Can You Hear the Giant Sucking Sound?

The U.S. call center industry has lost 500,000 jobs over the last six years thanks to corporations like Bank of America, Well Fargo, and T-Mobile outsourcing Americans jobs to foreign countries where they can exploit low-wage workers.

But on Tuesday, Republicans in the House had a chance to put an end to this giant sucking sound by passing the U.S. Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act, which would cut off federal loans and grants to corporations that outsource American call center jobs. Unfortunately for Americans workers, the bill failed as House Republicans lined up against it – voting it down, while most Democrats supported the bill.

The big four Wall Street banks have all moved their call centers to the Philippines in the last few years, laying off hundreds of thousands of American workers who bailed out the banks to the tune of a couple hundred billion dollars back in 2008.

Time to call your Member of Congress – especially if they’re a Republican – and ask why they support stimulating the Filipino economy over the American economy.

Comments

Darrol's picture
Darrol 10 years 41 weeks ago
#1

How Can Republicans Be 'For' Giving Fed Loans & Grants For Corporations To Merrily Outsource American Call Center Jobs? They Are Just Filibustering And Voting Against Every Bill To Vote Against Obama's Administration, Whether It's For The Good Of America & The American Workers Or Not. It's Tantamount To Treason.

JohnLemessurier's picture
JohnLemessurier 10 years 41 weeks ago
#2

PLEASE readers... do not be fooled!!!

While "most Democrats supported the bill," as THom says, they really do not support it. They knew that their vote would not change anything so they voted against it in order to uphold the myth that they are opposed to the Republican agenda. Republican or Democrat, they do not care about "We the People." They are both bought and paid for by the corporations. WAKE UP AMERICA, WE ARE BEING HAD!!!

THom says that it is "Time to call your Member of Congress – especially if they’re a Republican – and ask why they support stimulating the Filipino economy over the American economy." Call if you want to but, it will really not make any difference, It is all a sham, and THom is a part of it.

WAKE UP AMERICA, WE ARE BEING HAD!!!
WAKE UP AMERICA, WE ARE BEING HAD!!!
WAKE UP AMERICA, WE ARE BEING HAD!!!

leighmf's picture
leighmf 10 years 41 weeks ago
#3

Suck, suck, sluurrp! My Member of Congress is the former dental hygienist for the orthodontist who wrecked my mouth forty years ago. What a laugh they must be having on all the dads in my high school who thought they were paying the best guy in town to give their kids perfect dentition.

I hardly think she wants to see or hear from me now, and if she does it will be from the other end of a panoramic x-ray.

dowdotica's picture
dowdotica 10 years 41 weeks ago
#4

yikes to mike! flat wages as corp profits go through the roof? millions unemployed? incivility rampant in our political, uh, discourse? I never in a million years would have thought it, but then again maybe i did. it hit me the other night. the old gaurd? Were the WI, WII and dpression generation wrought from dust to build the American industrial revolution and a country built on unity, honor and respect. Sure, there were quirks and quagmires and a lot of other jive mixed in for good measure, but.... The new gaurd? The offspring of the old, scarce few that out of dust have come let alone gone and spent any time in a blood soaked war. They are the children of greed as they use to see mom and dad work and toil for a stipend. they the children of greed that might told to the self, "i'll never be like that". So, at any cost they the children of greed have now forgotten what mom and dad said. they, children of greed now rape and pilage our once great nation as the layers of golden eggs have little and get taken away from even more. But what are we egg layers to do? Boy what i would give to have a $9 hour part time call center job to sup my income with as i go in hock for a kids 100k education. A rebumlican might ask, "why are you paying for it? Make the kid pay for it.'' as they disclose to me how they cheated in respect to financial manipulation of life style records so thier own kid could get free money....hypocrisy killed AMerica. think about it

tim-mccoy's picture
tim-mccoy 10 years 41 weeks ago
#5

Can we have a discussion on "the Loyal Opposition"?

Can we characterize Republican behavior as disloyal by contrast with expected typical behavior of "the Loyal Opposition"?

Lastly - we need to revive the word "fasicsm" before we are living in it. It is powerful...and they are beating us up by calling an Eisenhower Republican - the most dangerous Socialist in history.

Namaste

2950-10K's picture
2950-10K 10 years 41 weeks ago
#6

I'll certainly call my unrepresentative member of congress, he already gets crap loads of emails from me........the damn teabagger that he is!

In addition to the blog question, I'm going to mention how I plan to run exposure ads in our local circulars regarding his yes votes on the Ryan budget plan. I'll ask his office for a donation to help pay for the ads, after all I'm sure he must be proud of his actions, and desires to inform his constituents of this, "fiscally responsible plan."

The RYAN PLAN is the REPUBLICAN ACHILLES HEAL without a doubt....we need to get the word out to all the foxmerized citizens before November.

