Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Stupid in America / Behind the "Stupiding" of America / America: From Freedom to Fascism
Three items today. The first: last Friday night ABC aired a magnificent expose on government schools hosted by John Stossel, who for several years now has been one of the good guys, so to speak--a major thorn in the Establishment's side. He presented in clear detail how government schools are failing to educate. Of course, this assumes that real education is their goal (it almost certainly isn't--see the second item). Along the way he invited our State Superintendant of Education, Inez Tenenbaum, to comment, and she made an absolute fool of herself, contending how education is improving in South Carolina and referencing unnamed and unspecified "indicators" as the only evidence for this without further elaboration. But the again, what do we expect from a career bureaucrat?
From Wes Drawdy (of Greer S.C.): Looks like one of the netwerks is somewhat honestly
tackling the issue of childhood mis-education.
Wonder if they will tackle the issue of adult mis-education?
Did you know that today only five mega-coporations control over 90% of the U.S. media?
Got that? FIVE!
[Very worthwhile observation, although I had thought the number was six. And now we hand the reins of the discussion over to John Stossel. ~SY.]
========================================
STUPID IN AMERICA
http://www.reason.com/hod/js011306.shtml
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1491217
January 13, 2006
Stupid in America
Why your kids are probably dumber than Belgians
John Stossel
For "Stupid in America," a special report ABC will air Friday, we gave identical tests to high school students in New Jersey and in Belgium. The Belgian kids cleaned the American kids' clocks. The Belgian kids called the American students "stupid."
We didn't pick smart kids to test in Europe and dumb kids in the United States. The American students attend an above-average school in New Jersey, and New Jersey's kids have test scores that are above average for America.
The American boy who got the highest score told me: "I'm shocked, 'cause it just shows how advanced they are compared to us."
The Belgians did better because their schools are better. At age ten, American students take an international test and score well above the international average. But by age fifteen, when students from forty countries are tested, the Americans place twenty-fifth. The longer kids stay in American schools, the worse they do in international competition. They do worse than kids from countries that spend much less money on education.
This should come as no surprise once you remember that public education in the USA is a government monopoly. Don't like your public school? Tough. The school is terrible? Tough. Your taxes fund that school regardless of whether it's good or bad. That's why government monopolies routinely fail their customers. Union-dominated monopolies are even worse.
In New York City, it's "just about impossible" to fire a bad teacher, says schools chancellor Joel Klein. The new union contract offers slight relief, but it's still about 200 pages of bureaucracy. "We tolerate mediocrity," said Klein, ecause "people get paid the same, whether they're outstanding, average, or way below average." One teacher sent sexually oriented emails to "Cutie 101," his sixteen year old student. Klein couldn't fire him for years, "He hasn't taught, but we have had to pay him, because that's what's required under the contract."
They've paid him more than $300,000, and only after 6 years of litigation were they able to fire him. Klein employs dozens of teachers who he's afraid to let near the kids, so he has them sit in what they call "rubber rooms." This year he will spend twenty million dollars to warehouse teachers in five rubber rooms. It's an alternative to firing them. In the last four years, only two teachers out of 80,000 were fired for incompetence.
When I confronted Union president Randi Weingarten about that, she said, "they [the NYC school board] just don't want to do the work that's entailed." But the "work that's entailed" is so onerous that most principals just give up, or get bad teachers to transfer to another school. They even have a name for it: "the dance of the lemons."
The inability to fire the bad and reward the good is the biggest reason schools fail the kids. Lack of money is often cited the reason schools fail, but America doubled per pupil spending, adjusting for inflation, over the last 30 years. Test scores and
graduation rates stayed flat. New York City now spends an extraordinary $11,000 per student. That's $220,000 for a classroom of twenty kids. Couldn't you hire two or three excellent teachers and do a better job with $220,000?
Only a monopoly can spend that much money and still fail the kids.
The U.S. Postal Service couldn't get it there overnight. But once others were allowed to compete, Federal Express, United Parcel, and others suddenly could get it there overnight. Now even the post office does it (sometimes). Competition inspires people to do what we didn't think we could do.
