Fox News: Outsourcing: The Fault of One Guy from India

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Outsourcing: The Fault of One Guy from India

Under a banner reading "Behind the Outsourcing Boom," substitute host Stuart Varney interviewed Sam Pitroda today (March 29, 2005) on Your World w/Neil Cavuto (FOX NEWS). Pitroda is the former chief technology officer for the nation of India and is now the chairman of a company called Worldtel.

Introducing Pitroda, Varney said: "He's the man many credit, or depending on how you look at it, blame for the outsourcing boom." Varney asked Pitroda to "tell me how that is good news for American workers."

Pitroda said outsourcing is "part and parcel" of the globalization process. Pitroda said it "makes American industry more competitive." He said it is "a process which we all have to go through."

Varney asked if India is "about to become the service center of the world?" Pitroda said India needs to create 10 million jobs every year. He said outsourcing has created two or three hundred thousand jobs there, "almost nothing" compared to the number of jobs needed.

Varney asked, "If the situation were reversed and jobs were leaving India and coming to the United States, would you still be so keen on globalization?" Pitroda said he would be, that we must look at global economic issues, not "petty little issues like preserving 2,000 or 5,000 jobs." Varney said, "It's not a petty little issue if you're the senator or congressman representing those jobs which are lost or if you've lost one yourself." Pitroda said his point was that we "need to really look at the longer term perspective."

Varney smiled but got nastier: You're a "star" in India and in Europe but "this is your first network TV interview in the US even though you've lived here for 30 years." Pitroda corrected Varney, saying he'd lived here for 40 years. Varney continued: "Why do you keep such a low profile here? Do you think perhaps you're unpopular for all this outsourcing?" A flustered Pitroda said no, he travels, he's busy and that's the way its worked out.

Comment: Ah yes. The simple, simple, simple world of Fox News. Outsourcing boils down to one man from India. Don't ever let it be said that the (according to Fox) benevolent, patriotic, job-creating corporations in this country had anything to do with it.

Reported by Melanie at March 29, 2005 06:49 PM