The Talented, the Educated, the Able, the Willing, and the Screwed

Author: Joe Rebel

The United States has long been the world's hot bed of technological advancement.  The cutting edge of the cutting edge of American technology has long been the realm of the American software engineer, developer, and programmer.  All of this is threatened by a government and industry that openly promote the destruction of this American niche.  Our government has actively and knowingly supported strategies, actions, policies, and laws that have pushed the American engineer out of the economic game and into the unemployment lines.

A political and economic culture that has always placed the non productive occupations of venture capital, marketing, speculation, sales, and short term profit over and above the production of quality products, worker dignity, and worker rights has short changed those who not only have the capacity to contribute to society, but who have actually already done so.  No change in the last twenty years has transformed our society more than the changes created by the software developer.  In exchange for this creative transformation of all aspects of society, foreign workers have been brought in, jobs have been exported, and American technical talent has been wasted.

Our reward for working twelve hour days, often six days per week, has been a constant race towards lower salaries, lower benefits, lower respect, and lower prospects.  Despite the fact that our individual intelligence, on the average, greatly exceeds that of the corporate leaders that exploit our labor and rob our dignity, we remain passive observers in a world running headlong into senseless war and self destruction.  Is it not time for us to use our talents and energy reordering the current regime?  Should we not stand up and fight for our right, and the rights of all workers, to self determination and freedom from wanton oppression?  Should we not withdraw our support from the fascist state that seeks to apply our creations to our enslavement?

The oppressive state of the 21^st Century relies on our technologies.  Only we can deny them access to technological progress.  Only we can devise the means to undermine their design of ubiquitous surveillance and control.  We owe them no loyalty for they have shown no loyalty to us!  Let us join together and withdraw our support from the American software industry.  Let us commit to bringing down this oppressive order, for only when it has been brought down can we hope to construct a new and better order where we are rewarded fairly for our creations.  Let us not contribute to the suffering of our fellow man!  Technology is our gift to humanity.  Let our good intentions not be used towards evil ends!

Links Documenting Programmer Abuse

Note to recent graduates: today's recent graduate will be tomorrow's "overqualified" worker...

	High-tech H-1B Visa Age Discrimination Against American Workers
	Older engineers claim discrimination runs rampant in the high-tech world
	Try harder to hire U.S. tech workers
	Foreign workers face new opposition in tech slump
	Importing Foreign High Tech Workers: H-1B - Pay'em less, and the heck with older U.S. workers!
	The Payoffs of Stepping Sideways
	H1-B Visas -- A Time To Cut Back
	More IT workers say age discrimination is increasing factor in denial of jobs
	Permit for exploitation?

Note, we do not blame foreign programmers for coming to the US for work.  We understand why individuals from other countries seeking work would come to the United States.  Our complaint is with the corporate ruling class and the Government which exploits the depressed wages of foreign workers in order to increase the level of exploitation within the United States.