If people got to choose their kids' school, education options would be endless. There could soon be technology schools, cheap Wal-Mart-like schools, virtual schools where you learn at home on your computer, sports schools, music schools, schools that
go all year, schools with uniforms, schools that open early and keep kids later, and, who knows? If there were competition, all kinds of new ideas would bloom.
This already happens overseas. In Belgium, for example, the government funds education—at any school—but if the school can't attract students, it goes out of business. Belgian school principal Kaat Vandensavel told us she works hard to impress parents. "If we don't offer them what they want for their child, they won't come to our school." She constantly improves the teaching, "You can't afford ten teachers out of 160 that don't do their work, because the clients will know, and won't come to you again."
"That's normal in Western Europe," Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby told me. "If schools don't perform well, a parent would never be trapped in that school in the same way you could be trapped in the U.S."
Last week, Florida's Supreme Court shut down "opportunity scholarships," Florida's small attempt at competition. Public money can't be spent on private schools, said the court, because the state constitution commands the funding only of "uniform, . . . high-quality" schools. But government schools are neither uniform nor high-quality, and without competition, no new teaching plan or No Child Left
Behind law will get the monopoly to serve its customers well.
A Gallup Poll survey shows 76 percent of Americans are either completely or somewhat satisfied with their kids' public school, but that's only because they don't know what their kids are missing. Without competition, unlike Belgian parents, they don't know what their kids might have had.
-END
John Stossel is an ABC News correspondent and co-anchor of 20/20. His special Stupid in America airs Friday, January 13, at 10 p.m.
"It's a naive domestic Burgundy without any breeding, but I think
you'll be amused by its presumption." --JAMES THURBER on frou-frou wine
descriptions, Cartoon caption, 1944
Small wonder we have a New World Order problem in America! When the average politician speaks to some public issue, the average American has no clue what he or she is even talking about. The situation regarding issues the international banking cartel wants to keep all but hidden from the public is bound to be worse, and has reached the point where globalists such as the CFR Task Force that authored Building a North American Community can put this stuff out on the World Wide Web and nobody notices. -SY
Here is what is really going on--how politicians are openly advocating the destruction of the American standard of living through "outsourcing" and the average American is now too stupid to figure out what he or she can only find flunky jobs after having obtained not just a college degree but sometimes an advanced degree. (Advanced degrees, btw, are not necessarily indicators of intelligence.)
The blunt truth of the matter is: the international banking cartel and the multinational corporations that have grown up around it (both of which have the governments of the world in their back pockets) have unleashed a monster on this country, and that monster is slowly but surely devouring the U.S. economy and the American middle class. If there is any way to stop this process, I don't see it. The government isn't going to close the borders; that much is obvious. They aren't going to stop the process of corporations sending jobs overseas; the political fallout would be too nasty. But the destruction of this country has long been one of the aims of the New World Order.
This comes courtesy of Joan Masters (thanks).
BEHIND THE "STUPIDING" OF AMERICA (my title -SY)
Joan Masters writes: The article below gives the implicit reason why America's high schools are being 'reformed'. To use the word 'reform' is a deception in itself. The curriculum is being dumbed down and changed to vocational education because so-called 'free trade' is draining the United States of white collar jobs. This trend of exporting white-collar jobs will continue until all of the white-collar jobs that can be exported - have been exported. Simple economics dictates it so.
All the rhetoric about the need for America's young people to have increased math and science is a bait and switch for 'reform'. When an Indian engineer makes $10,000 per year and an American engineer makes $60,000 or $70,000, there is no question about who will get the job. As long as the 'free trade' agreements that favor foreign countries and multinational corporations remain in effect, America's domestic economy will continue to decline and America's middle class will be eliminated - leaving two classes - the poor and the wealthy as exists in all fascist countries.
