A little wisdom from the past..
This is a copy of one of my reply post directed towards JJ I
composed/posted back in April 2001...
Newsgroups: alt.computer.consultants
Message-ID: <3acd7331.64548103@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2001 08:45:44 GMT
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On Fri, 06 Apr 2001 03:05:21 -0400, American Programmer
<diogenes-no-s...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>It's actually a good thing that managers did NOT grow to like
telecommuting.
Too bad, since the U.S. was fairly close to being the ideal country
for remote development, but the expansion of H1-B program pretty much
killed off that fledgling industry. I.E. The cost of local tech
industry development was being constrained by local factors, cost of
housing, wage competition, relocation expenses, etc.
A lot of the tech Industry was planning on the telecommuting becoming
a substantial new industry. Ton's of fibre was laid, big investments
in telecom., etc. When the new industry failed to materialize, it
eliminated a lot of those business models, thus is another factor in
the current tech wreck.
That new model would have allowed the U.S. to transition to a more
efficient work system. Where a teleworker's impact on the
environment/society is greatly reduced. They no longer have a daily
need for roads, cars, driving to work, office buildings, etc.
Once H1-B was expanded, most of the constraining local factors driving
telecommuting vanished. Housing, no problem for a single person
living with seven room mates. Transportation, locating housing next to
a 1st world industrial/office park is not an issue, when compared to
living in a 3rd world country. Relocation expenses are nearly
non-existant, maybe a plane ticket. Wage competition, well, I think
we all know where that argument goes.
>Think about it: If managers became comfortable with employees working
off
>site, it wouldn't matter whether you're working from San Jose or
Bangalore.
>Managers would hire people from the latter since the cost of labor is
MUCH
>lower there. Anyone wanting to work from home that resided in a high
cost of
>living area would ultimately be SOL.
There are lots of other factors that deter foreign contracts.
Some reasons are:
Lack of a consistent legal system to enforce contracts and protect
IP.
Reliable low cost communication links are often not available.
How stable is the local power grid, if it exists.
High Import tarrifs/bribes required and other impediments for the
transport of products/equipment needed for conducting business.
Non-existant tech support/supply infrastructure to make even minor
repairs, etc.
Just some thoughts about a Golden age that may never happen.
All thanks to Congress selling out to the tech industry, for a few
measly bribes/campaign donations.
Tim Keating
------------- New content ------------
Fast forward to May 9, 2008
Crude oil approaching $130 per barrel. Gasoline headed to $4 a
gallon.. Gasoline proces will probably hit $7 per gallon before
years end..
Runaway inflation.
Housing crash due to prices exceeding the ability of stagant(devalued)
wages ability to carry debt load.
Another couple of trillion dollars of debt accumulated and wasted
pacifying areas of the middle east for zero effect. (DOD
expenditures.)
This outcome brought to you by a President Bill Clinton, The Neocons,
and a Republican Congress.
Shrub (Bush) had the power to mitigate the damages, but instead made
things much worse. Invaded Iraq, signed several bills authorizing
additional visa program expansions, and recently used, (April 2008),
administrative powers to expand foreign tech labor pool in the U.S.
by another 400,000.
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