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Bush Opinion on IT 1

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Kjonnnn

IS-IT--Management
Jul 14, 2000
1,145
US
President Bush Discusses Top Priorities for the U.S.
Press Conference of the President
10:33 A.M. EDT
Jeanne.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Staying with that theme, although there are some signs of improvement in the economy, there are sectors in the work force who feel like they're being left behind. They're concerned about jobs going overseas, that technology is taking over jobs. And these people are finding difficulty finding work. And although you're recommitted yourself to your tax cut policy, do you have any ideas or any plans within the administration of what you might do for these people who feel like there are fundamental changes happening in the work force and in the economy?

THE PRESIDENT: Sure. Listen, I fully understand what you're saying. In other words, as technology races through the economy, a lot of times worker skills don't keep up with technological change. And that's a significant issue that we've got to address in the country.
I think my idea of reemployment accounts makes a lot of sense. In essence, it says that you get $3,000 from the federal government to help you with training, day care, transportation, perhaps moving to another city. And if, within a period of time, you're able to find a job, you keep the balance as a reemployment bonus.
I know the community colleges provide a very important role in worker training, worker retraining. I look forward to working with our community colleges through the Department of Education, coordinate closely with states, particularly in those states in which technology is changing the nature of the job force.
I've always found the community college -- and this is from my days as the governor of Texas -- found the community college to be a very appropriate place for job training programs because they're more adaptable, their curriculums are easier to change, they're accessible. Community colleges are all over the place.
And -- but you're right. I mean, I think we need to make sure that people get the training necessary to keep up with the nature of the jobs, as jobs change.
 
"I think my idea of reemployment accounts makes a lot of sense. In essence, it says that you get $3,000 from the federal government to help you with training, day care, transportation, perhaps moving to another city. And if, within a period of time, you're able to find a job, you keep the balance as a reemployment bonus."

And if you *dont* find a job within that time? You're stuck without a job and in the hole for *another* 3000 bucks to the government? And just where does he plan on getting all this money from to pay for this program? Oh, that's right, just print more dough!

Robert
 
Just thought it was interesting.

The context of the question and answer was about so many IT jobs being outsourced to other countries. President Bush's response seems to say "well that wouldn't happened if our IT guys kept up on their skills" (my words).

I don't believe thats true.

Are any of you guys out of work because your skills arent up to snuff?
 
I, on the other hand, had a different interpretation, not so much concentrating on the IT jobs going overseeas, which I don't believe he addressed, but rather the jobs that were being replaced by technology, and people who were replaced because they didn't know how to use the technology, and the efforts to retrain those workers thusly affected.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
I agree, the interviewer asked an open question, and the president answered only the parts that had a relatively simple answer. I hope Cajun is right and he just didn't address the other issue, because if his answer was meant to encompass both portions of the question, well, then he really missed the point.

His response doesn't involve IT workers whatsoever, it involves workers who use basic technology. And all he's really doing is offering to throw more non-existant money at that particular problem anyway... not much different than extending unemployment.

Isn't it November 2004 yet?

-Rob

 
I think that was a typical politician avoiding and redirecting a question very unprepared to answer and or could not answer.


_____________________________________________________________________
[sub]You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets credit.
Harry S. Truman[/sub]
onpnt2.gif

 
He's a politician and they're trained to answer the question they wished they had been asked, and not the question they were actually asked. Which is vastly different that people in technology expect:

Q: George, what value does this function you wrote named "AddTempUser()" return when the user already exists?
A: I'm glad you asked that. My spending program for the Navy will result in increased readiness while ensuring that America is prepared for the next war. Speaking of the Navy, my social spending for the elderly will make sure that they all have free cableTV so they can watch Jeopardy and Wheel-of-Fortune before retiring for the night. Congress, however, has refused to pass this vital legislation, dooming our parents to living out of a shopping cart. And let me go on to say more about my agenda, while I'm appearing to give an answer to the question you asked.


And, given that he's a politician, why did you expect anything different?

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first
 
Chip, that was priceless.

In regards to the original post, GWB does not have an opinion on IT, and even if he did, it wouldn't matter. Does anyone really think a politician's "opinion" on IT can make a difference?

Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Exact Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports
 
The sad part is, what they say and think does matter. To create a software product you need people in four roles:

1. The person with the idea
2. The person with the money
3. The person to build the product
4. The person to sell the product

Government is often filling role #2, and sometimes role #1 as well (remember DARPA and the Internet?).

So, if someone has an idea, and is able to persuade Congress to cough up some money for it, they can have a big influence on the industry, rightly or wrongly. A bad idea results in a failed project, millions of dollars wasted, and a bad rep for IT.

The space shuttle is an example of a flawed idea that received more money than it should have.

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first
 
what did Bush answer the question or did he just change subject?

Gary Haran
********************************
 
It was a multi-part question, and he only answered part of the question.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
I don't think worker retraining is the answer to job loss offshore, but I agree this wasn't the part of the question Mr. Bush was trying to answer.

In my area, when loss of auto industry jobs was met with work retraining efforts in IT the result was simply a flood of low-skilled people into the local job market. Mind you, a chunk of these people went on and became solid IT workers, but this was tempered by aptitude, motivation, and other education.

I know many who signed on for the "training" through the local Community College for the free PCs the program offered though.

Still others were left with false expectations regarding their employability. In few cases were they offered anything close to an Associate's Degree program. Generally they were offered a few special classes amounting to little more than PC literacy, word processing basics, and a little Basic programming. Not all even took all of these classes.

So I doubt that tossing $3000 toward Community Colleges can do a lot of good. It still could be a help to those willing to put in more effort. The question is where would they get jobs in IT?

I think the original program here for auto workers was really meant to give these folks some basic IT skills so they could compete in getting non-IT jobs in the modern workplace. That wasn't how it was sold to (or perceived by) many that I know though.

The biggest benefit seemed to go to retirees (who were eligible due to their contracts' retirement terms). They were able to take these classes because they had their whole day free, no kids to care for, etc. And they loved their free computers.
 
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