'Free trade' is not free trade. It is managed trade - managed by the central planners of the WTO. It creates jobs - but the good jobs it creates are in China and India. The jobs that are created in the United States are the kinds of jobs that are generated for a country in economic decline - Wal-Mart is growing as more and more people find it necessary - not desirable - but necessary to shop there.
To show you how absurd the corporate propaganda has gotten in attempting to justify the export of knowledge jobs, consider what John Chambers of Cisco Systems said about engineers:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/13573409.htm
The researchers were not able to verify the same detailed breakdown for students graduating from Chinese universities. According to the Chinese Ministry of Education, however, any bachelor's degree or "short-cycle" degree with "engineering" in its title is counted, regardless of the degree's field, or academic rigor associated with it.
Why is this important? Because, as Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers has told me, "Jobs will go to the best-educated workforce." A rigorous technical education is not enough to compete successfully in a global society. Concentration solely on the technical aspects ignores the crucial human skills and talents best imparted by a broader approach to education.
Companies are keen to hire students who have a holistic perspective of their field, are able to integrate knowledge across the disciplines, work well in teams, possess persuasive communication skills, and have respect and an understanding of other cultures. Such "dynamic engineers" also may possess leadership skills. And you don't outsource leadership.
So.. now that shortage isn't working - and better educated has been disproved, the propaganda now says that engineering education needs to be holistic.
To put that statement in to context, look at another statement made by John Chambers:
http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2418/040927techchina/pfindex.html
John Chambers, the chief executive office (CEO) and president of Cisco Systems, Inc. doesn't care when economists think China is going to become the world's largest economy. He's just thinking about what needs to be done for Cisco to tap into that market...
"What we're trying to do is outline an entire strategy of becoming a Chinese company," Chambers said.
Why Chambers and other multinationals wants to locate their companies in a communist country is not difficult to figure out. This new 'partnership' between corporations and communist governments is perfect for maximizing profits. Because of the WTO, they get to remain in this country - masquerading as American corporations and selling at American prices while using communist labor. It's a dream system for corporations and communist leaders because it will destroy our democratic republic as we struggle to compete in a trading system rigged against us.
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 23:20:56 -0500
Subject: Key MT Democrat Senator Calls Outsourcing a Fact of Life - AP
Associated Press
Key Senator Calls Outsourcing a Fact of Life
Max Baucus (news, bio, voting record), the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, said Friday that outsourcing white-collar jobs to low-wage countries such as India has become a global fact of life — and that America must learn to live with it.
The Senator from Montana also called on India to further open its once-tightly closed economy, especially in the agricultural and retail industries, to competition from U.S. companies.
Baucus said a majority of fellow Senate Democrats agreed with him, despite the party's longtime opposition to American companies moving jobs overseas.
"Everybody is concerned about job losses and so am I," he told The Associated Press in an interview in Bangalore, his first stop on a five-day tour of India.
"But the world is flat and we must work harder to better retrain our people," rather than resist outsourcing, he said. "Offshoring is a fact of globalization. Opportunities for U.S. companies come from everywhere — including India."
In a written statement released later Friday, Baucus said the intent of his trip was to "try to get at the problem of outsourcing" and find ways to keep more of the jobs in the United States.
"Any job lost to outsourcing is too many," he said. "But we can't kid ourselves or stick our heads in the sand. ... Our challenge is to learn why these jobs are moving overseas and work to keep them at home by boosting America's competitiveness through such things as training, education and tax incentives."
Contracts from foreign firms for everything from software engineering to customer service call centers has helped turn India's economy into one of the world's fastest growing. It's expected to expand more than 7 percent in the fiscal year ending in March.
Such outsourcing is expected to bring in $22 billion in revenues this fiscal year.
Critics in the West say outsourcing puts skilled people out of work just so big companies can save money. But supporters argue that it actually creates jobs by helping companies grow faster.
During the 2004 presidential campaign, Democratic contender Sen. John Kerry said U.S. companies that shifted white-collar jobs overseas were "Benedict Arnolds" — a reference to the most famous turncoat of the American Revolution — but later softened his stand on the issue.
