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THE ISSUES

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VIEWER POLL

According to Forrester Research, the number of U.S. jobs outsourced to other countries is expected to grow from about 400,000 in 2004 to 3.3 million by 2015. If this estimate is accurate, then off-shoring could result in roughly 250,000 layoffs a year. To put this number in perspective, about 15 million Americans involuntarily lose their jobs each year.

Should the U.S. government restrict companies from outsourcing jobs to other countries?

No, the government should not restrict companies from outsourcing jobs.
Companies that outsource should pay higher taxes to fund the re-training of workers who lose their jobs as a result.
The government should offer tax incentives to companies that keep jobs in the U.S.
The government should create policies that prohibit or reduce off-shore outsourcing.

 

Polls are not scientific

RELATED LINKS

Maria Bartiromo

"...there's such an enormous gap between the rich and the poor, and everyone would be so much better off if we evened this out a bit."
Maria Bartiromo
Financial News Anchor

Read the interview

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

Although the U.S. is the most economically prosperous country in the world, that prosperity is far from evenly distributed. The gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Nearly 20%1 of total U.S. income is awarded to the top-earning 1% of Americans. At the same time, middle- and lower-income paychecks have stagnated2 despite increased national productivity.

The disappearance of industrial jobs3, the increase in specialized technological jobs, the rise in outsourcing and the decline in union membership all contribute to this growing trend in economic inequality. And despite the "American Dream"-mantra of being able to get ahead on merit alone, there is reportedly less economic mobility in the U.S. than in all other industrialized countries4.

The narrowing of economic opportunities disproportionately affects people of color. African Americans have historically reaped fewer of the benefits5 from the nation's strong economy. African Americans have also had higher unemployment rates6 than whites. Without more opportunities that allow for lower-income communities to compete in today's economic landscape, it's likely that class divisions will continue to grow, and the quality of life of millions of Americans will further deteriorate.

On the minds of many Americans:

1 Government training—should the government provide new technologies training in lower-income communities to make them more competitive in the job market?

2 Impact of the very wealthy—does the increasingly small and powerful group of very wealthy Americans pose a potential risk to democracy and the political process?

3 Stagnant paychecks for the poor and the middle class—should there be an increase in the minimum wage?

4 CEO compensation—should there be a cap on CEO paychecks? In a capitalist system, how can a successful pay limit be implemented?

5 Inequality—must racial inequality be eliminated in order to eliminate economic inequality?

What do you think?

 

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