Who's The Boss?
The fight over H-1B visas shows who's in charge
Which side will Donald Trump choose? His cult which will still support him even if he shot someone on 5th Avenue, or the troll who spent $277 million to get him elected?
If you selected his cult, you underestimated just how disloyal Donald Trump is. Trump demands loyalty while giving none.
Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon are great examples of the MAGA cult. They’re hateful and racist cult members and they’re against all immigration, not just what they consider illegal immigration. They very much oppose H-1B visas.
An H-1B visa allows foreign SKILLED workers to stay in the nation for three years and can be extended to six. These are the immigrants who take American jobs unless there are not enough people in this nation to work those jobs. Your typical MAGAt opposes these and Elon Musk wants them.
The H-2B visa is for unskilled workers like gardeners and housekeepers. The H-2A visa is for agricultural workers. Both of these visas allow a worker to remain in the country for 10 months.
Donald Trump was silent and stayed out of the fight between Elon and the cult. Elon was his typical Elon self in this war and he turned into more than just a simple disagreement. He posted to the cult, “Go fuck yourself in the face.” Nice. I expect more comments like that when Republicans speak out against spending cuts he and Vivek Ramaswamy’s DOGE Committee propose.
Elon got so feisty over this that Laura Loomer’s “verified” status on X/Twitter was removed, which will cost her money. Steve Bannon called Musk a “toddler.”
Trump has now come out on the side of Elon, telling The New York Times, “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
Of course, Trump chose Elon and his billions over his supporters. Donald Trump is a coward. He’s also a liar. Trump has rarely used the H-1B program to hire foreign workers. Instead, he’s used the H-2B and the H-2A quite frequently, even during his first term (sic). He’s still using those programs to hire unskilled workers.
The Times discovered that federal data show that Trump’s companies have received approval to employ over 1,000 workers through the two H-2 programs in the past 20 years. Currently, Trump’s whinery, I’m sorry…winery in Charlottesville, VA is seeking 31 unskilled workers under the H-2A program, offering them $15.81 per hour. Are these the jobs American workers don’t want?
Trump is praising the H-1B program today because Elon wants it, but in 2016, he said the program was “very bad for workers” and “we should end it.” How does one change Trump’s mind on issues that he takes strong stands on? You pour $277 million into his presidential campaign. You could get Trump to say anything you want if you dump enough cash into his pockets. Look at all the dumb shit he says for free.
While the cultists want to close our borders to everybody, Elon wants to open them up to foreign workers. Silicon Valley also wants it expanded beyond the 65,000 H-1B visas allowed each year. The cultists have charged back with racist comments as many of the hires are from India, as is Trump’s advisor on artificial intelligence (AI), Indian-American venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan.
Elon has accused the opponents of the H-1B program of being racists, and then he “liked” a MAGAt’s post on X/Twitter calling Krishnan “butter chicken.” And while Trump supporters are racist, it’s especially weird being called one by a racist like Elon. If Elon doesn’t like racist, then why did he allow previously banned Nazis back on X/Twitter?
Donald Trump’s not even in office yet (sic), but at least we know who’s in charge…and who’s not.
It’s almost 6 P.M. and I haven’t eaten yet today, but now I’m in the mood for butter chicken.
Drawn in 30 seconds:
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From a true president Joe Biden about another true president: "Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian. Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe. He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism. We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism. We will miss them both dearly, but take solace knowing they are reunited once again and will remain forever in our hearts. To the entire Carter family, we send our gratitude for sharing them with America and the world. To their staff – from the earliest days to the final ones – we have no doubt that you will continue to do the good works that carry on their legacy. And to all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility. He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong. To honor a great American, I will be ordering an official state funeral to be held in Washington D.C. for James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States, 76th Governor of Georgia, Lieutenant of the United States Navy, graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and favorite son of Plains, Georgia, who gave his full life in service to God and country."
The reality is that most H1-B's go through several Indian companies, and the hires are mostly for lower level jobs, because they are cheaper through those contractors. IOW, they are displacing the entry level jobs you have to get to get into the computer science workforce. The rest are just Amazon and Google smacking down US born workers. When you lay off three times as many US computer workers than you hire with H1-B's, something is really rotten out there.
https://www.epi.org/blog/tech-and-outsourcing-companies-continue-to-exploit-the-h-1b-visa-program-at-a-time-of-mass-layoffs-the-top-30-h-1b-employers-hired-34000-new-h-1b-workers-in-2022-and-laid-off-at-least-85000-workers/
The entire and total intent of the program is to keep US wages low, and pump more money into CEO pockets. There is no other purpose.
I quietly told a great many people with MAGA inclinations that trusting a billionaire to do ANYTHING for them was ridiculous. Guess they're finding out the hard way.