On Friday, Baucus cited the prosperity that outsourcing has brought to Bangalore, India's technology hub, and it served as a showcase for growing ties between the two countries. And he said a reciprocal opening of markets would benefit both the United States and India.
"Investing in India to bring products for one-fifth of the world's population will be terrific for the U.S., but equally significant for India because it will bring huge growth opportunities," Baucus said.
He also talked about the landmark India-U.S. nuclear deal signed in July, which he said he "in principle" supports. Under the deal, the United States would share civilian nuclear technology and supply nuclear fuel to India in return for New Delhi separating its civilian and military nuclear programs.
The agreement still has to be ratified by the U.S. Congress, where it has faced criticism from some members because India is not a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Baucus said in the interview that he would have to examine the deal's details before throwing his full support behind it. "The devil is in the details and I will wait to see if there is a clear and transparent separation of civilian and military aspects," he said.
Kerry voiced similar sentiments on Thursday when he visited New Delhi and the central city of Hyderabad.
Baucus is leading a business delegation and arrived in India from China. He was scheduled to visit New Delhi over the weekend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From We The People Foundation; I can only hope that this film can be brought to South Carolina at some point when the time is right--and perhaps work to make it happen.
January 14, 2006
Feature Film About IRS Coming
America...from Freedom to Fascism
Aaron Russo, the accomplished Hollywood producer and director has just completed America ... from Freedom to Fascism, a feature film about the IRS, the Federal Reserve and the New World Order.
Russo’s films, which include Trading Places (starring Eddie Murphy) and The Rose (starring Bette Midler), have received six academy award nominations. Russo has personally won both an Emmy and a Tony award and his films have also won a number of Golden Globe awards.
Mr. Russo, as writer, director and producer, is entering America … in the May 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Not unlike the showing of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion to congregations across America in advance of its formal release, Russo has offered to present his new film in advance of its premier showing in Cannes, to the congregations of patriots assembled at the upcoming WTP regional conferences.
The 95-minute film, America … from Freedom to Fascism will be shown in its entirety at the Tucson WTP meeting on Saturday, January 28th. The meeting is free and open to the public.
Saturday January 28, 1 PM - 5 PM
Residence Inn
6477 E. Speedway Blvd.
Tucson, Arizona
(hotel) 520-721-0991
Contact: Terry Bressi AZ WTP Congress State Coordinator
From Wes Drawdy (of Greer S.C.): Looks like one of the netwerks is somewhat honestly
tackling the issue of childhood mis-education.
Wonder if they will tackle the issue of adult mis-education?
Did you know that today only five mega-coporations control over 90% of the U.S. media?
Got that? FIVE!
[Very worthwhile observation, although I had thought the number was six. And now we hand the reins of the discussion over to John Stossel. ~SY.]
========================================
STUPID IN AMERICA
http://www.reason.com/hod/js011306.shtml
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1491217
January 13, 2006
Stupid in America
Why your kids are probably dumber than Belgians
John Stossel
For "Stupid in America," a special report ABC will air Friday, we gave identical tests to high school students in New Jersey and in Belgium. The Belgian kids cleaned the American kids' clocks. The Belgian kids called the American students "stupid."
We didn't pick smart kids to test in Europe and dumb kids in the United States. The American students attend an above-average school in New Jersey, and New Jersey's kids have test scores that are above average for America.
The American boy who got the highest score told me: "I'm shocked, 'cause it just shows how advanced they are compared to us."
The Belgians did better because their schools are better. At age ten, American students take an international test and score well above the international average. But by age fifteen, when students from forty countries are tested, the Americans place twenty-fifth. The longer kids stay in American schools, the worse they do in international competition. They do worse than kids from countries that spend much less money on education.
This should come as no surprise once you remember that public education in the USA is a government monopoly. Don't like your public school? Tough. The school is terrible? Tough. Your taxes fund that school regardless of whether it's good or bad. That's why government monopolies routinely fail their customers. Union-dominated monopolies are even worse.
