Yes, it's heartbreaking, but just as the prices of ballpoint pens, calculators and pcs decreased as the items became more common and easily created, the price of labor decreases as laborers become more common and easily located.

It's supply and demand. You can't change it by denial or by regulation. Do you want to build a Berlin Wall to keep American enterprise imprisoned here? Will you advocate machine-gunning them in the back as they desperately try to escape to freer countries with less spoiled workers?

Of course not. Then don't be tempted by the protectionist path which has that as its logical end. Give regulators an inch, they take a mile.

1)  When American jobs and manufacturing go overseas, it's because we"re finished with it and are moving on to something new that the rest of the world will also play catchup with - someday. Maybe some of you will hitch your wagon to that new thing. Or invent it.

2)  Given the unthinkably low quality of Indian customer service and - last I knew - of I/T personnel, don't be surprised if there's a backlash, and competent Westerners get rehired in what I'll call an "Indian Summer". We might not yet BE finished with I/T engineering....

- Vara
- www.facebook.com/vara.lafey