American Techno-Politics

Senator John Kerry denies opposing outsourcing of IT jobs to India

Once again we can rely on the Indian press and not the American press to report the facts on outsourcing American jobs. OutlookIndia, and Indian online zine, reports that Senator John Kerry (D) is refining his statement on offshoring.

He is reported to have said that "any company has a right to make an economic decision that it wants." "What I opposed was the non-economic choice made by some companies with an eye on tax benefits. I was worried about loss of pension and healthcare benefits". The Senator was also said to be meeting with Indian BPOs to get a "first hand understanding of business outsourcing".

I must say that I am not pleased with Democratic leadership who won't listen to their constituents on this issue. Instead of getting a first hand understanding of business process outsourcing on that side of the globe, Senator Kerry should be speaking with the Programmers Guild, the IEEE-USA, and other groups that represent technology workers.

I would even go far as to suggest that the Senator read the Indian press if he wants a true account of offshoring. They understand the full impact of the practice and in fact are locking out foreign workers from participating in the Indian Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) workforce. I think that may be called "protectionism", but it's only a dirty word when Americans do it.

We are in an economic war for control of the technology sector -the Indian and Chinese governments know this and the American government has no clue. We will be surpassed without leadership who understands these issues and has a commitment to maintain American supremacy in technology.

Now going back to some comments made by John Kerry: I have a newsflash for the Senator. Pensions don't exist in the IT sector; they are a relic of a union past. My children will probably never hear the word "pension" spoken unless it is in a history class. As far as insurance, that is the least of our concerns at this point -so let me make this absolutely clear: WE WANT OUR JOBS.

My only advice to Senator Kerry is to remember what party he is in and who he represents. If he wants to turn on those who supported him the most --like Max Baucus has recently done, I can assure him that he can kiss any chance at the White House goodbye. Just follow what will be the demise of ITAA lobbyist Harris Miller (D) in the Virginia Senate race. Harris Miller is a prequel of what is to come for Democrats who turn against the party base.

posted by R. Lawson @ 9:28 PM