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>After reading what you and Jim have written, I am amazed there are still companies left in America! I woke up this morning thinking I would see our highways filled with Mexican moving trucks moving all our manufacturing machines south of the border.
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>On a further note, since you, Jim, and I are all in the computer field, how many jobs have we cut by producing software that does the work people use to do?

Steve;

In California things are a bit different at this time at least. When you look outside you may see many illegal aliens working wherever you go. When the playing field reverses itself (should that happen) then Californian’s will be migrating to Mexico to work.

Right now the INS has fun keeping itself occupied with illegal’s and plays the game as it wishes, as it has always done.

One thing the United States is good at is “changing the playing rules”. If something becomes outmoded we find a new way to occupy our time, market, sell, stay in business and somehow remain employed. An example of this in my area is electronic manufacturing, which was very popular in Silicon Valley from 1970 until 1990. Then companies moved to Austin, Texas and other places and along with the recession we had 60,000 electronic engineers unemployed at one time. During the period from about 1990 to 1993 we had a 10% unemployment rate in our area. Not bad if you compare that to the 26% unemployment of California’s Central Valley, where 25% of our nations produce is grown and harvested.

Along came Clinton and during his two terms in office and something like 76 trips to Silicon Valley, software became very important. Training was provided to cross train people affected by layoffs and get them into the software industry. I was one who benefited from such training and this is how I learned C. We have not seen any support or visits from our current president to the Silicon Valley. By the way 25% of our nations exports come from our Valley in the form of hardware (IC’s. etc.) and software for the greatest part.

It is all such fun. Just keep a smile on your face and that is what I try to do. At least I have control over that aspect of my life! :)

Tom