[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Microsoft Dodges Senator's Layoff Questions here

[number6]

It's a wonder that Microsoft wants American workers at all. The Federal Government has made it so difficult for employers, forcing them to give every kind of benefit, wages not determined by the market, and regulations of every kind.

[alkolkin]

I think that the part that Microsoft said about advanced degrees being the key should be broadcast widely. Of course we want the very brightest and the very best employees to be working at EVERY company. Google certainly has them. Microsoft certainly has them. What is missing is the focus on education within the family and within the body politic. Let everyone know that anyone who as intellectually able, who has the desire, will be financially able no matter what it costs the government.

If we want to turn this economy around then we need everyone to be educated who wants to be. If there are fewer jobs available, then people should be able to go to college until the economy turns around.

One of the things that will make more students want to go to college is a MUCH stronger emphasis at home. It is clear that education in India is very much an emphasis in the home. Some people who I have met in Silicon Valley from India have multiple Ph.D's as do their spouses. We need to foster that thinking and to financially enable it. We do not need to get on Microsoft's back about it. If we do, and they are forced to hire even slightly less educated people, then we will scream at them even more than we already do about their software.

[number6]

alkolkin said:

I think that the part that Microsoft said about advanced degrees being the key should be broadcast widely. Of course we want the very brightest and the very best employees to be working at EVERY company. Google certainly has them. Microsoft certainly has them. What is missing is the focus on education within the family and within the body politic. Let everyone know that anyone who as intellectually able, who has the desire, will be financially able no matter what it costs the government.

When every dollar that goes toward someone's potential comes from a productive individual, the economy gets hurt even more. It doesn't hurt the government; they just take the money from us (through taxes or, to a larger degree, inflation).
Let the productive people keep their money. Stop Federal spending.

[alkolkin]

"When every dollar that goes toward someone's potential comes from a productive individual, the economy gets hurt even more"

I do not understand. If we can make products better using better educated people, then more people in more countries will use our products rather than those from less adept countries and demand for OUR goods and services will go up. We need to think globally. I do not want the government to be in our faces. I do want them to be our mentors. We as a nation need to make sure that everyone who is able to, is educated to the best possible level. If we do that, then we all will win.

Please note, that I too pay taxes, I hate them as do you. However, right now we are in trouble because of a lack of political focus on what is best for all Americans, not only wealthy one. Educatiing America is a productive use of money. Using foreign educated workers is only necessary because we have too few of them who are as educated as those applying for those Microsoft jobs. Furthermore, if Microsoft werre to stop hiring foreign works, the countries that they now hire from would be less likely to buy Microsoft and America's income generated from those sales would go down.

[number6]

It does more harm than good to punish productive people with the burden of supporting the education of all the unproductive.

[alkolkin]

I agree if by unproductive you mean educated people who refuse to work hard.

I disagree if you mean unproductive as people who could not afford to go to college.

[JimH443]

I'm confused... why is it any worse to lay off Amercian workers in preference to Mexican workers here in the States on a visa than it is to lay off American workers in preference to Mexican workers in Mexico (as the automakers are doing)?? In the former case, at least, the money is staying within our borders. If Ms is going to be vilified, then it seems only fair to vilify every corporation that has non-Amercian workers every time an American is laid off.

[Staged84]

The only thing that determines what the company will provide as far as wages and benefits is the minimum amount they can get away with. Unfortunately, what we have had in the last 20 years is corporations deciding that making 20 billion every 5 seconds while paying their employees (lower level ) squat is better than paying an honorable and decent wage to the real worker while making only 19.9999 billion every 5 seconds. After all, the CEO can get that 4th vacation home he's always wanted and the upper management will receive their full half-a-mil bonus because they refused the hourly worker that $1 an hour raise. What is the saying- Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The main reason we are in this economic debacle is that for the last 20 years the average American corporation has screwed the average American worker to the breaking point. There are few factories left to close and send to Vietnam or India so they can pay the workers 50 cents a week like it or leave it. No matter their new worker doesn't make enough to feed his family. That's business, ya know. Corporations have virtually no checks and balances because it has become accepted policy in this country to pay the worker next to nothing while the CEO gets a 3 million bonus no matter what happens. Then, this worn out excuse that we are over regulating appears. Most large corporations pay very little in the way of taxes, and pardon me, but I don't want them throwing hazardous waste in our drinking water. Of course, they would if they could get away with it. Sir- the reason we have corporations moving overseas and hiding their money in Swiss accounts is that it increases their ROI from 20% to 22.5%. It's greed!!! Not overregulation!!!!

