Jim Hightower

Have corporate chieftains become deaf, blind, and stupid – or are they just stupid?

Check out IBM, the computer giant that once prided itself on treating its employees right. These days though, workers for Big Blue, as it is called, are being pounded black-and-blue by IBM's relentless policy of downsizing and offshoring its American workforce. Less that 30 percent of the corporation's employees now live and work in our country, and IBM continues to move more American jobs to low-wage nations.

Presently, the corporation is chopping some 5,000 more jobs in New York State – apparently sending the work abroad. IBM seems blind to the injury this causes in its own community. But injury turned to insult when the community learned that the company took $45 million from state taxpayers just last summer in exchange for a promise to keep jobs in New York. This double cross caused an uproar, but the company's top executives are tone deaf to public sentiment. In March, they heaped more insult on the American people – at the same time they were lobbying to get a chunk of federal stimulus money from us taxpayers, they submitted a patent application on a new computer system designed to help corporations send more American jobs overseas.

Could they possibly get any more stupid? Yes! IBM is now offering new job opportunities for workers being displaced. The only catch is they have to move to China, Slovakia, India or wherever their old job was sent. What a deal – you can keep your offshored job, but you have to offshore yourself! Oh – and you also have to work for the low, low, low local wage rate.

Why should our tax dollars finance such stupidity? Rep. John Hall and others are sponsoring HR 1874, the Patriot Corporations of America Act, to support companies that do not abandon our country and our communities. For information, call Hall's office: 202-225-5441.