http://www.campaignwindow.com/brightfuture/index.cfm

This website seems to be brand new and is being announced in the tech discussion forums. While many people know about illegal aliens from the south and their effect on our economy, there are still people who don't understand that a major 'grab and gut' operation is underway in America's strategic IT and engineering sector, and has been for over 5 years now.

When NumbersUSA rallied the troops to call congress to thward last minute immigration increases in the lame duck session, there were people who actually contacted them because they were confused - they thought the H-1b program only brought in a few geniuses to work for us, and what's wrong with that?

I'm going to keep an eye on this website and maybe join in (except I'm already an activist in this area) because they are saying a lot of the same things I'd say, and very eloquently. Here's what I like to say about this issue:

Myth: There are many safeguards in the H-1b program. They have to try to find an American first.

Truth: In most cases, they don't. They are supposed to post LCAs in some company location, but researchers have discovered cases where companies filed for dozens or hundreds of H-1bs without posting a single ad where a jobseeker would see the opening.

Myth: They have to pay H-1bs the same as Americans.

Truth: H-1b pay is all over the map. A few are compensated handsomely (probably the real 'best and brightest' who are the only ones who should have been brought in) but on the average overall they make about $13K less. And many of their advocates let slip that we should use them because they're cheaper and that supposedly helps the company.

Myth: America needs to bring them in because we don't have enough people with enough brains to keep things going and compete without them.

Truth: America was a technology and innovation giant long before any large number of foreign workers were ever brought in - for many decades, in fact. That leadership was accomplished with American talent. But between 2000 and the present, many hundreds of thousands of foreign workers were brought in to take white collar jobs, while many hundreds of thousands of white-collar Americans were laid off. Isn't there something wrong with that picture?

Myth: The Indian education system produces superior brainpower, while America's is on the skids.

Truth: This is almost comparing apples and oranges. Our education system is universal - theirs absolutely isn't. Theirs depends upon rote memorization of large amounts of material, ours encourages research, exploration of ideas, and teamwork. Their advocates love to compare the cream of their crop with our averages. And, given their population of a billion, the cream of their crop is going to include a lot of candidates - enough to swamp our economy, since they routinely dispatch their top brains to do rank and file work, because they have so many people to find jobs for and opportunity is limited. Competition for jobs is ferocious in third world countries, and the H-1b program allows for a wholesale job grab over here.

Myth: The foreign workers have better credentials and skills than the Americans they replace.

Truth: Only on paper in many cases. Because other countries' education is not standardized to ours, there have erupted diploma mills and degree inflation. India, for example, offers degrees with the word Master in them. Some are more like associate degrees. So, your boss gets a cold call about a staffing firm that has a lot of bright young workers who'll work for less, and they have recent, up to date educations, many with 'Masters' degrees, and you start seeming obsolete and over the hill. But maybe you don't need a Master's degree to do your job, maybe you learned and were trained on the job back when these new degrees didn't even exist yet.

This website seems to be focusing on a push to lobby for the 'Defend the American Dream' act From the website: "Surprised to learn that companies can run ads discriminating against American citizens and green card holders? (Click to see actual ads.) The Department of Labor says the H1-B visa-hiring program gives employers the right to discriminate. The Department of Justice disagrees... and Bright Future is working to educate Congress and pass the "Defend the American Dream Act." But, we're up against powerful lobbying groups -- companies are working hard to EXPAND the H1-B hiring program. We need your help to fight these fat cats.

What is the H1-B Visa-Hiring program? This year, 85,000 high-paying jobs in business and 170,000 in non-profits will be earmarked for NON U.S. citizens. Companies and lobbyists will tell you that they need this program because there just aren't enough Americans with the skills to fill administrative, marketing, teaching, programming, engineering, and medical jobs. But, the reality is this program BLOCKS American citizens and green card holders from ever applying for these jobs. Employers are not required to prove that there is a shortage of workers or that they ever advertised or offered the jobs to American citizens or green card holders.

Who gets to apply? The quick story: semi-skilled and degreed workers from other countries are recruited, hired and trained to fill these jobs even when local talent is available.Contact Congress and urge your Congressperson to co-sponsor the "Defend the American Dream Act."

Even worse? The H1-B employees often work for half the wages an American would earn --- and they must go to enormous lengths to please their employers. Why? H1-B's feel enormous presssure to please their employers, because of the gnawing pressure of unemployment along with the threat of deportation. This gives employers tremendous power as the employee knows that they need to put up or ship out."

Just as Senator Cornyn tried to sneak the SKIL bill through the lame duck session, we've got to push for Pascrell's bill. Otherwise the Great American Job Giveaway will just continue.