Are There No Prisons?
Are There No Workhouses?
by Glenn R. Jackson
“Praise be…the tax cuts are here, the tax cuts are here!” Or some such similar exaltation seems to be the White House’s expectation of the reaction of Americans to the President’s announced economic stimulus plan. That we are only talking tax cuts versus real tax reform, just an economic stimulus in 2003 versus the promised stimulus in 2002, and a Wall Street friendly tax package to help “create” jobs versus a needed Main Street friendly elimination of immigration programs that steal American jobs makes you wonder who is flying this plane?
Wonder no longer, Wall Street and the Stock Markets are at the controls and the “investor class”, a new term intended to rally the 401K crowd to the White House’s side, are the intended beneficiaries. The conventional wisdom seems to be that the majority of American’s are now deeply committed to the health of the stock markets. “What’s good for the Dow is good for America” is the mantra. (Let’s chant together now) Unfortunately that is just wrong. What American’s are most deeply committed to are their JOBS, and record numbers are now unemployed or, just as bad, are under-employed.
While the White House and every conservative Talking Head will be saying how job creation is spurred by the President’s economic plan, what will not be touched on at all is the President’s and Congress’ ongoing job elimination plan. That’s right, while still up in the air are the types of jobs to be created by the stimulus plan, a known fact are the types of jobs being eliminated by H-1B visa, L-1 visa, and “off-shoring”.
With unemployment over 6%, and underemployed American’s having lost good paying jobs for bad, the American Worker Replacement Program welcomes increasing numbers of foreign “guest” workers to work American jobs. High Tech positions in Information Technology, Engineering, Healthcare, Education, and the Media are being taken from Americans by H-1B visa holders (supposedly limited to 195,000 per year), L-1 visa holders (unlimited per year), and by “off-shoring” of technical jobs.
The reason for this American jobs giveaway? The same reasons that drive businesses to relocate American factories to 3rd world countries (including China), and that keep open the U.S. southern border to a flood of “guest” workers…cheap labor. Cheap labor begets better profit margins, better profit margins begets better earnings, better earnings begets better stock valuations, better stock valuations begets a better Dow, a better Dow begets re-elected politicians, and re-elected politicians begets happy Americans…right?
Wrong, if you are in the unemployment line or are under-employed at a fraction of your past earnings and with no hope in sight. And that is exactly the situation for hundreds of thousands of your fellow Americans today.
In discussing the President’s stimulus plan on Wednesday January 8, 2003 Jack Welch (former GE CEO), interviewed on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”, made an interesting comment. Essentially Mr. Welch said that it was a myth that American jobs were created by American small business. Instead Mr. Welch said that American big business created the “jobs” by “outsourcing “ business that they (big business) had created but chose not to run directly. You should interpret that to mean that real job creation, the professed aim of the Bush plan, will not happen due to tax cuts to Americans. It is American big business that once on its feet will be creating the jobs.
Interesting thought, and with more than a kernel of truth. Big business is indeed outsourcing jobs, but those jobs are not going to Americans in record numbers. Instead formerly high paying American technical jobs of all descriptions, jobs that perhaps your college-aged child is working hard to attain upon graduation, those jobs are going to foreign “guest” workers.
What possible result could we expect from hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans thrown out of jobs that had paid them an American wage for all of their adult lives, only now to find that an American wage is “too much” to be paid in today’s business climate?
Well given the President’s economic stimulus plan he expects our fellow American’s to invest their new meager earnings in stocks that provide a tax-free dividend payment. That should provide them with enough extra money to make up for their lost income from their lost high tech American job. And if that should prove not to be enough for them to make it on? Well having just gone through the Christmas season perhaps a word from Charles Dickens and “A Christmas Carol”:
“Are there no Prisons?” asked Scrooge. “Plenty of prisons” said the gentleman. “And the Union Workhouses” demanded Scrooge “Are they still in operation?” “They are still,” returned the gentleman.
Are there no American jobs for American workers Mr. President? Plenty of jobs, over a million jobs, only they are not going to Americans.
Glenn Jackson is Chairman of the American Reformation Project and a columnist for USA Daily. Glenn is also a former State Chairman for Buchanan Reform and former state Chairman of the Georgia Freedom Party. Glenn also served on the Executive Committee of the Reform Party USA. Glenn holds an MA in Philosophy from Georgia State University in Atlanta.
© Glenn R. Jackson