Trump blames India for stealing jobs, again
Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN | Feb 29, 2016, 05.15 AM IST
WASHINGTON: At the height of debate in 2004 on flight of jobs, an issue that always attains high pitch during an election, there was a joke about outsourcing President Bush's job to India.
Bush was informed of his termination via email, and the job was given to Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai. Singh was born in the United States while his parents were here on student visas thus making him eligible for the position, the joke went, outlining that he would receive a salary of $320 a month but with no health coverage or other benefits.
Due to the time difference between the US and India, the spoof continued, Singh would be working primarily at night, when it is day-time in US. "I am excited to serve in this position," he was quoted as saying.
"Working nights will let me keep my day job at the American Express call centre. I always knew I could be President someday."
Some things just don't change. Flight of jobs to foreign countries returned centerstage this weekend with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump railing about outsourcing and promising to bring back the jobs, including presumably Gurvinder's satirical presidential caretaking.
"We're being ripped off with China, ripped off with Japan, ripped off with Mexico at the border, ripped off by Vietnam, and by India, and by every country," Trump declaimed to a receptive audience in Tennessee this weekend that broke into chants of "Trump!Trump" and "USA! USA!". Then, to wild applause: "They are taking our jobs. China is taking our jobs. Japan is taking our jobs. India is taking our jobs. It is not going to happen anymore, folks!"
Free-trade advocates meanwhile gnashed their teeth at the protectionist rhetoric that always seems to surface at campaign time, while those who are familiar with Trump's business interests rolled their eyes. Recent exposes about Trump's exclusive private club — Mar-a-lago Club — speak of hundreds of American residents being rejected for jobs in preference to foreign guest workers.
He has also pursued more than 500 visas for foreign workers at Mar-a-Lago since 2010, the New York Times reported, citing the US department of labor, while hundreds of domestic applicants failed to get the same jobs.
Bush was informed of his termination via email, and the job was given to Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai. Singh was born in the United States while his parents were here on student visas thus making him eligible for the position, the joke went, outlining that he would receive a salary of $320 a month but with no health coverage or other benefits.
Due to the time difference between the US and India, the spoof continued, Singh would be working primarily at night, when it is day-time in US. "I am excited to serve in this position," he was quoted as saying.
"Working nights will let me keep my day job at the American Express call centre. I always knew I could be President someday."
Some things just don't change. Flight of jobs to foreign countries returned centerstage this weekend with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump railing about outsourcing and promising to bring back the jobs, including presumably Gurvinder's satirical presidential caretaking.
"We're being ripped off with China, ripped off with Japan, ripped off with Mexico at the border, ripped off by Vietnam, and by India, and by every country," Trump declaimed to a receptive audience in Tennessee this weekend that broke into chants of "Trump!Trump" and "USA! USA!". Then, to wild applause: "They are taking our jobs. China is taking our jobs. Japan is taking our jobs. India is taking our jobs. It is not going to happen anymore, folks!"
Free-trade advocates meanwhile gnashed their teeth at the protectionist rhetoric that always seems to surface at campaign time, while those who are familiar with Trump's business interests rolled their eyes. Recent exposes about Trump's exclusive private club — Mar-a-lago Club — speak of hundreds of American residents being rejected for jobs in preference to foreign guest workers.
He has also pursued more than 500 visas for foreign workers at Mar-a-Lago since 2010, the New York Times reported, citing the US department of labor, while hundreds of domestic applicants failed to get the same jobs.
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