U.S. to aid Armenia to lure computer work from American shores

[GeezerMan]

Great time to help with outsourcing, eh?

http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/disaster_recovery/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226600094

"Even as controversy mounts over its funding of IT outsourcers in South Asia, the U.S. Agency for International Development has announced a program under which it will partner with the government of Armenia—a nation anxious to lure computer work from American shores--to promote the development of the country's information technology industry....."

Helping Sri Lanka too.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/integration/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226500202

 

[SammyJr]

And we wonder why there are no decent American jobs. Our Government (and not just recently) actively conspires to send our jobs elsewhere.

 

[rudder]

But obama promised us he would punish the corporations that outsource jobs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaZgeWzqqW8

He said he will not give tax breaks to companies that outsource! And he does not like U.S. companies that invest in overseas operations! We need change!

 

[SammyJr]

But obama promised us he would punish the corporations that outsource jobs!

Just like the Republicans promise they'll cut spending. Its all a show.

In any case, corporations that offshore jobs shouldn't be punished. Their imports need to be tarriffed - there's no reason why business is entitled to import their shitty Chinese goods duty free while there are millions of Americans who could make those shitty goods.

 

[hal2kilo]

But obama promised us he would punish the corporations that outsource jobs!

So now you want Obama to be dictator and change it by executive power. I think that's the responsibility of Congress to fix. But of course since they are bought and sold by the corporations who could give a shit about America, how do you think that's going to turn out.

 

[rudder]

So now you want Obama to be dictator and change it by executive power. I think that's the responsibility of Congress to fix. But of course since they are bought and sold by the corporations who could give a shit about America, how do you think that's going to turn out.

But he promised!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaZgeWzqqW8

 

[daishi5]

The government agency for International Development is working on international development, this is horrible news. Before we know it, the department of transportation will be working on some form of road system.


But on a more serious note, they are training these people to get jobs, the other choice is to continue to give them free money or let them starve.

 

[SammyJr]

The government agency for International Development is working on international development, this is horrible news. Before we know it, the department of transportation will be working on some form of road system.


But on a more serious note, they are training these people to get jobs, the other choice is to continue to give them free money or let them starve.

I'm sorry. You must have confused Armenia with America. If you haven't noticed, our Middle Class is collapsing. Our Government should be worrying about jobs here and not making yet another target for the offshoring of American jobs.

 

[Fern]

It seems to me that our government is more effective at creating jobs abroad than here.

Fern

 

[daishi5]

I'm sorry. You must have confused Armenia with America. If you haven't noticed, our Middle Class is collapsing. Our Government should be worrying about jobs here and not making yet another target for the offshoring of American jobs.

We have a department whose job is to help other countries develop, thats why it is called the Agency for International Development. They are doing what we created the agency to do. Blaming them for doing what they are supposed to do is moronic at best.

If you want someone to create domestic jobs, look to other departments, like I don't know the Economic Development Administration.

It is almost like you walked into a hospital and then complained that a janitor was cleaning the floor instead of doing surgery. Janitors clean floors, surgeons perform surgery. The Agency for International Development does international development, and the Economic Development Administration works on domestic development, along with several other groups.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I got an email forwarded to me from a project manager today. It was from some guy who found her on LinkedIN and is the president of a company that offers "offshore application development" in Eastern Europe. She said "Have you heard of these guys?" I said "Uh, are you trying to have my job moved to freaking Romania or Bulgaria?!?!?"

 

[Hacp]

I'm sorry. You must have confused Armenia with America. If you haven't noticed, our Middle Class is collapsing. Our Government should be worrying about jobs here and not making yet another target for the offshoring of American jobs.

I say let them starve. Its not America's job to worry about starving people that are not legal residents in America. You don't see other countries giving us assistance do you? Why must it always be America giving to other countries and not other countries giving to us? We're the dominant power here, they should be paying us, not the other way around. Back in the middle ages, poorer countries paid richer countries for military protection. Seems like America got gamed this round.

 

[Orignal Earl]

Looks like its time to start teaching your children to do the jobs illegal Mexicans do and steer them away from the computer related stuff

 

[shortylickens]

My college economics professor keeps telling me that because of comparative advantage its a good thing to send all our jobs away. I forget why.

 

[Hacp]

My college economics professor keeps telling me that because of comparative advantage its a good thing to send all our jobs away. I forget why.

Because economics is a social science akin to psychology, sociology, and environmental wackoism. Economists want to dictate to us what to do and how to behave. Fuck that.

 

[Orignal Earl]

My college economics professor keeps telling me that because of comparative advantage its a good thing to send all our jobs away. I forget why.

