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<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1934 -- 11/04/2008 >>>>>

Barack Obama has a growing fan base in India. They are very excited that
Obama promised to make India his "top priority". One of the groups of
admirers calls themselves the "Barack Obama Bangalore Fan Club". They are a
small group of activists who raised money for Obama's campaign, made phone
calls, and sent emails to people in the U.S. urging them to vote for Obama.
They even staged rallies in Bangalore to show their support.

So why the enthusiasm for Obama?

One of the reasons they adore Obama so much is that he wants to raise the
H-1B cap. In a recent interview with the Indo-Asian News Service Obama made
two things very clear -- he wants to give amnesty to illegal aliens and he
feels that we need to import more foreign workers.

I will also increase the number of people we allow in the
country legally to a level that unites families and meets
the demand for jobs employers cannot fill.

That quote might sound like something Bush has said many times, but
according to that news service it was straight out of the mouth of Barack
Obama!

Bush, McCain, and Congress tried and failed to pass a Comprehensive
Immigration Reform bill to give amnesty to illegal aliens and to hand out
more H-1B visas. The failure of that bill, and the political cost that came
with it doesn't seem to deter Obama who seems ready to push for something
similar:

I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes
improving our visa programmes, including the H-1B programme,
to attract some of the world's most talented people to
America.

The Bangalore Fan Club is not alone among Indians that are hoping Obama
wins the election. In the town of Tirupur in Tamil Nadu the knitwear union
workers chant "Om Obama". Just FYI: "Om" is a Hindu word for veneration.

Still another group in India planned to present a statue of the revered
Indian monkey God to Barack Obama. I wasn't able to find out if Obama ever
accepted the monkey God.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14783168
India will be my 'top priority', says Obama

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Camp...
Campaign outsourcing: Bangalore techies root for Obama

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Enti...
Entire town in south India praying for Obama win

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7468662.stm
India monkey god idol for Obama

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14783168

US Presidential Election 2008 IANS

India will be my 'top priority', says Obama

Thursday, 23 October , 2008, 12:55

Chicago: A stronger relationship with India and a close strategic
partnership will be a "top priority" of a Barack Obama administration, says
the Democratic presidential candidate.

"The US should be working with India on a range of critical issues from
preventing terrorism to promoting peace and stability in Asia," Senator
Obama said in an exclusive interview with IANS, the first with a South
Asian journalist after his nomination for the presidency by the Democratic
party.

Obama leads McCain 50-44 percent

"Joe Biden and I will make building a stronger relationship, including a
close strategic partnership, with India a top priority."

On his agenda for working with New Delhi, he said: "I also believe India is
a natural strategic partner for America in the 21st century and that the US
should be working with India on a range of critical issues from preventing
terrorism to promoting peace and stability in Asia."

In the interview, Obama elaborated on a wide range of issues, from
comprehensive immigration reforms and making globalisation and trade work
for American workers, to seeking the active participation of the
Indian-American community in the process of change that he has advocated.

He said he would support "comprehensive immigration reform", including the
H-1B visa programme "to attract some of the world most talented people to
America".

Obama explained that he wanted to end abuses of the H1-B visas that is used
by highly qualified specialists to work in US. He added that he would make
"immigrant workers less dependent on their employers for their right to
stay in the country, and would hold accountable employers who abuse the
system and their workers".

The Obama administration, he said, would seek to strengthen ties with the
"vibrant" Indian American community and encourage their "active
engagement... in making the change we seek".

He asserted the Democratic nomination was running on the manifesto of
"inclusiveness, optimism and hope" that would translate into a "progressive
presidency".

On the contentious election topics of outsourcing and globalisation, he
said: "We know that we cannot and should not put up walls around our
economy."

US Presidential Election 2008

Acknowledging that global competition "is a fact that cannot be reversed",
Obama said, "But we must find a way to make globalisation and trade work
for American workers."

Obama has deep roots in Chicago, having started his career as a community
organiser in the city. From his days as an Illinois senator, he has had
strong links with the city's growing Indian American community. He has
worked regularly on issues ranging from reforms in immigration and campaign
finance, to health care and education, with Illinois' premier Indian
political networking group, the Indo-American Democratic Organization.

