All this talk about making sure working people get what they earn ...

[MH1]

wonder if "H1B" will be mentioned?

I doubt it.

I will drain my beer if he says anything about needing to fix the way H1B skews the high tech workforce.

I think my beer is safe.


(Disclaimer: I love Obama, as compared to what is a very low bar for US presidents. Relatively speaking, he's great. But to this IT worker, this love-the-worker stuff is just empty b.s. without addressing the H1B situation.)

[VanillaRhapsody]

1. If Obama doesn't do what I need....

well he just sucks lemons!

[MH1]

2. Not saying he sucks lemons ...

just that he's leaving out a swath of working Americans who are getting killed by the way the H1B is setup. It favors employers hiring H1Bs over American workers. So what's this education going to do for someone who finds they can't get a job, or they have to work 80 hours a week and don't have time for their family just to keep a job that pays less because they can always be replaced by a lower wage indentured servant from India?

[MH1]

3. Do you know

that an H1B visa is tied to the employer ... if the employer lets the worker go for any reason, their visa is void and they go back to their home country (99% India in my job)? Coming to a job in America is a glorious opportunity for these kids. (I don't fault the workers for taking the opportunity that is there, by the way - I fault the system that is screwing Americans and encouraging family separation for the lure of the big bucks for those kids from India). They will work 100 hours a week to not lose this opportunity. The 40 hour work week is gone for anyone in a company that is expert at exploiting the H1B system.

[VanillaRhapsody]

4. I am in IT....

a WOMAN.....in IT.

[MH1]

5. Not all companies play the game

Or they don't play it well. I can tell that from conferences I've gone to. If I were better at networking I'd be working at one of those companies by now. But then, I've only recently reached my "now I'm really pissed about this" point. Unfortunately I'm working at a company that (I now realize) has not only mastered the H1B process, but fully embraced it as an appropriate cost cutting measure.

[VanillaRhapsody]

7. Look...he has ALOT of fish to fry....don't just base everything on when he decides to cook the trout

before or after the flounder...

[MH1]

9. I don't think he has any intention of cooking this trout at all.

I'm not sure he's even aware there's a trout to cook.

Which is part of my disappointment with him (but remember, I still love the guy overall, because he's light years better than others in many areas). But it is also my challenge. Somehow I have to get this through the thick skulls of the politicos I interact with.

I just don't understand why people can't grasp the insidiousness of this program ... and the fact that it is impacting our most intelligent, high tech people, it is hardly helping this country be more innovative to squash our home-grown potential in favor of cheaper foreign factory-churned laborers (usually crappily trained, by the way, in my experience, even though they are good people who can learn as well as our kids could if only our kids got the same opportunity). I think they are mostly just oblivious, because there are so many more visible issues they feel they need to address.

[VanillaRhapsody]

10. I think we should concentrating of fixing this...

Section 13(a)(17) of the FLSA provides that certain computer professionals paid at least $27.63 per hour are exempt from the overtime provisions of the FLSA.

[MH1]

11. That would certainly help!

I admit I'm not an expert on the vagaries of employment law. There are probably many angles that could be taken to improve the situation.

[VanillaRhapsody]

12. Well he doesn't write law...if you want that fixed....you gotta get busy for the next election....

and take back the House....

[MH1]

13. Yep I know

that is the challenge.

But I still wish he would have mentioned it. Just an acknowledgement that labor visa programs have issues that need to be fixed. (I know there are other programs besides H1B that cause problems in other industries, too.)

Oh well. Overall, good speech.

[VanillaRhapsody]

14. He cannot mention everything in the SOTU....we are just not that high up on long long list of

challenges this President has....

[OhioChick]

6. Don't hold your breath on H-1B's being brought up n/t

[MH1]

8. Nah, you're absolutely right.

I am not saving my beer waiting for that drinking opportunity.

As will soon be evident by my typos.