http://indiadaily.com/editorial/16804.asp

US lawmakers wrong again on increasing H1B temporary work visas

Special Correspondent

May 19, 2007

They want to increase the H1B quota by 50,000. They call it ''needed'' because Americans are not there in the Engineering PhD programs. But let us analyze some facts.

American citizens are regularly refused admission and financial assistance to Engineering PhD programs by the American Universities. The professors in these universities love foreign students especially from India and China because they ''listen and obey''. A below minimum wage stipend allows these professors to enjoy their lives while making these student work on the research projects. This is a virtual shameful 'slave labor'' situation. It is really no different than a restaurant hiring an illegal immigrant below minimum wage and making him work sixteen hours day disobeying all labor laws in America.

Who will enjoy these extra 50,000 H1B quota? The American corporation will enjoy by bringing in foreign nationals depressing the wages of American citizens. Every country should be proud of its own population and capabilities. America is not. This is sad. Russia and China do not import foreigners because they cannot do something. Where is the sense of American nationalism - just in the war zones of Iraq? The nationalism starts with providing adequate opportunities for US citizens. The biggest problem in America today is that the American lawmakers are mostly attorneys. They do not get it. Just making sure a child is not left behind is not good enough in this growing high tech world. Adequate stimulus needs to be created to attract Americans towards science, engineering and mathematics. Half of these lawmakers do not even understand the difference between graduate level science and engineering programs.

The 50,000 extra quota of H1B will primarily go towards Indian and other Information Technology body shops supplying ''cyber slaves'' to American companies.

It is time for Americans to oppose illegal immigrations, H1B visas and foreign workers. Think about the following. Let us assume that the Indian and Chinese Governments are asked to allow hundreds of thousands for foreign nationals bombard their countries and taking away technical well paying jobs. What will be the reaction of these Governments? Simply put, they will not even consider it.

The problem in America is class division in the society. The H1B quota is being increased to help the rich Americans and American corporations to artificially lower the professional wages and disregard labor laws in America. When a corporation or university hires someone in H1B, they know that individual cannot work for any other employers. These individuals are regularly abused against all set norms of American labor laws. It is a form of licensed ''illegal immigration'' where the employer gets a free hand to abuse the worker. The H1B visa holders have no place to go. They work day and night with little money and do not even know where to go and report abuses. The American employers love to have these H1B slaves because they are workhorses. The biggest problem of America today is the notion among the American corporations and the rich that free labor is available in the world once you can tap the developing world. It is no different than keeping slaves in the southern plantations before the American civil war. Unfortunately the American lawmakers support what Abraham Lincoln if he were alive today, would have opposed.

American people are world's best but American lawmakers are not. It is time for American lawmakers to refuse political contributions from the rich and the American corporations and show some genuine patriotism and nationalism for America.