Excerpts from the interview:

Immigrants have, over the years, made a critical contribution to the US.
But now the US stands to lose its leadership in the sciences, in part
because of restrictive immigration policies. Do you plan to reform
immigration laws so that the US is once again a magnet for talent from
around the world?

Obama: I have played a leading role in crafting comprehensive immigration
reform and believe that our broken immigration system can only be fixed by
putting politics aside and offering a solution that strengthens our
security while reaffirming our heritage as a nation of immigrants. I
believe we must secure our borders, fix our broken immigration bureaucracy,
and require the 12 million undocumented to get on a responsible path to
citizenship. They must pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the
line for citizenship. I will also increase the number of people we allow in
the country legally to a level that unites families and meets the demand
for jobs employers cannot fill.

Many economists have asserted that in an increasingly globalised world, it
is counter productive to restrict the flow of capital, labour and
increasingly jobs. Do you plan to restrict outsourcing, or would you prefer
that American companies respond to this threat by moving up the value chain
instead?

Obama: Revolutions in communications and technology have sent jobs wherever
there's an internet connection, and have forced workers in Chicago and
Boston to compete for those jobs with workers in Bangalore and Beijing. We
live in a more competitive world, and that is a fact that cannot be
reversed. We know that we cannot and should not put up walls around our
economy. But we must find a way to make globalisation and trade work for
American workers.

Internet plays key role in US polls

The American worker needs to be supported and given the tools needed to
compete in the global economy. So I would pursue common-sense measures such
as offering tax incentives to companies that create jobs in the US,
undertaking policies, such as supporting growth sectors like renewable
energy and building up our infrastructure, that will lead to creation of
well-paying jobs, and, most importantly, investing in education and job
re-training programmes. The US has faced fundamental economic challenges
before and it has met them by expanding opportunity outward, growing our
middle class, and investing in the education and well-being of our workers.

Are you worried about the fragile polity in Pakistan coupled with the
looming presence of terror networks? Would you continue to consider
Pakistan as a trusted ally?

Obama: I want to build a broad-based and lasting relationship with the
people of Pakistan - not just temporary alliances with their government.
While the US and Pakistan must continue to work together to combat
terrorism that has claimed innocent lives in both countries and to destroy
the terrorist sanctuaries along the Afghan-Pakistani border, I will make
helping Pakistan tackle critical challenges like illiteracy, poverty, and
lack of health care a key priority, including by increasing aid in these
areas. I will stand up for democratic institutions, civil society and
judicial independence in Pakistan. I cosponsored legislation with Senator
Lugar to triple non-military assistance to Pakistan and sustain it for the
next decade.

What are your views on the demand made by several US companies, including
Microsoft, that the US needs to increase the number of work visas (H1B) to
protect its technological leadership?

Obama: I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes improving
our visa programmes, including the H-1B programme, to attract some of the
world's most talented people to America. I would like to see immigrant
workers less dependent on their employers for their right to stay in the
country, and would hold accountable employers who abuse the system and
their workers.

>From an outsider's perspective, questions such as whether America is "ready
for a black President" sounds almost medieval. Why do you think a democracy
that is 232 years old is still grappling with such issues?

Obama: Just 50 years ago, nine brave African American schoolchildren sought
to realise the promise of Brown v. Board of Education by walking past an
angry mob and into the doors of Central High School in Little Rock ,
Arkansas. The event marked a great moment in America's long march toward
equality and freedom. The federal government put itself firmly on the side
of justice and equal opportunity for all. And this was only the beginning.
That same month, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was signed into law, and the
Department of Justice Civil Rights Division was created shortly thereafter.
In the years that followed, another Civil Rights Act and a Voting Rights
Act were passed. These laws, and the institutional practices they created,
helped transform our nation into one that is more just, more equal, and
more free.

Obama will be an exceptional president: Powell

While we have made significant progress over the last five decades, there
is no question that we have more work to do. Joe Biden and I will build
upon our nation's commitment to equal justice and opportunity for all. We
will restore professionalism to the Civil Rights Division and reinvigorate
federal civil rights enforcement and reform our criminal justice system so
that it works for all, regardless of race, wealth, or other circumstances.
We are running on inclusiveness, optimism and hope, and that will translate
into a progressive presidency on issues of diversity and inclusion.

You have voted for the Indo-US nuclear deal. Would you consider India a
strategic partner with the US in its efforts to promote stability in the
Asian region?