[ubuntujason]

hey all~
hurm as if we needed another reason to despise micro$ucks....
first rush saying 'he hopes he (obama) fails' now micro$ucks dodges explaining to us who will take precedence in their layoffs....i don't see how someone who can barely speak english is vital to innovation....then again i don't see much innovation coming from redmond.

so much for buy amaerican....at least in redomnd.
viva la linux! viva la america!
~j

[number6]

Staged84 said:

The only thing that determines what the company will provide as far as wages and benefits is the minimum amount they can get away with.

Sure, and the only thing that determines what the employee will demand as far as wages and benefits is the maximum he can get away with. Employers don't have absolute control. They can hire for only what the worker will take.

About greed: if you think it's a bad thing that CEO, etc. earn lots of money, watch this this John Stossel video:

Greed helps prosperity.

[Staged84]

So- The premise is that it's OK for a CEO to get paid 100 times the average worker's wages?? It's OK for a white collar S.O.B to be greedy because somehow he earned it with his 3 hour power lunches and famous corporate one-liners?? ("think outside the box" and "lean manufacturing") I don't!! I'll also never assume that corporations are somehow perfect little angels while anything related to the government is evil and against democracy itself!!

I've worked in manufacturing for 22 years. I think there is good and evil in all walks of life, especially in the US corporate world. And many corporations (just like some government institutions) are run by greedy and evil people. The problem is, that the government is controlled by those same corporations so in effect our laws are too. The laws are therefore made to satisfy some dweeb sitting in a $2000 chair whose ass I would kick if given half-a-chance. They are not made for the beneifit of the people as they should be.

Greed is not OK! You sound much like the typical Republican I enjoy conversing with so- Are you Christian also? If so, does not the Bible talk about greed in a negative way? I, for one could not stand to look at myself in the mirror knowing I was getting 10 million in stock options alone, while my average worker was paid $10.25 an hour. That's not right. Unfortunately, the person in charge (and board and upper management)usually have no sense of right and wrong- only looking out for themselves and that second home in the Keys they have their eyes on.

[number6]

I can see that you didn't watch the video. Have you ever turned down a raise? Why don't you become CEO?

[Staged84]

Nope- Don't need to watch the video. I get way too much news and commentary as it is. As a matter of fact, I haven't turned down a raise. But- as I said. I could not live with myself making the money some of these overeducated, underworked, self-indulgent girly men make if the people that work FOR me have to kick and claw for a freaking quarter raise every 5 years. When I'm dead and gone, I want more of an epitaph than "he made lots of money" . I WILL do the right things in life, be it financially adventacious or not. Let me ask YOU a question Jr., have you ever, ever seen a modern American corporation do the right thing even though it cost them a wad of money? I haven't! Never! I've seen them enact safety programs AFTER three people get killed in an explosion. I've seen them lay off people BEFORE they even knew what their job was!! Hell- the only reason my company has a recycling program is because the EPA forces us to. We would literally be pouring diacetone alcohol down our drain unless the big bad government didn't tell us naughty-naughty and threaten us with a fine. I'm sure the powers that be wouldn't give a rat's hiney that it would cause a community serious health issues 20 years down the road.


2 years ago, only the middle class and poor in this country were hurting- not the wealthy or the big business. They were exporting jobs by the thousands and making millions by the thousands also. But, sooner or later the time honored tradition of finding some poor slob overseas to make your Nike's when that same slob couldn't afford to wear them on a year's wages decimated our own economy. The poor and middle class literally have no good jobs because people like you have decided that everything but management should be 8 bucks an hour or lower and you'd better be damn glad to get it. You can only build so many Wal-Marts and Applebees before the population cannot support them. The only thing that will turn this economy around is to bring back manufacturing to this country. Which is the precise reason I have a problem with modern day American corporations and America's brand of unregulated capitalism in general. Manufacturing will not return until the board, CEO, and upper management stop waving the Stars-n-Stripes at the camera long enough to show some TRUE patriotism by fighting to keep jobs in THIS country- even if it reduces their profit by 1.02 percent (OMG!!!)



P.S. Can't wait to see all of the names of people hiding money in Swiss accounts!! I would also think that if these people were true patriots, that would include paying any taxes they owe--- Hmmmm- Maybe they really aren't that patriotic- They're just greedy!!!
Message was edited by: bcappel Removed swearing

[number6]

Since you've ignored my arguments and haven't provided any substantial ones of your own except your own personal opinion, I'm leaving this discussion.

[Staged84]

The jobs need to stay within our borders. I respect reasonable allowances for immigration, but we cannot continue to allow every person in the world to obtain a work visa because that ultimately drives wages down for our citizens. I have no problem with Fez becoming a citizen and living the American dream. However, big business is fully aware of this and is using this to mazimize their profit at the expense of a good living wage for the American worker, particularly for some industries such as construction and landscaping.