science degree and a technology degree, and as someone who worked in these fields for most of their adult life.

Take my opinion and $2 and change, and you will be able to buy yourself a soda pop. Eso lo que hay.

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The lie that is the H-1B program

From the linked article at Mother Jones:dunce1

“And it applies in a similarly upside-down way to foreign tech workers, who, according to a study released yesterday by the Economic Policy Institute, demonstrate no more talent in important areas than similarly educated Americans, and in some cases may be less qualified.”

“There are, of course, reasons for this that have nothing to do with intelligence. More than 80 percent of H-1B visa holders are approved to be hired at wages below those paid to American workers for comparable positions, according to EPI. And because H-1B workers and green card applicants are locked into jobs with whatever employer sponsors their visa, they have less less leverage to push for raises and promotions. As Matloff puts it, “the worker becomes a de facto indentured servant.”

Are Foreigners Smarter Than US Workers?

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Illegal Immigration – Pros and Cons

I am still trying to figure out how I feel about all the illegal immigrants in this country and the various action plans floating around to deal with them.  My gut reaction is not kind, but I know there is much more to the picture than what my knee-jerk emotions are telling me.   I do know that many legal immigrants that I have spoken to resent the illegal immigrants that have not jumped through all the hoops they have, yet seem to be able to stay in this country unbothered.

Towards the end of clarifying my thought process I thought I would gather up some of the arguments, favoring and oppositional.

We have a tendency due to our dysfunctional political system to not act, to drift, to let the status quo rock on.  This should not be the case with immigration reform as the current system is full of abuse, personal and systematic.   Continue reading “Illegal Immigration – Pros and Cons”

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Fake Job Ads defraud Americans

The goal is is run ads advertising a job to comply with the law, but not hire Americans. They want to bring in the cheaper green card labor from overseas.

This is why this country is going to down the drain. These high power corporate types have no loyalty to this cournty.

They may be complying with the letter of the law, but this seems at the very minmum very unethical.

Again I do know how these folks sleep at night, or look themselves in the mirror.

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U.S. expands H-1B fraud case against IT services firm

Gee whiz, what a surprise!

“The indictment charges that the methods used by Vision Systems “have substantially deprived U.S. citizens of employment.”

Link to article below:

U.S. expands H-1B fraud case against IT services firm

I was working at a Fortune 500 financial company.  My consulting firm stop sending over folks as they were paying Indian H1-B workers $20 – $25 an hour less than old consultants were receiving.  Guess whose contract was cut short.  Apparently they had an arrangement to bring over these young workers with a firm in Indian.  No proof, but that was the general supposition.

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Links on H-1B Issue

As I find them I am going to add links about the H-1B / outsourcing issue that  is quickly eroding the life style of  middle class worker in this country.  All in the name of profit at any cost.

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Why high-tech firms bring in foreigners

See link to blog below. But I can answer this question with one word, greed.

And contary to the report’s opinion, they do promote and put H1-B workers into advance position.

And what irratates me to no end, is that most of the recruiting companines for contract programmers seem to have fallen into the hands of folks from India. Add to that the fact they do not pay these workers the prevailing wages like the law dictates, and you have another screwing of the American worker.

Why high-tech firms bring in foreigners — Link removed

 

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Education, Education, Education

A quote from a Washington Post article:

Second, welcome foreign innovators. Harvard research fellow Vivek Wadhwa reports that immigrants have founded more than half of all Silicon Valley start-ups in the past decade. These immigrant-led, American tech companies employed more than 450,000 workers and grossed $52 billion in 2005. For U.S. companies to employ a highly specialized foreign worker, the employee must hold an H-1B visa, but current law allows for the issuing of only 65,000 H-1B visas per year.

The H-1B cap was established to prevent foreigners from taking American jobs, but, in fact, an education gap frequently leaves American candidates less qualified for these positions. Lawmakers could improve the situation all around by removing the cap on H-1B visas while imposing a 10 percent payroll tax above and beyond the benchmark salary for any position being filled by holders of such visas. The proceeds of the payroll tax could be channeled into U.S. reeducation programs. This compromise would bring the best innovators to work here while subsidizing the continued education of American talent.

Click here for full article

First Mr. Wadhwa or is it Ms. Wadhwa scares us by saying that there will be no new innovation in the USA without immigrants, specifically H-1B workers. Continue reading “Education, Education, Education”

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Four Indian Firms Hogged 10,000 H1B Visas

Original article at IndianExpress.com is no longer on Da ‘Net

I am not wild about the H-1B program, but if it were about individual Indians I would be a fan.  Admittedly it is a selected subset that I meet here, but they are generally intelligent, hard working, friendly folks.  If I have a complaint about them it is that they tend to be too compliant to the korporate overlords.  That and they undercut wages tremedously. This just adds to decreasing concern American korporations have for their employees.

However the program is about korporate greed here and in India.   It is about American korporations not investing in American workers or the American education system.  I read an article a while back about how American korporations were shifting their education dollars from American universities to those in China and India.  They did this because they felt they were getting more bang for their buck.

I do not know for a fact  how these firms that are hogging the H-1B visas treat their folks.  I do know that Indian work conditions, even for professionals, are Dickinsonian compared to American standards.

This whole paradigm of profit at any cost has got to stop.

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Adding a second language

I’m in the process of trying to learn/relearn Italian.  Many moons ago I lived in Italy for 3 years during my Jr. High years.  I was never fluent, but I spoke enough to not be cheated in the markets and play with the Italian kids.

I would like to revisit the country for an extended period, and go to places off of tourist road.  So that is my motivation for studying the language.

I asked an Indian friend of my mine who is bilingual about language.   He has been in the USA for 7 years, and of course, English is widely spoken in India.  I was wondering about whether he thought in English, dreamed in English, did he need to translate English to his native tongue, etc.  Below is his well thought out answer: Continue reading “Adding a second language”