Obama: I am an advocate of strengthening US relations with India, the
world's largest democracy and a growing economic power. I voted for the
India civilian nuclear cooperation deal in 2006 and have since worked to
ensure that the agreement is implemented properly so that Indians benefit
from expanded energy sources and that nuclear proliferation concerns are
addressed. I also believe that India is a natural strategic partner for
America in the 21st century and that the US should be working with India on
a range of critical issues from preventing terrorism to promoting peace and
stability in Asia. Joe Biden and I will make building a stronger
relationship, including a close strategic partnership, with India a top
priority.

Indian Americans, like many others, look upon you as an agent of change.
What would you like to say to them?

Obama: As a community organiser, civil rights lawyer, and elected official,
I have spent my career working on issues of importance to Indian Americans.
I am proud to have worked side-by-side with Indian Americans on a variety
of issues, including immigration, civil rights, foreign policy, and
education, and Joe Biden and I look forward to strengthening our
relationships with Indian Americans during my administration. We will reach
out to encourage the active engagement of the vibrant Indian American
community in making the change we seek.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Camp...

Campaign outsourcing: Bangalore techies root for Obama
3 Nov, 2008, 1740 hrs IST, IANS

BANGALORE: Democrat Barack Obama may not be enthusiastic about outsourcing
work to India's Silicon Valley but that has not deterred a group of techies
here from drumming up support for him in Tuesday's US elections.

The Barack Obama Bangalore Fan Club has not only been calling up, SMSing
and emailing friends and relatives in the US to vote for him, it has also
raised Rs 200,000 (about $4,100) from fellow Bangaloreans as contribution
to his election fund!

Since August the Club has taken out 15 rallies, mostly on Saturdays and
Sundays, carrying placards and distributing pamphlets to curious passers-by
on why the US as well as India need Obama in the White House.

"Our road rallies were a huge hit among the public. Along with carrying
placards and distributing pamphlets, our members also gave brief speeches
to the audience who were eager to know more about Obama and his policies
and how his win will benefit India," said Club president Balaji S. Venkat.

"In our rallies we did not ask for funds from public. But money poured in
from several quarters voluntarily. Some have donated a few hundred
(rupees), others donated as much as a few thousands," Venkat told IANS.

The Club is in touch with the Democratic party to pass on the contribution.
"We are also in touch with our relatives in the US and urging them to vote
for Obama."

What made the Club members back Obama and campaign on his behalf though the
two are over 9,000 km apart?

"Obama is for change and so are we," Venkat replied.

"We believe in Obama and his policies. He is a dynamic and energetic leader
and we are hopeful that his policies will have a positive impact in helping
the world and India to tide over the current economic meltdown.

"The very idea of the campaign is to make the Bangaloreans realise that if
Obama becomes the next president of the US, it will do good for the world.
We want all denizens of the city to ask their friends and relatives out in
the US to vote for Obama," added the software professional who works with a
city-based IT company, Strategic Offshore Consulting Services Global.

The Club has only seven core members. But it has several volunteers, mostly
IT engineers and management consultants, Venkat said.

Another member of the Club said: "We believe Obama will bring world peace
and control the current financial crisis.

"Obama is clear about all the contentious election topics, including
outsourcing and globalization. He has stated in his campaign that he would
not put up walls around the US economy and follow a free trade policy."

In an interview to IANS last week, Obama said he would give "top priority"
to build close strategic partnership with India under his presidency.

"His policies towards India are quite pragmatic and this will help in
building close strategic partnership between the two nations. We are
hopeful that if he gets elected, his tenure will give more rights to the
Indian American community," said Venkat.

It seems several Bangaloreans have taken the Club's appeal seriously and
have tried to convince their US-based friends and relatives to vote for
Obama.

"After coming to know about Obama's policies through the Club I have asked
my elder brother to vote for Obama and he has promised to do so," said
Shruti Rakesh, an engineering student in the city.

Ranjan Sen, a software professional, said that he was influenced by the
Club's initiative and had asked three of his friends settled in Florida to
support Obama.

The Indian American community will play a major role in the US elections.
The US is home to a 2.7 million strong Indian diaspora and 80,000 Indian
students.

"We have seen what the Republicans did to the world during the Bush rule.
Not only we saw the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but the economic
condition of the world has witnessed a downward curve because of bad
policies of Bush's regime," said D. Jeevan Kumar, a professor of political
science at Bangalore University.