Wouldn't you think given the high unemployment rate Thom's blog would be headline news? Imagine if it had it been the Democrats voting this down. It reminds me of what Turtleman and the Senate Republicans did a while back....they made damn sure guys like Romney continued to get tax breaks to ship jobs out of the country. Of course Democrats wanted to end this insanity, and of course our corp. mass media could see no need to report on any of it......because it's owned or supported by the same scoundrels that own the Tea-publican party.

The Republican congress has the gaul to vote like this because they fully realize "Joe the Average Citizen," will never hear about it.....only ROVE commercials a few days before the election.

megalomaniac's picture
megalomaniac 10 years 40 weeks ago
#7

Just this past year I have been listening to Thom Hartmann. When Mr. Hartmann said in one of his radio broadcasts, and be sure this is not an exact quote, my thoughts have drifted since, but Mr. Hartmann said something to the tune that many members of the Supreme Court should be relieved or impeached, or from my view indicted for reasonable cause as failed to support the Constitution rather than to pander to their political party. For me it was a "WTF moment", totally agree, at least half of the Supreme Court should be relieved especially after the 2000 election decision, that delivered George Wahhabi Bush to president. Motivated by politics and not by law, and now with this money and free speech being the same? More over America is starting to struggle with the ideal 911 was recognized as a plan with the door held open. A huge opportunity for profiteering by both political parties that manifest all kinds of cultural distortions likely encouraged by Wahhabi money via bribes and swindling. The Arab family closely tied to the Bush family succeeded to create havoc right in our own back yard, yes a vary tied relation expanding family wealth for Cheney and Bush over decades. Coupled with the torture as in water boarding falls in the same category as Chinese water torture invented in the 13th century by an Italian according to wiki if that's true its a shame and a guilt the only way to resolve is by pardon or conviction for Cheney and Bush. American Journalism is bought off and as corrupt as hell by not digging in that simple fact and to the finances involved in this banking scam stuff that have opened the American century. As long as Americans of intellect money in high positions continue to refuse to recognize this paradigm shift as wrong and that it is connected to a deep seated plan to destroy America with oil by Persian Arab money paid through swindling, bribing, predator banking, toxic assets, dysfunctional stock market, secret derivative trading, bankruptcy as a natural resolution, and our Republican party Fox news completely absorbed in century old hate ranting by Babylon Balder dashing, America is stuck in a down ward spiral. I am a veteran of Vietnam and see the repeat of corruption and it is worse in these two wars , Iraq, and Afghanistan are nothing but political profiteering. Bush, at ground zero, Bush in his Bully pulpit, Bull horn bugle boy playing, trumpeting reveille, telling America we will smoke em out will get them. It is so obvious the Arabs frightened fled the American continent via Florida, and records scrubbed. If anything all training and all military aid to Arabs should stop immediately. It really is ass backwards where nineteen men in the 911 hyjack where Arabs, America should have invaded Arabia. So those in the know likely suggest that perhaps invading Arabia would have driven America and the world into a Depression. Well, according to Paul Krugman, that is where America is at now. Not a recession it is a Depression. With out oil. But the Keystone Pipeline geared to export oil. Sheesh, what a mess. And it is not Obama's fault and Obama did not make it worse. Americans should know or be refreshed that our auto industry is the backbone of our military, GM Ford and Chrysler motors drive the military. The Republicans know very well it was stupid to even consider a bankruptcy for the auto industry, God the world is really screwed up and they say it is Obama's fault, no way, They the Republicans brought us here via the mainstream media.

