Speed reading the December 4 Democratic debate
The Democrats running for the presidential nomination got together in Iowa Tuesday for another debate (this time it was on the radio). We've pulled highlights from the transcript that might be of interest here at our little intersection of the web. Our usual list of topics didn't get much attention this time around (Iran and immigration took most of the focus), but the candidates did touch on a few things that are tangentially related: regulation of toxics in consumer products, science education and global warming. The breakdown is after the jump.
Hillary Clinton responding to listener question about regulation of consumer products that could contain toxic chemicals:
Well, first, I really sympathize with the young mother, because we don’t do anywhere near enough to try to prevent dangerous materials and products from coming into our country. We don’t even do enough of it within our own country. We have totally turned our back on the information that is available to try to better track the impact on children and others of these kinds of exposures to toxic materials.
So, number one, we need tougher standards across the board; something I’ve been advocating for for years.
Number two, it should be especially applied to any kind of imports, and the requires going and making sure that we have inspectors on the ground and we have tough standards and we exercise recalls.
You know, the reason we have such few recalls, even though they have been increasing, because the evidence has been so overwhelming, is because this administration has basically de-fanged the Consumer Product Safety Commission, they do not have any real appetite for going after these companies and countries that are flooding our markets with dangerous products, and that has to stop.
Chris Dodd following up on the same question:
I have a child that has serious food allergies here. I know what it’s like every day to read a label every single day because my child could die if she consumed the wrong products here.
Eighty percent of the food we consume in this country’s imported and only 1 percent of it is inspected. And there’s no country of labeling on those products here. And you’ll have 10 different descriptions of an egg here, and that’s very difficult, if not impossible, for women like Karen. And parents who have children have to be careful about the products they consume.
John Edwards responding to a question about H1-B visas:
The underlying issue is, are we making it easier for kids to go to college?
Are we driving our young people into engineering, science, and math, the very areas that we’re talking about?
And are we doing it in a way that will strengthen the American economy over the long-term?
Because if we don’t -- if we are not the most creative, best educated, most innovative workforce on the planet, it is very difficult for us to compete.
Joe Biden (and Dodd) following up on the H1-B question:
I’m the author of the Violence Against Women Act. It came to my attention not long -- it’s relevant, believe it or not.
What happened? Immigrant women getting the living crap beat out of them; getting brutalized -- brutalized. And they’re afraid to come forward and acknowledge they’re being brutalized because they’ll be deported.
So what we have to do, sometimes humanitarian needs trump -- trump immigration laws. So what did I do? I changed the law. My colleagues all voted for it.
It’s now the law that a woman who comes forward of being beaten will be effectively immune from being deported so you can put the SOB who’s beating her in jail.
So sometimes it trumps.
Sometimes humanitarian needs trump an existing law relating to immigration like that.
MODERATOR: Let me move on to another subject here because our time is quite short.
DODD: Health care would be a good example of that as well.
Barack Obama responding to a question about what he doesn't have an answer for:
The issue of climate change. I’ve put forward one of the most aggressive proposals out there. But the science seems to be coming in indicating it’s accelerating even more quickly with every passing day, and by the time I take office I think we’re going to have to have a serious conversation about how drastic steps we need to take to address it.
The New York Times has a full transcript.
The audio of this debate is available from NPR.
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I am curious as to what the question about H1 visas was that Edwards responded to in that way.
- by emily on Dec 5, 2007 at 12:29 PM | link
Emily -- Here's the whole exchange between the moderator and Edwards over H1-B visas:
MODERATOR: A question for Senator Edwards.
If you’re elected president you’ll hear competing claims about H1B visas for highly skilled workers.
People like Bill Gates will tell you we should have much, much more of them to bring in more highly skilled workers.
Critics of that will say: No, the United States is training other countries’ engineers, and in fact those workers are working for less than American-trained specialists and engineers would.
What would you do as president, expand H1B visas or scale them back?
EDWARDS: Well, the first point is: Why is America not educating and training American workers to do these jobs?
I mean, that’s the starting point.
MODERATOR: Well, there are Americans who say that they are being trained for those jobs, but that they can’t compete with workers from India, who will work for 10 percent less.
EDWARDS: And that’s the reason. If American workers are actually competent to do those jobs, American workers should be doing those jobs.
The whole purpose of the H1B visa program is to bring people from other places who have to do jobs that we don’t have American workers to do.
Now, I think there are two pieces to this. One is, if there are American workers who can do the jobs, they should be doing them, as I just said. And they will, when I’m president.
Second, if we don’t have adequate American workers -- and this is the other side of the equation, what Bill Gates and others would argue, and I’ve heard the same arguments -- then that means America’s not doing its job of educating our young people.
MODERATOR: But are you saying that, for you it’s a matter of fact-finding, to see which way you would go on H1B visas, or have you already made up your mind that they should be limited or they should be increased?
EDWARDS: I believe that there are American workers who can do some of these jobs that people are being brought from other places to do. And I think those American workers, if they’re there and available, should be doing the jobs.
But you’ve got to give my 30 more seconds on this. Because you can’ ignore the underlying issue. The underlying issue is, are we making it easier for kids to go to college?
Are we driving our young people into engineering, science, and math, the very areas that we’re talking about?
And are we doing it in a way that will strengthen the American economy over the long-term?
Because if we don’t -- if we are not the most creative, best educated, most innovative workforce on the planet, it is very difficult for us to compete.
- by Greg on Dec 5, 2007 at 1:26 PM | link
Just a little logic will tell you what the H1B program does.
The law of supply and demand applies to labor.
When supply increases or demand decreases the price of a commodity(like labor) goes down. Producers make less, supply decreases and the price reaches a balance. It's a nice feedback system that works well, It's called Capitalism and Free trade.
When Government interferes in the Free market that is socialism or Communism.
The Cheap visa indentured servants who lack the rights of Americans to change jobs, join unions, negotiate salaries, and who are baited with the Carrot of U.S. citizenship and the favorable exchange rate.
More Visas = greater supply of engineers= lower wages = less Americans entering field = lobbying for more cheap labor H1B's.....
Less visas = increased wages for engineers = Americans entering field = Less visas needed.
The companies who whine about the lack of engineers are the same ones who glorify free trade with country's that have lower standards of living, and few if any enforced labor or environmental laws.
Also does anyone know the proportion of male to female visas? I see very few women getting these, shouldn't it be around %50 or is the program deliberately sexist?
- by Ex-engineer on Dec 29, 2007 at 4:07 PM | link