You forget why?
I suggest you quit school and start touching your toes with your legs straight, that way when your picking strawberries it won't be so bad at the beginning.

 

[shortylickens]

You forget why?
I suggest you quit school and start touching your toes with your legs straight, that way when your picking strawberries it won't be so bad at the beginning.

You should refresh my memory.

 

[CitizenKain]

Because economics is a social science akin to psychology, sociology, and environmental wackoism. Economists want to dictate to us what to do and how to behave. Fuck that.

Awww, someone failed his psych class.

 

[Orignal Earl]

You should refresh my memory.

I have no idea..never took a economics class in my life

 

[hal2kilo]

I got an email forwarded to me from a project manager today. It was from some guy who found her on LinkedIN and is the president of a company that offers "offshore application development" in Eastern Europe. She said "Have you heard of these guys?" I said "Uh, are you trying to have my job moved to freaking Romania or Bulgaria?!?!?"

My ex-sister in law (wicked witch of the west, type A bitch) was VP in charge of acquisitions for a software company, and bought a company not for their product but because they had outsourcing to foreign workers down to an art. This was way back in 1999!

 

[woolfe9999]

We have a department whose job is to help other countries develop, thats why it is called the Agency for International Development. They are doing what we created the agency to do. Blaming them for doing what they are supposed to do is moronic at best.

If you want someone to create domestic jobs, look to other departments, like I don't know the Economic Development Administration.

It is almost like you walked into a hospital and then complained that a janitor was cleaning the floor instead of doing surgery. Janitors clean floors, surgeons perform surgery. The Agency for International Development does international development, and the Economic Development Administration works on domestic development, along with several other groups.

This argument is an implicit straw man. The issue is not that the Agency for International Development administers foreign aid. I think we all get that this is their job. The issue is WHY is the AID administering this particular aid at this time and place, given that it is possibly taking jobs away from America? In case you hadn't noticed, the AID is not employed arbitrarily. Where it applies its resources is a matter of governmental policy, and that is what is being criticized here.

That said, the policy rationale behind a given instance of foreign aid is typically one of protecting our geo-political and/or economic interests. Accordingly, we can't really evaluate this policy without knowing why we have this partnership with Armenia. In other words, we need to know the theory of what we stand to gain from this before we go running off at the mouth about how terrible an idea it is.

- wolf

 

[SammyJr]

It seems to me that our government is more effective at creating jobs abroad than here.

Fern

That's what having a Government that is completely owned by big business does for us!

 

[SammyJr]

My college economics professor keeps telling me that because of comparative advantage its a good thing to send all our jobs away. I forget why.

This is an article of the Free Trade faith. It requires the belief that Americans have comparative advantage in something. This is obviously false, but its an article of faith.

 

[nobodyknows]

Looks like its time to start teaching your children to do the jobs illegal Mexicans do and steer them away from the computer related stuff

Hold on to your pants, I know for a fact that the Mexicans are all over Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana now. I'm sure you will be noticing them at a Catholic church near you in Canada soon, very soon.

 

[daishi5]

This argument is an implicit straw man. The issue is not that the Agency for International Development administers foreign aid. I think we all get that this is their job. The issue is WHY is the AID administering this particular aid at this time and place, given that it is possibly taking jobs away from America? In case you hadn't noticed, the AID is not employed arbitrarily. Where it applies its resources is a matter of governmental policy, and that is what is being criticized here.

That said, the policy rationale behind a given instance of foreign aid is typically one of protecting our geo-political and/or economic interests. Accordingly, we can't really evaluate this policy without knowing why we have this partnership with Armenia. In other words, we need to know the theory of what we stand to gain from this before we go running off at the mouth about how terrible an idea it is.

- wolf

Any job done in Armenia could be done here and sold to the Armenians, or whomever would have purchased it from the Armenians. The global market implicitly makes any job in any country a competitor with American jobs. If we helped them refine metal in Armenia, it could take jobs away from American metal workers, if we taught them to make cars, it could take away from GM, if we taught them to do software it takes away from software developers, and so on down the line. The only jobs we could give them that are not in competition are local service jobs, but if Armenians only have local service jobs and no exports for trade, they are all still going to be dirt poor.

For more than 40 years, our government has been training foreigners to compete with Americans. (Or trade with Americans, but the current foreign trade discussions always seem imply there is a limit to the number of jobs available, thus any foreigner who works harms american workers.) This is not a question of why did they do this at this time, they have always been doing this, but now people want someone to blame. The USAID agency is not equipped, experienced, or prepared to try to help develop the American economy because the American economy is nothing like that of war torn poor countries that they work with (except Detroit).