Postcards - and video - from the edge

forthecause.us

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HILLARY CLAIMS CLOSE TIES WITH INDIAN PEOPLE, EAGER TO SELL OUT AMERICAN JOBS
See the video...

As the Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton rails against outsourcing jobs to cheap labor markets worldwide. As the candidate for President, Hillary Clinton favors expansion of the H1-B visa program that would bring more foreign workers into the U.S. to take American jobs. Speaking recently at a meeting of the Indian Institute of Technology, Hillary repeated her call for an increase in the number of H1-B visas from the current level of 65,000 to 115,000. In the same speech, Hillary expressed the concern of many Americans about losing their jobs to outsourcing. Hillary is the co-chair of the 37-member Senate India Caucus and notes her close ties with the Indian people and their culture. She is proud of working with them on matters of mutual interest; specifally, expanding the H1-B program. Indian companies already get 7 out of 10 H1-B visas. Rep. Tom Tancredo calls the H1-B program just another immigration boondoggle. He notes that most people in the U.S. illegally have overstayed their visas and there is no mechanism in place to track the problem or do anything to stop it. There is also the question of what "unique" skills Indian tech workers have that American tech workers lack. Hillary favors higher fees for H1-B applicants which would be used to -- get this -- train American tech workers to catch up! We're seeing something else Hillary is bringing to politics... It's no longer shameful to indulge in hypocrisy or for a presidential candidate to openly work to get jobs for foreigners at the expense of Americans. Folks, this is a whole new ballgame. Sit far away in the bleachers at your own peril!

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El Paso Times:

Senators to Hear Border Patrol Agents' Case

U.S. senators will revisit the case of two imprisoned former Border Patrol agents from El Paso at a congressional hearing next Tuesday in Washington, D.C., officials with the Senate Committee on the Judiciary said. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a supporter of agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, will preside over the long-awaited hearing. Feinstein had previously expressed concern over the lengths of the sentences in the case, which included a mandatory 10 years for using a weapon in the commission of a crime. "The hearing will examine the facts and the appropriateness of the charges and of the sentences," said Scott Gerber, a spokesman for Feinstein. The families of Ramos and Compean and their supporters had requested a hearing with the U.S. House or Senate last year, contending that the agents' prosecution was unwarranted. Ramos was sentenced to 11 years in prison, and Compean to 12 years. Both are appealing their convictions from behind bars

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Newsday:

More Employers Doing Away With Pensions

Nearly two-thirds of employers that offer traditional pensions have closed their plans to new hires or frozen them for all employees, or plan to do so in the next two years, according to a new study. The latest numbers show an acceleration in the decline of pensions — retirement plans in which employers, instead of employees, are responsible for investing retirement money and providing benefits. They also illustrate that the trend is no longer confined to troubled industries such as steel, auto and airlines, but now involves healthy companies such as IBM and Verizon. Analysts have known for some time that the number of employers shutting or freezing their pension plans was on the rise. But the sharpness of the increase caught some by surprise. "This is a watershed event," said Jack VanDerhei, a Temple University pension specialist. "There has been a steady decline in traditional pensions for two decades, but the trend is really accelerating, and it's going to accelerate even more."