Where I live in California, C-SPAN3 is not available on the cable system (due to so many foreign-language channels, in my opinion), so I’m watching the live House hearing online.

What’s on is the big round-up of House immigration hearings, the report of chairmen to the leadership on what they learned in 22 hearings immigration field hearings in 13 states during August.

Link to Watch C-SPAN3

Rep. Peter King spoke first and pulled no punches about how angry constituents are. They are asking, “If you can’t control the border, what can you do?”

Exactly!

VDARE.COM recently published a letter from a California Reader citing several examples of the connection between corprorate fraud and H-1b visas:

The corporatists—as well as their paid lackeys in the mainstream media and Congress—would have us believe that the H-1B program is vital to American competitiveness and efficiency.

If that is the case, then why do so many organizations that use these foreign workers suffer financial failures, legal problems, and technical breakdowns?

I think this question deserves a more elaborate answer. One of the key features of the H-1b program is that it gives employers an extraordinary degree of control over their employees.

If an H-1b employee displeases someone in authority at their employer, the H-1b employee can easily find themselves in a situation in which they have the choice beween finding another job in a matter of a few days, leaving the US, or staying illegally.

Now, there are certain type of sadists that are greatly attracted to situations in which they have that kind of power over people. Slave societies held an enormous attraction for many people in authority in those societies–even though by most important economic measures slave societies do a poor job of delivering broad prosperity or creating serious innovation. The expansion of illegal immigration and H-1b visas has created the closest thing many modern folks can experience to what it was like being an overseer on a plantation.

Now, there is another related issue. Companies like Enron and Tyco have business practices that are fundamentally illegal. The management of those companies sometimes think that having greater control over their employees will make them safer. Now, in the case of Enron, that strategy may have cost the shareholders substantially-a big chunk of Enron’s losses were related to rather strange investments that Enron made in India–the same place that the lion’s share of Enron’s IT staff came from. It is not uncommon that IT staff have access to sensitive corporate information. What is traditionally less common is that IT staff have the social network and business skills necessary to use the information to blackmail managers.

The coincidence of Enron hiring from a pool of H-1b technical talent with a serious tradition of strong business skills and Enron’s later troubles is interesting. Once Enron management started down that road they may not have had the option to turn back.

In both cases, we have issues that really may provide some short term benefit to corporate bottom line–but with serious negative long term consequences. Government regulation may be necessary to change this incredible short term focus of American business.

Yes I’m still on maternity leave (although I haven’t much time left…) but I just read something so terribly funny that it is worth interrupting my vacation (that would be the no-sleep and how-does-this-eight-pound-human-fill-so-many-diapers-in-one-day vacation) to write a quick blog!

Kinky Friedman is one of several relatively unknown candidates for Governor down in Texas. He boasts a somewhat eclectic political agenda, a penchant for stirring up trouble and a rather famous (not to mention unofficial) campaign manger by the name of Willie Nelson.

In a press statement yesterday, Kinky said that 1500 National Guard troops on the Mexico border would not fix the problem of illegal immigration…but maybe 10,000 would!

He also suggested that the feds need to cough up about $100 million bucks to help local law enforcement authorities in Texas cover the rise in operating costs associated with the relocation of Katrina evacuees from New Orleans into cities such as Houston.

Earlier in the week, Kinky said the rise in crime was courtesy of the “crackheads and thugs” who fled New Orleans after the hurricane last year.

And he’s right, of course, but that didn’t stop the libs from calling him a racist.

His response to these accusations was not the typical I’m running for office so I’d better suck up to the minorities and never, ever say what I really think statement…it was a tad more colorful.

“I don’t eat tamales in the barrio, I don’t eat fried chicken in the ghetto, I don’t eat bagels with the Jews for breakfast,” said Friedman, who is Jewish. “That to me is true racism.”

Kinky tackles allegations of racism Associated Press, 9/11/2006

Bravo Mr. Hopefully Future Governor of Texas!

Some people are provincial, party-line voters…some people are irresponsible, single-issue voters. Personally, I have learned to support the candidate who shuns the politically correct and refuses to pander to those play ground bullies from the ethnic lobby–even if our politics are as different as night and day, I’m a sucker for a man with moxie!

Check out this crazy guy–they don’t call him KINKY for nothing…

Website here.