Posted under Immigration & Political Philosophy
If you do not read the VDare blog each day, you should. It’s here that so often I read about events or trends days, weeks or months before they are eventually reported by the neoliberal/neocon MSM (if they are reported at all). Of course, if they are finally reported, VDare hardly ever receives credit for breaking such stories, which means the gallant efforts of this small group of writers deserve even more praise.
VDare has done it once again by breaking the story about Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Indian lobby, Microsoft, and an attempt to triple H1B quotas.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), VDare reports, plans to introduce legislation to double – or in some cases triple – the H1B cap. The cap of 65,000 could be raised to 180,000. Why would a congresswoman from Arizona, who pretended to be tough on immigration during the last election, want to triple H1B visas in the middle of perhaps the worst depression in American history?
As Rob Sanchez reports:
Giffords’ connections with Indian special interests make me believe that the timing of this bill has something to do with the India Trade Policy Forum meeting that will take place in India on October 26 where India will be requesting an H-1B increase. We know India will be asking for more H-1Bs and this bill will give them what they want. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Giffords goes to that meeting in New Delhi, but so far her website doesn’t list it on her agenda. She signed a letter which makes me very suspicious: “Building a Strategic Partnership: U.S.-India Relations in the Wake of Mumbai”.
Giffords seems to curry favors (sorry about the pun) from Indians. For example, the “Taste of India” restaurant gave her campaign about $1,600 in contributions. On a more serious note, she voted YES for the India Nuclear Agreement.
The sleaziness doesn’t stop with curry however. Make no mistake about it — Giffords is a Bill Gates girl. She attended his sham hearing on March 2008 before the House Science and Technology Committee and she asked softball questions about his desire to have unlimited H-1Bs. Giffords isn’t just a Gates groupie though — Gates makes sure that she gets paid handsomely. AmeriPAC gave her $10,000 and AmeriPAC gets funding from Microsoft.
Just as Raj Rajaratnam, part of the Indian lobby and “the Galleon Fund chief indicted for insider trading last week, gave the Obama Victory Fund $30,800 last year.”
Of course, this attempt to triple the H1B quota is absolutely ludicrous, especially considering that nearly every computer programmer I know is currently looking for work. Once again, this is an attempt by the powers that be to replace American workers with cheap, foreign imports.
MadinAZ on 23 Oct 2009 at 8:40 am #
We need to get the pitchforks and march on Tucson!
Giffords is insane if she thinks she can get away with this.
xgog on 23 Oct 2009 at 8:39 pm #
I live in Texas but I called Giffords office. They were arrogant and snotty. They told me that they weren’t interested in my opinion then told me to call my Congressman.
Giffords — my Congressmen isn’t the one with the stinking H-1B increase!
So, Giffords, are all 180,000 of the extra H-1Bs going to stay in Arizona? If the answer is no you have to answer to the people in all states.
How did Arizona vote that trophy wife into public office?
Pete on 31 Oct 2009 at 3:20 pm #
Giffords is a complete disgrace. I guess unemployment in AZ just isn’t high enough for her. Send in the H1bs!
twins.fan on 11 Feb 2010 at 10:35 pm #
If you get a chance to see the video of Gates’ testimony to the House Subcommittee on which Giffords sat, watch it. She will speak. You will get a chance to see her “stupid as shit” hairdo that she had just fixed for “HER” testimony to Gates. What a suckup she is!
It made me think of a high school junior girl getting ready for her prom.
Moe on 13 Mar 2010 at 11:40 am #
“…How did Arizona vote that trophy wife (Giffords) into public office?…”
Jim Kolbe held the 8th Congressional seat for 22 years. Though a Republican he endorsed the Democrat Giffords. (Wiki reports the endorsement was not ‘official’, as if Kolbe merely saying ‘I endorse Giffords’ and campaigning for Giffords falls below the standard of an ‘official’ endorsement.) Other than being an openly homosexual (since 2000) Republican congressman Kolbe is best known for introducing a bill to eliminate the penny.
Ken Mehlman was head of the Republican National Committee. During the Republican primary he promised he would not support a candidate until Republican voters made their choice. He then provided a candidate with over $400,000 to use in the Republican primary. This was motivated by his dislike of Randy Graf, golf pro and immigration enforcement candidate.
Despite this Graf won the primary. Ken Mehlman had made another promise he would provide the primary winner’s campaign with $1 M. He broke that promise as well, giving Graf $0 and putting Graf at a significant disadvantage.
Gifford’s family owned the local tire chain El Campo and Gabby is reputed to be worth over $1 M. When elected she was single and has since married Mark Kelly, a Naval officer and astronaut. Giffords is Jewish and tells the story of how her grandfather escaped the antisemitism of NYC (?) by changing his name and moving to Arizona.
Giffords lived in Mexico while on a Fulbright scholarship. Does this mean she learned a wicked Spanish to bring out during opportune moments, such as during election campaigns? To date she has not done so, which suggests she doesn’t know Spanish beyond, ‘Maria, limpio el concina por favor’.
Giffords daringly came out in favor of solar energy, because, like, Arizona has a lot of sunshine. Little Miss Sunshine has even installed solar panels on one of her homes.
I don’t know if any of this explains how Giffords got elected and then reelected.
123zzyx on 23 Apr 2010 at 6:06 pm #
Guys ……
Do you seriously think Indians want more H1B’s ??
The current available quota itself is hard to fill because of lack of interest from Indians and other country citizens.. .. !!!