Comments on: Rundown 4/14 http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/04/rundown-414-2/ National and international news analysis, film, theater, music and more, from WBUR and PRI Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:59:43 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Linda W. Garrison http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/04/rundown-414-2/comment-page-1/#comment-416 Linda W. Garrison Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:11:07 +0000 http://www.hereandnow.org/?p=2963#comment-416 I am American and have only lived in New York City for my 5 decades. Last year, we moved for my new husband's contract to a California suburb. In the euphoria of a new marriage juxtaposed against the isolation, homesickness and displacement - this immigrants story parallels my own emotional surprises. Granted - I was the envy of friends in my own country. I never expected isolation to be part of the experience which seems to be a big part of American life away from the vibrant stimulating city. Your guest focuses on the visas as the cause but do not overlook that this is a country built by immigrants, and sustained by the corporate Nomad that moves the family for the job. Historically, loneliness and depression accompany each move away from community. Your guest was fortunate to find a new skill that may help others. I am American and have only lived in New York City for my 5 decades. Last year, we moved for my new husband’s contract to a California suburb.

In the euphoria of a new marriage juxtaposed against the isolation, homesickness and displacement – this immigrants story parallels my own emotional surprises.
Granted – I was the envy of friends in my own country. I never expected isolation to be part of the experience which seems to be a big part of American life away from the vibrant stimulating city.

Your guest focuses on the visas as the cause but do not overlook that this is a country built by immigrants, and sustained by the corporate Nomad that moves the family for the job.
Historically, loneliness and depression accompany each move away from community. Your guest was fortunate to find a new skill that may help others.

]]> By: Laura Mullen http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/04/rundown-414-2/comment-page-1/#comment-401 Laura Mullen Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:32:33 +0000 http://www.hereandnow.org/?p=2963#comment-401 Hi, I just listened to today's show including the segment on H-1B visa holders. First, I think it would have been more of an honest discussion if your guest had admitted to being an immigration attorney. Her one-woman campaign to publicize this "terrible injustice" does not seem to look at several simple solutions. If there are cases of domestic violence, the persons responsible should be prosecuted, and their visas revoked. The solutions to all of the problems brought up by the immigration attorney are alreasy available from counseling, to divorce. It is hardly surprising that the immigration attorney's only solution is allowing H4 visa holders to tale more American jobs. There is no shortage of highly qualified Americans to work in the high-tech areas. American companies prefer H-1B employees because they pay them below market wages, and they can work them like slaves with the threat of having to leave the country if they lose their jobs. It seems like your guest is just attempting to make excuses for increasing the number of indian workers taking more American jobs. With the current economy, it seems like we should be suspending the H-1B visa program and putting Americans back to work, rather than feeling sorry for these women who need to accept responsibility for their own actions. Hi,
I just listened to today’s show including the segment on H-1B visa holders. First, I think it would have been more of an honest discussion if your guest had admitted to being an immigration attorney. Her one-woman campaign to publicize this “terrible injustice” does not seem to look at several simple solutions.
If there are cases of domestic violence, the persons responsible should be prosecuted, and their visas revoked. The solutions to all of the problems brought up by the immigration attorney are alreasy available from counseling, to divorce. It is hardly surprising that the immigration attorney’s only solution is allowing H4 visa holders to tale more American jobs.

There is no shortage of highly qualified Americans to work in the high-tech areas. American companies prefer H-1B employees because they pay them below market wages, and they can work them like slaves with the threat of having to leave the country if they lose their jobs.

It seems like your guest is just attempting to make excuses for increasing the number of indian workers taking more American jobs. With the current economy, it seems like we should be suspending the H-1B visa program and putting Americans back to work, rather than feeling sorry for these women who need to accept responsibility for their own actions.

]]> By: Francesco Ruggeri http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/04/rundown-414-2/comment-page-1/#comment-400 Francesco Ruggeri Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:43:04 +0000 http://www.hereandnow.org/?p=2963#comment-400 About today's show about H-4 visas, I think it is a mistake to frame it as a women's issue. I am an immigrant myself, and I have been through the whole H1-B, green card and citizenship process, so I am fully aware of the issues related to work based immigration to the US. The current process is obviously not family friendly, and it should be fixed. It is absurd that spouses of temporary workers should have such a hard time getting a work status. Having said that, I think the issue is not a gender issue with the process. If anything it is just a reflection of gender issues in the countries that provide H1-B workers. Why, for example, are there so many Indian wives ready to follow their husbands to the US on H-4 visas and so few Indian husbands ready to do the same? Why aren't more Indian women applying for H1-B visas themselves? Any gender issues with the process could easily be fixed, for example by allocating H1-B visas for each country equally among genders. But this could also be construed (rightly in my opinion) as an arbitrary limitation on economic opportunity for temporary workers from all countries. In other words, the whole H1-B/H-4 process should be fixed and really made family friendly, but it is wrong to view it as a women's issue. About today’s show about H-4 visas, I think it is a mistake to frame it as a women’s issue.
I am an immigrant myself, and I have been through the whole H1-B, green card and citizenship process, so I am fully aware of the issues related to work based immigration to the US. The current process is obviously not family friendly, and it should be fixed. It is absurd that spouses of temporary workers should have such a hard time getting a work status.
Having said that, I think the issue is not a gender issue with the process. If anything it is just a reflection of gender issues in the countries that provide H1-B workers. Why, for example, are there so many Indian wives ready to follow their husbands to the US on H-4 visas and so few Indian husbands ready to do the same? Why aren’t more Indian women applying for H1-B visas themselves?
Any gender issues with the process could easily be fixed, for example by allocating H1-B visas for each country equally among genders. But this could also be construed (rightly in my opinion) as an arbitrary limitation on economic opportunity for temporary workers from all countries.
In other words, the whole H1-B/H-4 process should be fixed and really made family friendly, but it is wrong to view it as a women’s issue.

]]> By: Claire http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/04/rundown-414-2/comment-page-1/#comment-399 Claire Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:18:24 +0000 http://www.hereandnow.org/?p=2963#comment-399 I'm listening to the program about H4 wives and everything she says is absolutely true. I'm a South African and know other women from other countries on H4 visas - the stress on my marriage and my self-esteem has been considerable and I know I am not the only one who feels this way. I’m listening to the program about H4 wives and everything she says is absolutely true. I’m a South African and know other women from other countries on H4 visas – the stress on my marriage and my self-esteem has been considerable and I know I am not the only one who feels this way.

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