clueless, or just heartless?

Despite the claims of the Bush administration and their
apologists that the economy and the job market are good
(or improving), those of us in the real world know better.

I know more people who are either out of work or who
have taken jobs at lower pay than their previous jobs,
than at any other time. More companies are hiring fewer
employees, and those that they hire are getting less hours,
lower wages, and fewer benefits. If the economy is good,
it's only good for the greedy jackals in the upper ranks
of the corporate world.

"Outsourcing" or "offshoring," as it's often called--
the practice of American companies replacing their
personnel with overseas workers, usually for a fraction
of the cost--is becoming more and more common these
days. Overseas employees for call centers and tech sup-
port lines work for much less $$$ than their American
counterparts, and often get no benefits at all.

While I'm happy that the citizens of India and other
countries are able to get decent jobs, it's hypocritical
in this era of flag-waving patriotism--with all of the
"God Bless America" and "We Support Our Troops"
stickers and signs in the windows of retail outlets and
wholesale marketing offices--for companies to be
shifting jobs overseas and shafting workers here at
home. Surprisingly (or perhaps not), even some city
governments are hiring overseas personnel for cust-
omer service jobs. It really makes me want to sing
the national anthem and shed a few tears.

In a recent article in the Dallas Morning News, "Zip, zap,
gone," an executive from an industry consulting firm,
addressing the issue of outsourcing, was quoted as saying:

"There's no logical reason not to do it other than you
perhaps have a unique business reason." *

Hmm...maybe no logical reason, but how about ethical reasons?

I remember hearing a record (a vinyl disc containing music,
popular before the invention of CD's, youngsters) when I was
a child, entitled, "People are More Important than Things."

It seems the corporate masters of our world never listened
to that song when they were growing up. What a pity.


* by Crayton Harrison, Dallas Morning News Technology Writer,
from the DMN Business section, Sunday, September 12, 2004