Tag Archives: careers

The Immigration Crisis

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Some thoughts on a topic I can’t seem to make a decision about.

I live in Arizona, where Mexican workers are common. They do landscaping work, house cleaning, and construction work. They work hard and they do jobs most Americans don’t want to do — for less pay than most Americans are willing to accept.

I used to think that letting in a lot of foreigners wasn’t a good thing because Americans were losing jobs. But I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I think foreigners are willing and able to do certain jobs better than their American counterparts. (The other jobs are just being sent out to India.)

Arizona has a terrible problem with illegal immigrants. It’s not just that they’re coming over the border all the time. It’s that there is a market for people to move them, people who don’t really care about their human cargo. They take the money and all to often, get these people hurt or even killed. Crossing the desert without enough water. Locked in the back of abandoned trucks. The Mexican people are so desperate to come to this country that they put their trust in people who don’t deserve it and a lot of them die.

Part of me says to shut down the borders, build walls or fences, and send back all the illegals. Another part of me feels bad for these people, who just want to make a better life for themselves and can’t afford the paperwork or legal fees to get it done on the fast track. But I don’t believe in amnesty; I believe in following the rules that exist.

Why do we have this problem? Why can’t we enforce our own rules?

And then again, I do have a sneaking suspicion that the only reason this “crisis” is taking up so much of the news these days is because the current administration is trying to get our minds off the bigger problem — Iraq. Smoke and mirrors.

What do you think? Use the comments link. I’d like some feedback to help clear my mind. immigration

Outsourcing — or “Offshoring” — Revisited (Again)

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An interesting document exposed by Slate.com.

First, I need to correct myself. I’ve been using the word “outsourcing” to refer to jobs sent overseas. The correct term for that is “offshoring.” Outsourcing is the same thing, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the job has gone overseas. Jobs can be outsourced to other companies in the same country.

That said, Slate.com has published a document that details the following sad little fact:

According to a study released in March by the Government Accountability Office, 48 states “offshore” at least some administration of federally funded, state-administered government programs, most of it in India and most of it involving welfare benefits. The GAO also found that states were offshoring some administration of child support enforcement and — in what seems like a cruel joke at the expense of American workers displaced by cheap foreign labor — unemployment insurance!

Read it (and weep) here: “Hello, Bangalore? Where’s My Unemployment Check?” by Timothy Noah.

Outsourcing, Continued

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Visitors start a lively discussion, but may be missing my point.

My “Just Say No to Outsourcing” piece has gotten a little discussion going in its comments. It appears that some readers are confusing “employ America” with “buy American.”

I’m all for the first, but have limits on the second. While I’d rather buy American-made products, I do have to spend my money where I’ll get the best value for my dollar. Nowhere is this more important than when making a major expenditure, like one for a car.

As I was growing up, my aunt was vehemently opposed to buying anything not made in the US. While that was possible back in the 1950s and 1960s, it soon became very difficult. She stubbornly stuck to her guns for a very long time, buying US-branded televisions and cameras and cars when she could have gotten better quality products, often at a lower price, from Japanese or German manufacturers. In the end, she had to give in, at least on the electronics stuff.

There was a time when the US was at the top of the game, when US-made products were technologically advanced and of better quality than you could get anywhere else in the world. But with some exceptions, that’s changed. For years, people have been recognizing that they can get more value for their hard-earned money by buying products made and marketed by overseas companies.

Personally, I think it’s tragic. I believe that America’s failure to stay at the top of the product manufacturing game is a result of laziness on the part of R&D teams and cost-cutting measures on the part of management. It also has a lot to do with pay levels, benefit packages (often required by unions), and the cost of living in this country. Even if we could make the best product in a given category — say, digital cameras — we couldn’t afford to make it or sell it. All these things combined — not to mention our smug “America is the greatest country in the world” attitude — have led to our manufacturing downfall. After all, it’s hard to make yourself better if you already think you’re the best you can be.

And things are getting worse, as goods mass-produced in China and Korea at rock bottom prices flood the marketplace, replacing quality with items so inexpensive that we can buy with the atittude that when it breaks, we can just throw it away and get another one.

I tried to buy a leather wallet in a leather goods store about a month ago and couldn’t find a single one that wasn’t made in China. It scares me when we get to the point that we simply don’t have a choice. I know now how my aunt felt when she bough her first Canon camera. But at least she was getting a quality product from an established and respected manufacturer.

Anyway, before I alienate any other readers with what will likely be taken as an unpatiotic attitude (a dangerous position to be in these days), I just want to remind readers that if they love America, they should support it any way they feel comfortable supporting it.

Although I’m not comfortable enough to buy a Ford, I’m very happy to avoid doing business with US companies that send customer service jobs overseas. And I’m not afraid to speak out against overseas outsourcing.

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I Never Thought…

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…I’d ever have to complain about too much flying.

I am exhausted. During the past three days, I flew 11.5 hours of revenue time. That’s time that people are actually paying me to fly. I flew 6 hours just today.

All of a sudden, everyone wants to go flying. I’ve done charters to the Grand Canyon, Scottsdale, Sedona, and Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. I’ve done real estate developer land tours, tours around Mesa, and tours around Wickenburg. And that’s after last week’s two photo shoots, a Grand Canyon charter, a Sedona charter, and an ash scattering. Where are these people coming from? And where were they in January and February when I was wondering where my next payment was going to come from?

I made my next payment. And the payment after that. Heck, I might even have June’s payment lined up — I have another tour tomorrow and a 2-day outdoor gig next weekend.

I need a rest. This helicopter charter business is starting to get like a job.

Wickenburg Rotary

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I speak at a Rotary meeting in Wickenburg.

Can you believe it? The local Wickenburg Rotary invited me again as a speaker. I guess that with meetings every week, they must run out of new people to invite.

What did I talk about? I told them about my work as a writer and as a pilot. I showed them some recent books and left them as silent auction items for their upcoming Rotary Dinner. I lectured them on the importance of free speech and their duty to speak out about things that they think are wrong. I showed them some aerial photos of downtown Wickenburg that we’d taken for the Town Manager. I told them that if they were ever at the Grand Canyon, they should treat themselves to a helicopter ride.

I answered questions. Why I didn’t have a New Jersey accent. (Who wants one of those?) Whether I thought helicopter flights at the Grand Canyon were dangerous. (No.) What kind of plane Mike flew. (A Grumman Tiger.)

And that’s it. They applauded politely. A few of them shook my hand as they filed out. One of them stopped for a longer chat about his extensive collection of Wickenburg postcards; I’m trying to convince him to publish them in a book.

I didn’t embarrass myself. I didn’t make anyone angry. I did a fine job.

Heck, it was only 20 minutes. I could have gone on for hours.