megalomaniac's picture
megalomaniac 10 years 40 weeks ago
#8

Just this past year I have been listening to Thom Hartmann. When Mr. Hartmann said in one of his radio broadcasts, and be sure this is not an exact quote, my thoughts have drifted since, but Mr. Hartmann said something to the tune that many members of the Supreme Court should be relieved or impeached, or from my view indicted for reasonable cause as failed to support the Constitution rather than to pander to their political party. For me it was a "WTF moment", totally agree, at least half of the Supreme Court should be relieved especially after the 2000 election decision, that delivered George Wahhabi Bush to president. Motivated by politics and not by law, and now with this money and free speech being the same? More over America is starting to struggle with the ideal 911 was recognized as a plan with the door held open. A huge opportunity for profiteering by both political parties that manifest all kinds of cultural distortions likely encouraged by Wahhabi money via bribes and swindling. The Arab family closely tied to the Bush family succeeded to create havoc right in our own back yard, yes a vary tied relation expanding family wealth for Cheney and Bush over decades. Coupled with the torture as in water boarding falls in the same category as Chinese water torture invented in the 13th century by an Italian according to wiki if that's true its a shame and a guilt the only way to resolve is by pardon or conviction for Cheney and Bush. American Journalism is bought off and as corrupt as hell by not digging in that simple fact and to the finances involved in this banking scam stuff that have opened the American century. As long as Americans of intellect money in high positions continue to refuse to recognize this paradigm shift as wrong and that it is connected to a deep seated plan to destroy America with oil by Persian Arab money paid through swindling, bribing, predator banking, toxic assets, dysfunctional stock market, secret derivative trading, bankruptcy as a natural resolution, and our Republican party Fox news completely absorbed in century old hate ranting by Babylon Balder dashing, America is stuck in a down ward spiral. I am a veteran of Vietnam and see the repeat of corruption and it is worse in these two wars , Iraq, and Afghanistan are nothing but political profiteering. Bush, at ground zero, Bush in his Bully pulpit, Bull horn bugle boy playing, trumpeting reveille, telling America we will smoke em out will get them. It is so obvious the Arabs frightened fled the American continent via Florida, and records scrubbed. If anything all training and all military aid to Arabs should stop immediately. It really is ass backwards where nineteen men in the 911 hyjack where Arabs, America should have invaded Arabia. So those in the know likely suggest that perhaps invading Arabia would have driven America and the world into a Depression. Well, according to Paul Krugman, that is where America is at now. Not a recession it is a Depression. With out oil. But the Keystone Pipeline geared to export oil. Sheesh, what a mess. And it is not Obama's fault and Obama did not make it worse. Americans should know or be refreshed that our auto industry is the backbone of our military, GM Ford and Chrysler motors drive the military. The Republicans know very well it was stupid to even consider a bankruptcy, God the world is really screwed up and they say it is Obama's fault, no way, They the Republicans brought us here via the mainstream media.

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 10 years 40 weeks ago
#9

Maybe America should have invaded Washington DC ... since 911 was really a Neocon creation (ie: an inside job). We could have called it "Operation Red Dawn" where the average citizen ousts the infiltrators (the cabal of wealthy connivers who needed a "new Pearl Harbor" in order to scare us out of our freedoms) who are committing criminal acts of treason against us.

I know a lot of xenophobes love to pin this all on Muslim Arabs, one way or another, if it isn't Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Iran, it has to be Saudi Arabia. And, I agree that this last one, and Pakistan (the ISI), have a lot more participation (at the direction of the US insiders that planned it all) in 911 than any of those previously mentioned countries.

And it is not the "countries", or the "people" of those countries, that should have to take the blame and suffer the consequences, for what their wealthy and powerful leaders and supporters have done. Instead of invading some country, and murdering hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, who had nothing to do with any of it, we should be arresting and imprisoning the real culprits, in positions of power in our own country, who were behind the atrocities.

Of course, if we still put our faith in a crooked system composed of an economic elite that uses both the Republican and Democrat icons as the smoke-and-mirrors distraction then we will continue down the same road to total ruin and subjugation as much of the rest of the world that has also used this (faux) democracy ploy. But many of these countries have rebelled against the ruling elite in ways that worked more effectively than believing in Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and "democracy" from an entrenched and corrupt two-party system. The only real change, around the world, has been when the people got violently obsessed with throwing the lying bums out and putting people into those official positions that have been a great bane to the ruling elite class who previously exploited the masses.

I agree with JohnLemessurier in the belief that the majority of the Democrats who voted for the bill knew full well that the bill would not pass...which is largely the reason why they voted for it. They are putting on a show for their "flocks" while the ruling elite keep their puppet politicians fully at the ends of their strings. The whole process is rigged to favor those who owns Congress...with the exception, of course, of a few. It is a great show put on to make the world, and the US citizens, believe that they actually have a say in how we are governed and so that they don't do as they have done in other countries...rise up and strike back at the wealthy ruling classes. Too bad we have to wait until we are so weakened by our enemies, and things get so bad, that we would be less effective at correcting the system. Stop believing in fairy tales (like voting for Democrats will change things) and move, en masse, against the crooked two-party system...throw the bums out..Republican and Democrat. Think of it this way...if you reelect Obama...you will get more of the same ineffective government we had last four years. If Romney wins...so much the better for total revolution...on the Republicans watch. We could paint ourselves up as Indians and blame it on them. Romney should appreciate that! We wouldn't want the revolution to happen on Obama's watch would we...well...why not.

Most of these politicians, Republicans or Democrats, are part of the ruling elite...at least at heart...and they have wheedled their way into being able to enrich themselves monetarily by working the system that both favors their wealthy puppet-masters and themselves but are screwing most Americans.

If their monetary interests are more in align with Wall Street Banksters, how can they legislate the rest of us fairly?

Yes, I know they finally signed into law a bill that would regulate or prevent members of Congress from profiting from "insider information" or legislating on behalf of companies where they have "invested" interests. But as with our tax code, there are always loop-holes they engineer into it to make sure that the elite can slip through.

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