"Thus it will be a smart decision for the Indian American community to vote
for Obama," he said.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Enti...

Entire town in south India praying for Obama win
4 Nov, 2008, 1220 hrs IST, IANS

TIRPUR: If politics makes strange bedfellows, economics can make even
stranger. Even as Barack Obama and John McCain slug it out in the US
president
ial election, the people of an entire town in southern India are
desperately praying for an Obama win.

The economy of the knitwear garment exporting town of Tirupur in Tamil
Nadu, almost 400 km from state capital Chennai, is driven almost entirely
by exports to more than 35 countries around the world. But, as is to be
expected, the exporters' biggest market is the US.

The slowdown in the US and European markets since the early part of this
year, a fluctuating rupee vis-a-vis the dollar and several local problems
saw the town's exports in fiscal 2007-08 dip for the first time since the
early 1980s.

Export revenues of the town came down to Rs.99.5 bn ($2 bn) in 2007-08 from
Rs.110 bn in the previous year. Now with the global financial meltdown
drying up US and European orders further, the chances of growth this year
too have disappeared, exporters say.

"We expected growth this year but going by current trends that will not
happen as new orders are not coming in," A. Sakthivel, president of the
Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA), told IANS, adding: "We will probably
close this year with 10 percent negative growth over last year."

"If the present trend continues then Tirupur knitwear units may have to lay
off some 10,000 workers," he warned. But Tirupur's exporters, ancillaries
and workers believe an Obama win will change all that.

"There is a general perception here that a Democrat-led US government is
better for Indian business," Azhill M.S. Mani, president of the Tirupur
Industrial Federation, told IANS.

"Obama is certainly a better bet if we go by his pre-election speeches and
announcements," echoed S.K. Vivekananda, managing director of knitwear
exporter Shakthi Knitting Ltd.

Thus, the 7,000-odd knitwear and ancillary units of the town employing some
600,000 people are chanting Om Obama after
Om Labhum, said a local wag. As Labhum is the local word for profit and Om
is a Hindu word for veneration, most units in Tirupur have Om Labhum
written on their sign boards.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7468662.stm

India monkey god idol for Obama
A group of Indians are planning to present a statue of the revered Indian
monkey God, Hanuman, to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The group decided to order the idol after they read a magazine report
saying that Mr Obama carried a good luck 'monkey king' charm.

They say that a Barack Obama victory would be good for India.

Hindus revere monkeys which they believe are descendents of the monkey God
Hanuman.

The two-foot tall, 15kg gold-polished, brass idol has been made as a
present for Mr Obama because "he will be good for India if he becomes the
next president," according to Brij Mohan Bhama, leader of the group.

Mr Bhama belongs to the ruling Congress party and also runs a textile mill
in the western city of Mumbai.

'Monkey charm'

"We have heard that he carries a small monkey charm in his pocket. So he is
a devotee of Hanuman. That's why we want to present him with this idol," he
said.

Mr Bhama and his friends have also invited Carolyn Sauvage-Mar, chairwoman
of the group, Democrats Abroad-India, to a meeting they are holding on
Tuesday to pray for Mr Obama's success.

The Delhi-based group registers voters, sponsors events and occasionally
hosts Democratic Party leaders visiting India.

Obama stands for change. We are hoping that he will bring about change so
that oil and food prices come down
Brij Mohan Bhama

Mr Bhama is hoping that Ms Sauvage-Mar will pick up the idol and arrange it
to be delivered to Mr Obama.

"They have invited me for the prayer. I am happy to go to bring best wishes
to Obama," she said.

She said she would talk with the organisers and find out whether she would
be able to help in shipping the idol to Mr Obama.

Ms Sauvage-Mar said the people organising the prayer meeting for the
presidential candidate had possibly read a Time magazine article which
mentioned that Mr Obama carried a "monkey king good luck charm".

"Senator Obama has a good luck charm. We don't know whether it is of
Hanuman. But the people here think it is Hanuman," she said.

Mr Bhama says he is an ardent supporter of Mr Obama - even his email
identification is bhamaforobama.

"Obama stands for change. We are hoping that he will bring about change so
that oil and food prices come down," he said.

"India will progress if he comes to power."

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