Maybe there’s really a massive shortage of qualified technology workers. Maybe it’s not so bad. What matters today, apparently, is money. Period.
Congress dramatically boosted the H-1B visa program yesterday, bowing to the wishes of technology executives. At least the Senate cast individual ballots. The House did it with a voice vote.
Supporters claim there are “reforms” in this legislation. I can’t find any. This is nothing but another gift to an industry that claims to believe in free enterprise but can’t get enough industrial policy favors from the government.
Industrial policy, you say? You bet. Among other deliberate policies aimed at helping the technology business — often at others’ expense — Congress has favored online retailers over Main Street, brick-and-mortar stores through its inaction on Internet taxes.
The H-1B visas are supposedly a response to the crying need for more technology workers. There’s a shortage, all right.
But you have to believe the most serious shortage is among 24-year-olds who don’t need much health care, are willing to work 20 hours a day and will take stock options as partial replacement of a real paycheck. There are too many stories to ignore from the over-40 crowd, people who have solid résumés who can’t even get interviewed.
H-1B workers are effectively bound to a single company. They can’t shop their skills around in a truly free market — another sign of hypocrisy from the those gung-ho free-market types running tech companies.
The real answer — if there’s a true shortage — is to give skilled foreigners green cards. Don’t look for the technology industry to fight for that solution.
Gore Sneers, Bush Fumbles, Voters Gag
In last night’s presidential debate, Al Gore reminded me of the biggest jerk in school, the know-it-all who can’t even shut up when the other guy wants to get a word in edgewise. Bush, conversely, was the amiable guy who didn’t know much but pretended he did.
It’s hard to decide which quality is worse in a president. These guys are awful.
What a shame that Bradley and McCain didn’t win the nominations. Then we’d have a genuinely interesting choice.