By Rob Sanchez
10/21/2009
H-1B legislation has been quiet for awhile, but it looks like that is going to change.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords introduced legislation to Congress that would double the H-1B cap, and in some circumstances triple it. The way it would work is that the yearly cap of 65,000 would be raised to 130,000 but if 130,000 H-1Bs were actually used, the cap would go up to 180,000 the following year.
The Giffords bill will guarantee that during the next economic recovery Americans will not get the jobs. It would be far more accurate to call this the "Jobless Recovery Act" instead of "Innovation Employment Act". Bill Gates praised the new bill so it is officially Microsoft certified junkware.
The Giffords bill is not on Thomas.gov yet. I called her office to ask what the status of the bill is, and they said it is in the Judiciary Committee for review. Since it is not formally introduced to Congress we cannot see it yet. The staffer was vague on dates but said it may be several days to a week before the bill is formally introduced, and he hinted that there may be some modifications to the text of the bill while it’s in the Judiciary. The staffer said that portions of the bill may still be in the writing stage. I was told that the bill will be almost the same as her 2008 bill.
There is an article written by Grant Gross in the internet magazines Computerworld and CIO which are causing confusion. His article was originally published in 2008 to discuss Giffords’ previous bill. A lot of people are getting confused because several internet sites have reprinted his article with a date of October 29, 2009. Coincidentally, since the bill is to remain basically the same, Gross’ article is mostly correct about the new bill. The title of his article [Bill would double cap on H-1B visas] is misleading because it says the cap would be doubled, but it could actually triple. Keep in mind that authors rarely get to choose titles so it was probably chosen by editors. Both of those articles have comments that are worth reading, and some recent ones are being posted.
The Gross article had some strangeness coming from the Giffords office to justify this bill. Giffords and her PR secretary have been saying similar things since 2008, so I believe the quote is accurate:
Giffords sees the importance of H-1Bs because Southern Arizona has been growing as a hub for tech companies, Karamargin added. "There’s a need to stay competitive and keep the momentum growing," he added. "That means making sure the talent is available to drive the local and national tech economy."Folks, I’m here in Arizona and I have been to Southern Arizona many times. I live in the Phoenix area which is considered central Arizona. The only hubs you are going to see are from the wheels of the jeeps and trucks the coyotes use to smuggle illegal aliens and drugs across the border. The city of Tucson has been shedding what few high tech jobs it had, and there is nothing between there and Mexico besides a few cowboy bars and junk food restaurants. If you head out towards Tombstone or Naco you might be able to find a few technician jobs installing the virtual border fence, but don’t expect to find engineering jobs since most of the equipment will probably come from China.
Arizona doesn’t need more tech workers — we have enough of them drawing unemployment. The jobless techies in California would fill the needs of Arizona about 1000 times over so Karamargin’s claim that Arizona needs to import techies from foreign countries is downright wacky.
Giffords' connections with Indian special interests make me believe that the timing of this bill has something to do with the India Trade Policy Forum meeting that will take place in India on October 26 where India will be requesting an H-1B increase. We know India will be asking for more H-1Bs and this bill will give them what they want. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Giffords goes to that meeting in New Delhi, but so far her website doesn’t list it on her agenda. She signed a letter which makes me very suspicious: "Building a Strategic Partnership: U.S.-India Relations in the Wake of Mumbai".
Giffords seems to curry favors (sorry about the pun) from Indians. For example, the "Taste of India" restaurant gave her campaign about $1,600 in contributions. On a more serious note, she voted YES for the India Nuclear Agreement.
The sleaziness doesn’t stop with curry however. Make no mistake about it — Giffords is a Bill Gates girl. She attended his sham hearing on March 2008 before the House Science and Technology Committee and she asked softball questions about his desire to have unlimited H-1Bs. Giffords isn’t just a Gates groupie though — Gates makes sure that she gets paid handsomely. AmeriPAC gave her $10,000 and AmeriPAC gets funding from Microsoft.
To follow the crooked money trail, use these links:
Top 20 Contributors Congressman Gabrielle Giffords 2007 — 2008
The Giffords bill is a significant threat to large segments of the American workforce. Take it very seriously! If you wish to contact Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s office be sure to ask for an immigration or economic staffer because the front line staffers are clueless college kids.
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