In New York City, it's "just about impossible" to fire a bad teacher, says schools chancellor Joel Klein. The new union contract offers slight relief, but it's still about 200 pages of bureaucracy. "We tolerate mediocrity," said Klein, ecause "people get paid the same, whether they're outstanding, average, or way below average." One teacher sent sexually oriented emails to "Cutie 101," his sixteen year old student. Klein couldn't fire him for years, "He hasn't taught, but we have had to pay him, because that's what's required under the contract."
They've paid him more than $300,000, and only after 6 years of litigation were they able to fire him. Klein employs dozens of teachers who he's afraid to let near the kids, so he has them sit in what they call "rubber rooms." This year he will spend twenty million dollars to warehouse teachers in five rubber rooms. It's an alternative to firing them. In the last four years, only two teachers out of 80,000 were fired for incompetence.
When I confronted Union president Randi Weingarten about that, she said, "they [the NYC school board] just don't want to do the work that's entailed." But the "work that's entailed" is so onerous that most principals just give up, or get bad teachers to transfer to another school. They even have a name for it: "the dance of the lemons."
The inability to fire the bad and reward the good is the biggest reason schools fail the kids. Lack of money is often cited the reason schools fail, but America doubled per pupil spending, adjusting for inflation, over the last 30 years. Test scores and
graduation rates stayed flat. New York City now spends an extraordinary $11,000 per student. That's $220,000 for a classroom of twenty kids. Couldn't you hire two or three excellent teachers and do a better job with $220,000?
Only a monopoly can spend that much money and still fail the kids.
The U.S. Postal Service couldn't get it there overnight. But once others were allowed to compete, Federal Express, United Parcel, and others suddenly could get it there overnight. Now even the post office does it (sometimes). Competition inspires people to do what we didn't think we could do.
If people got to choose their kids' school, education options would be endless. There could soon be technology schools, cheap Wal-Mart-like schools, virtual schools where you learn at home on your computer, sports schools, music schools, schools that
go all year, schools with uniforms, schools that open early and keep kids later, and, who knows? If there were competition, all kinds of new ideas would bloom.
This already happens overseas. In Belgium, for example, the government funds education—at any school—but if the school can't attract students, it goes out of business. Belgian school principal Kaat Vandensavel told us she works hard to impress parents. "If we don't offer them what they want for their child, they won't come to our school." She constantly improves the teaching, "You can't afford ten teachers out of 160 that don't do their work, because the clients will know, and won't come to you again."
"That's normal in Western Europe," Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby told me. "If schools don't perform well, a parent would never be trapped in that school in the same way you could be trapped in the U.S."
Last week, Florida's Supreme Court shut down "opportunity scholarships," Florida's small attempt at competition. Public money can't be spent on private schools, said the court, because the state constitution commands the funding only of "uniform, . . . high-quality" schools. But government schools are neither uniform nor high-quality, and without competition, no new teaching plan or No Child Left
Behind law will get the monopoly to serve its customers well.
A Gallup Poll survey shows 76 percent of Americans are either completely or somewhat satisfied with their kids' public school, but that's only because they don't know what their kids are missing. Without competition, unlike Belgian parents, they don't know what their kids might have had.
-END
John Stossel is an ABC News correspondent and co-anchor of 20/20. His special Stupid in America airs Friday, January 13, at 10 p.m.
"It's a naive domestic Burgundy without any breeding, but I think
you'll be amused by its presumption." --JAMES THURBER on frou-frou wine
descriptions, Cartoon caption, 1944
Small wonder we have a New World Order problem in America! When the average politician speaks to some public issue, the average American has no clue what he or she is even talking about. The situation regarding issues the international banking cartel wants to keep all but hidden from the public is bound to be worse, and has reached the point where globalists such as the CFR Task Force that authored Building a North American Community can put this stuff out on the World Wide Web and nobody notices. -SY
Here is what is really going on--how politicians are openly advocating the destruction of the American standard of living through "outsourcing" and the average American is now too stupid to figure out what he or she can only find flunky jobs after having obtained not just a college degree but sometimes an advanced degree. (Advanced degrees, btw, are not necessarily indicators of intelligence.)
