Lou Dobbs on Cornyn H-1B increase bill

Date: Friday, April 25, 2008 2:01 AM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1858 -- 4/24/2008 >>>>>

Last week Lou Dobbs had a very good show about H-1B. At issue is the new bill
by Senator Cornyn to raise the H-1B cap.

Dobbs asked Bill Tucker an excellent question and Tucker fired off with the
perfect answer: H-1B visas go mainly to low skilled entry level jobs!

It was a great report, except that Dobbs blew it right towards the end by
showing undue respect for Cornyn.

DOBBS: This is, to me, shocking. Senator Cornyn, in most other
respects, has demonstrated himself to be an able senator, man of
integrity, and a well-informed senator. There is no possible
explanation that this sponsorship is anything more than a
reflexive, acquiescence to the demands of corporate lobbyists,
putting intense pressure on Lieberman and Cornyn and all the
other senators involved. This is so disappointing when it
comes to Senator Cornyn

This isn't the fist time Dobbs has coddled Cornyn. Every time Cornyn is on the
show Dobbs gushes all over him. This is just one example:

"I will tell you straightforward. I think the Kyl-Cornyn legislation,
if Senator Cornyn were here I would call it the Cornyn- Kyl
legislation, I think a reasonable, intelligent basis to proceed."
Lou Dobbs, Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN, March 28, 2006

What was Dobbs thinking? The Kyl-Cornyn bill was an amnesty bill with a huge
H-1B increase, so Dobbs' assessment was just plain wrong. I could write a book
about Cornyn's efforts to push H-1B increases -- he has been trying to push H-
1B increases ever since he became a Senator in 2003. In
2004 he was co-sponsor of the Kennedy amnesty bill and more recently in
2007 he co-sponsored the SKIL bill. The SKIL bill could be the worst
escalation of guest worker visas and green cards ever, and Cornyn is still
trying to get it passed either as a stand alone bill or as an amendment to
something else.

I don't know how else to put it -- Cornyn sucks on H-1B and he sucks on almost
every other substantial immigration issue.

Bottom line is this: It shouldn't have taken Dobbs this long to get a clue.
Dobbs invited Cornyn back to the show. If that happens hopefully Dobbs will
put an end to the love fest.

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

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0804/15/ldt.01.html

LOU DOBBS TONIGHT

Aired April 15, 2008 - 19:30 ET

DOBBS: And if you -- we want to remind, Lisa, our viewers that you can go to
loudobbs.com and there click on -- you got all sorts of ways to get -- put in
your zip code and we'll get you to your representative or your senator so you
can weigh in on this issue.

Lisa, than you very much. Lisa Sylvester from Washington.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas tonight, fighting to bring even more foreign
workers into this country. Senator Cornyn claims American business needs what
he calls emergency relief in the form of more cheap foreign labor.

But as Bill Tucker now reports, there is absolutely no shortage of skilled
American labor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator John Cornyn thinks
business needs some emergency relief. Senators Chuck Hagel, Judd Gregg, Joe
Lieberman agree. Hence, Senate bill 2839 or "The Global Competitiveness Act of
2008." It doesn't quite do what Microsoft's Bill Gates wants to see done with
the H-1B visa program, a foreign guest worker program for skilled workers.

BILL GATES, MICROSOFT CHAIRMAN: Even though it may not be realistic, I don't
think there should be any limit.

TUCKER: But it would expand the cap by 77 percent, from 65,000 to 115,000
starting next year. The bill is being offered, Cornyn says, because American
high-tech companies have thousands of unfilled positions. Yet studies done by
the Urban Institute, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Duke's Frat School of
Engineering all came to a similar conclusion. There is no shortage of skilled
American workers.

VIVIK WADHWA, DUKE UNIVERSITY: So far, I've seen no research study which
showed that there was a shortage of engineers in the USA. There's a lot of
anecdotal evidence, maybe some local shortages, but there's no shortage that I
know of. If there was shortages (INAUDIBLE).

TUCKER: Worker activist groups say the picture painted by big business doesn't
match the reality they are seeing and hearing.

PRIYANKA JOSHI, WASHTECH: I get e-mails from all over the country with people
who are very well educated, who have American education and they have no jobs
at all.

TUCKER: There is currently no mention of emergency relief for American
workers, even though the phrase "emergency relief" seems to be the new trend
in visa talk in Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCKER: Emergency relief was the justification used by the Department of
Homeland Security when it announced a rule change without public comment,
increasing to 29 months the time that foreign graduating students could stay
and work in the country after graduation.

But we can report that LOU DOBBS TONIGHT has learned that a coalition of
worker activists are preparing a lawsuit to challenge the DHS rule change.

Lou, it seems that the workers are at last learning they're going to have to
stand up and speak for themselves in the place of a Congress that clearly is
content to speak for business, not them.

DOBBS: This is, to me, shocking. Senator Cornyn, in most other respects, has
demonstrated himself to be an able senator, man of integrity, and a well-
informed senator. There is no possible explanation that this sponsorship is
anything more than a reflexive, acquiescence to the demands of corporate
lobbyists, putting intense pressure on Lieberman and Cornyn and all the other
senators involved. This is so disappointing when it comes to Senator Cornyn,
it seems like. Terrible.

TUCKER: And you can't draw any other conclusion. Bill Gates goes down to the
Senate and to the House, tells them what he wants, and Lou, he's getting
everything he wants. He got the extension of practical training.
That was what he requested. You got to believe he's going to get an increase
in H-1B visas.

DOBBS: Well, let's just remind our viewers of something. What percentage of
these visas are actually high skilled workers coming in to this country?

TUCKER: The vast majority of the visas, I don't remember the exact percentage,
Lou, go to the low-end of the pay scale.

DOBBS: In order words the entry...

TUCKER: No, the H-1B's. They go to low-skilled entry.

DOBBS: Low skilled.

TUCKER: Low skilled. Yes.

DOBBS: Low skilled workers.

And let's remind our audience of one other thing, and perhaps Senator Cornyn
as well, and his staff, and maybe our good buddy, Bill Gates, who's got --
sort of he has got enough power that people just start are slobbering over
themselves when he goes to Capitol Hill.

What percentage of the workers that are brought in here under h1b visas at the
top? What percentage of those top corporations bringing those folks in are
Indian companies based in this country and they're bringing in low-skilled
workers for the specific purpose of outsourcing American jobs in this country
to an Indian company here in this country.

TUCKER: As unbelievable as this number is, Lou, 80 percent. 8 of the top 10
are Indian companies either based in India or based here.

DOBBS: Now Bill Gates, I want to offer you an opportunity. I know you could
buy a couple of networks if you wanted to. But you're more than welcome to
come here and explain how a man supposedly as smart as you are, who would have
an interest in this country, who would have an interest, one would think, in
truth, could come up with this -- the nonsense that you have and spew it on
Capitol Hill in the form of testimony?

I would love for you to come here. We'll have a nice little discussion about
it. You have a standing, open invitation to do so. And Senator Cornyn, you,
too. We need to start getting real honest folks about what we're talking
about. And that should start with some of the most responsible leaders in the
country. Certainly Bill Gates should be among those.

All right, Bill. Thank you very. Bill tucker.

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