Go-to Guy Gambit

By: Kathy Gerber
Published On: 5/2/2006 1:53:21 AM

Here is but a typical example of Harris Miller's dedicated Democratic activism at work.  In a nutshell, Miller and Republican Senator Spencer Abraham were working very closely together in drafting a job shortage report, conducting an all but bogus subcommittee meeting, then Miller contributed to Abraham.  This is how lobbying works.

So this material ties together:
1) A strongly disputed 1997 report on job shortages written by a staffer of Republican Senator Spencer Abraham and advocated by Harris Miller.

2) FAIR's 1998 allegations that based upon that very report, the immigration subcommittee headed by Spencer Abraham planned and pushed legislation in a hearing, while completely ignoring a wide array of independent experts who believe the computer industry was attempting to escape its social obligations to American workers. (FAIR's words there).

3) Miller's subsequent 1998 contributions to Senator Abraham (R-MI).

*4) Did we forget to mention that Miller just dropped $8,000 on the Virginia Dems in March 2006?

The Report
In the 1997 article, Engineers' organization rebuts shortage claims, the American Engineering Association had strong words for IT job shortage predictions on the part of ITAA.  They said that they were "lacking in accuracy," biased and based on "overextended extensions of questionable data."

Also


AEA identified the author of the report as Stuart Anderson, currently on the staff of Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich., and author of a Cato Institute study urging wider immigration visas.

The article is worth a read, even if it is your standard Miller bullshit. 

Pushing it Through the Subcommittee
This is in the FAIR piece which is appended.

Miller's Contribution
According to opensecrets, on 8/10/1998 Miller contributed $1,000 to Spencer Abraham.  The entry shows twice, but that could be a duplicate.  Maybe not.

Appendix

Computer Worker Shortage Hearings 'Totally Unbalanced,' Says FAIR;  Abraham Blamed

The Federation for American Immigration Reform today blasted tomorrow's Senate judiciary committee hearings on an alleged high-tech labor shortage as "totally unbalanced, biased and designed to fit predetermined conclusions." FAIR claims software manufacturers do not want to raise any wages or retrain Americans for what could be a great opportunity for the American workers.

Instead, FAIR claims, Congress -- led by subcommittee chair Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) -- is caving in to the immigration demands of high-tech firms that want to maintain a "sweat shop, college grad" working environment similar to the early days of the industry's culture. At issue, says FAIR, is whether programming and hi-tech engineering are going to be restored as viable lifelong careers for American workers. The hearing schedule includes the representatives of three computer and software manufacturers, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems and Texas Instruments, and their immigration lobbyist, Harris Miller. Only one association representing engineers (IEEE) was permitted to appear. FAIR and other organizations disputing these claims were not permitted to testify.

"This hearing is a glaring example of special interest politics at its worst," said Dan Stein, FAIR's executive director. "The purpose is to allow these firms to hold down wages and insure a rapid growth in its access to foreign workers," he said. "The hearing is unbalanced and irresponsible. There's not even a pretense of balance."

Evidence shows temporary foreign workers usually remain permanently and may eventually bring in many, many other relatives under the U.S. immigration law. Reliance on imported foreign labor eventually fuels higher and higher levels of overall immigration, and increases overall social costs.

The hearing, planned and pushed by immigration subcommittee chair Abraham, completely ignores a wide array of independent experts who believe the computer industry is attempting to escape its social obligations to American workers. "The use of imported, foreign labor to moderate wage growth is an historic outrage, a violation of the basic social contract between business and the American worker," Stein charged. "History demonstrates that once an industry gets access to foreign labor, they'll never let go," said Stein. "If these industries say tens of millions of American workers aren't good enough for tomorrow's programming jobs, we say prove it."

Comments



Informative! Here's a Quote (Alicia - 5/2/2006 10:23:27 AM)
"Sen. Abraham has been one of the strongest supporters of the high-tech community in the Senate over the last six years," said Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America. "His knowledge of government and difficult policy issues is extraordinarily high and that's why I think he'll be very successful as secretary of energy."
Specifically, Miller pointed to Abraham's consistent voting record against immigration curbs, especially in regards to expanding the number of visas available to highly skilled workers from overseas, a measure opposed by labor unions but championed by Silicon Valley.

and

"Many Americans do not have the background, education or skills to qualify for these [IT] assignments.

So employers are forced to bid up the price of critical human resources, not only paying inflated salaries but also using signing bonuses and other cash inducements, life-style accommodations such as telecommuting and child care credits, and a rich menu of insurance, vacation, tuition reimbursement and related perks.

In the absence of further legislative action in the next two years, the [H-1B] cap reverts to 65,000 in 2004. The effort that will be necessary to get the cap increased again will be enormous, especially if US unemployment increases from its current level of slightly over four per cent, which seems likely. The immigration opponents are out to get me, and many of you. 
Harris Miller in Bangolore March 15, 2001

Malarky!!



Great post, Kathy! (Ingrid - 5/2/2006 10:37:06 AM)
These are the same tactics that were used in the early 1980s in the agricultural business.  The agribusiness lobby was successful in convincing Congress that there was a farm labor shortage and that fruits and vegetables were rotting in the sun.  It was a big lie, of course, but Congress believed it, and approved the import of cheap Mexican labor which undermined American farm workers (including Latino-American farm workers).  American farmworkers lost their decent paying jobs to the guest workers who received slave wages, while all farmworkers were discouraged from joining the United Farmworkers Union or voting in their elections.  In addition, one young man, Rene Lopez, was shot to death at age 21, while fighting for the people's right to organize.  There is one Congressman from California, who fought the agribusiness lobby and who is still in office: Congressman Howard Berman (D-28).  He is a courageous, principled individual.  Guess who the agribusiness lobbyist was?


On contributions... (Info_Tech_Guy - 5/4/2006 7:36:37 AM)
I'm sure that more than merely contributing personally to Republican Senator Spencer Abraham, Miller served to direct ITAA pro-outsourcing company member money to Spencer's campaign.

This could be done through a variety of ways which do not have "ITAA" or "Microsoft" stamped all over disclosure documents. The CEO/exec and investor classes donate as individuals along with ALL their family members directly and indirectly through PACs.

Spencer Abraham, prior to election to the U.S. Senate was the longtime extreme Right Wing chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.