The blunt truth of the matter is: the international banking cartel and the multinational corporations that have grown up around it (both of which have the governments of the world in their back pockets) have unleashed a monster on this country, and that monster is slowly but surely devouring the U.S. economy and the American middle class. If there is any way to stop this process, I don't see it. The government isn't going to close the borders; that much is obvious. They aren't going to stop the process of corporations sending jobs overseas; the political fallout would be too nasty. But the destruction of this country has long been one of the aims of the New World Order.
This comes courtesy of Joan Masters (thanks).
BEHIND THE "STUPIDING" OF AMERICA (my title -SY)
Joan Masters writes: The article below gives the implicit reason why America's high schools are being 'reformed'. To use the word 'reform' is a deception in itself. The curriculum is being dumbed down and changed to vocational education because so-called 'free trade' is draining the United States of white collar jobs. This trend of exporting white-collar jobs will continue until all of the white-collar jobs that can be exported - have been exported. Simple economics dictates it so.
All the rhetoric about the need for America's young people to have increased math and science is a bait and switch for 'reform'. When an Indian engineer makes $10,000 per year and an American engineer makes $60,000 or $70,000, there is no question about who will get the job. As long as the 'free trade' agreements that favor foreign countries and multinational corporations remain in effect, America's domestic economy will continue to decline and America's middle class will be eliminated - leaving two classes - the poor and the wealthy as exists in all fascist countries.
'Free trade' is not free trade. It is managed trade - managed by the central planners of the WTO. It creates jobs - but the good jobs it creates are in China and India. The jobs that are created in the United States are the kinds of jobs that are generated for a country in economic decline - Wal-Mart is growing as more and more people find it necessary - not desirable - but necessary to shop there.
To show you how absurd the corporate propaganda has gotten in attempting to justify the export of knowledge jobs, consider what John Chambers of Cisco Systems said about engineers:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/13573409.htm
The researchers were not able to verify the same detailed breakdown for students graduating from Chinese universities. According to the Chinese Ministry of Education, however, any bachelor's degree or "short-cycle" degree with "engineering" in its title is counted, regardless of the degree's field, or academic rigor associated with it.
Why is this important? Because, as Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers has told me, "Jobs will go to the best-educated workforce." A rigorous technical education is not enough to compete successfully in a global society. Concentration solely on the technical aspects ignores the crucial human skills and talents best imparted by a broader approach to education.
Companies are keen to hire students who have a holistic perspective of their field, are able to integrate knowledge across the disciplines, work well in teams, possess persuasive communication skills, and have respect and an understanding of other cultures. Such "dynamic engineers" also may possess leadership skills. And you don't outsource leadership.
So.. now that shortage isn't working - and better educated has been disproved, the propaganda now says that engineering education needs to be holistic.
To put that statement in to context, look at another statement made by John Chambers:
http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2418/040927techchina/pfindex.html
John Chambers, the chief executive office (CEO) and president of Cisco Systems, Inc. doesn't care when economists think China is going to become the world's largest economy. He's just thinking about what needs to be done for Cisco to tap into that market...
"What we're trying to do is outline an entire strategy of becoming a Chinese company," Chambers said.
Why Chambers and other multinationals wants to locate their companies in a communist country is not difficult to figure out. This new 'partnership' between corporations and communist governments is perfect for maximizing profits. Because of the WTO, they get to remain in this country - masquerading as American corporations and selling at American prices while using communist labor. It's a dream system for corporations and communist leaders because it will destroy our democratic republic as we struggle to compete in a trading system rigged against us.
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 23:20:56 -0500
Subject: Key MT Democrat Senator Calls Outsourcing a Fact of Life - AP
Associated Press
Key Senator Calls Outsourcing a Fact of Life
Max Baucus (news, bio, voting record), the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, said Friday that outsourcing white-collar jobs to low-wage countries such as India has become a global fact of life — and that America must learn to live with it.
The Senator from Montana also called on India to further open its once-tightly closed economy, especially in the agricultural and retail industries, to competition from U.S. companies.
Baucus said a majority of fellow Senate Democrats agreed with him, despite the party's longtime opposition to American companies moving jobs overseas.
"Everybody is concerned about job losses and so am I," he told The Associated Press in an interview in Bangalore, his first stop on a five-day tour of India.
"But the world is flat and we must work harder to better retrain our people," rather than resist outsourcing, he said. "Offshoring is a fact of globalization. Opportunities for U.S. companies come from everywhere — including India."
In a written statement released later Friday, Baucus said the intent of his trip was to "try to get at the problem of outsourcing" and find ways to keep more of the jobs in the United States.
"Any job lost to outsourcing is too many," he said. "But we can't kid ourselves or stick our heads in the sand. ... Our challenge is to learn why these jobs are moving overseas and work to keep them at home by boosting America's competitiveness through such things as training, education and tax incentives."
Contracts from foreign firms for everything from software engineering to customer service call centers has helped turn India's economy into one of the world's fastest growing. It's expected to expand more than 7 percent in the fiscal year ending in March.
Such outsourcing is expected to bring in $22 billion in revenues this fiscal year.
Critics in the West say outsourcing puts skilled people out of work just so big companies can save money. But supporters argue that it actually creates jobs by helping companies grow faster.
During the 2004 presidential campaign, Democratic contender Sen. John Kerry said U.S. companies that shifted white-collar jobs overseas were "Benedict Arnolds" — a reference to the most famous turncoat of the American Revolution — but later softened his stand on the issue.
On Friday, Baucus cited the prosperity that outsourcing has brought to Bangalore, India's technology hub, and it served as a showcase for growing ties between the two countries. And he said a reciprocal opening of markets would benefit both the United States and India.
"Investing in India to bring products for one-fifth of the world's population will be terrific for the U.S., but equally significant for India because it will bring huge growth opportunities," Baucus said.
He also talked about the landmark India-U.S. nuclear deal signed in July, which he said he "in principle" supports. Under the deal, the United States would share civilian nuclear technology and supply nuclear fuel to India in return for New Delhi separating its civilian and military nuclear programs.
The agreement still has to be ratified by the U.S. Congress, where it has faced criticism from some members because India is not a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Baucus said in the interview that he would have to examine the deal's details before throwing his full support behind it. "The devil is in the details and I will wait to see if there is a clear and transparent separation of civilian and military aspects," he said.
Kerry voiced similar sentiments on Thursday when he visited New Delhi and the central city of Hyderabad.
Baucus is leading a business delegation and arrived in India from China. He was scheduled to visit New Delhi over the weekend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From We The People Foundation; I can only hope that this film can be brought to South Carolina at some point when the time is right--and perhaps work to make it happen.
January 14, 2006
Feature Film About IRS Coming
America...from Freedom to Fascism
Aaron Russo, the accomplished Hollywood producer and director has just completed America ... from Freedom to Fascism, a feature film about the IRS, the Federal Reserve and the New World Order.
Russo’s films, which include Trading Places (starring Eddie Murphy) and The Rose (starring Bette Midler), have received six academy award nominations. Russo has personally won both an Emmy and a Tony award and his films have also won a number of Golden Globe awards.
Mr. Russo, as writer, director and producer, is entering America … in the May 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Not unlike the showing of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion to congregations across America in advance of its formal release, Russo has offered to present his new film in advance of its premier showing in Cannes, to the congregations of patriots assembled at the upcoming WTP regional conferences.
The 95-minute film, America … from Freedom to Fascism will be shown in its entirety at the Tucson WTP meeting on Saturday, January 28th. The meeting is free and open to the public.
Saturday January 28, 1 PM - 5 PM
Residence Inn
6477 E. Speedway Blvd.
Tucson, Arizona
(hotel) 520-721-0991
Contact: Terry Bressi AZ WTP Congress State Coordinator
