Two representatives from the Northwestern Debate Team and one member each from College Democrats and College Republicans spoke Monday in an Annenberg Hall classroom on the benefits and difficulties of outsourcing American jobs.
Outsourcing became a domestic focal point during the 2004 Presidential election. Over the last few years, U.S. companies have sent hundreds of thousands of jobs overseas, where foreign workers can perform the same work for lower wages. This way, companies cut production costs and increase efficiency. But protectionists argue that the costs to laid-off U.S. workers outweigh the overall benefits to the economy.
Josh Branson, a Communication junior and member of the debate team, said there’s no way to stop the wave of jobs overseas.
“Of course people lose their jobs all the time,” Branson said. “But as they lose jobs in low-end (information technology) and manufacturing jobs, often high-end IT jobs are being added.”
The event was billed as a debate, but all four speakers seemed to agree that outsourcing was an inevitable — even beneficial — economic phenomenon. Economics Lecturer Mark Witte moderated the event.
Ash Jain, the College Democrat representative, did not contend with Branson’s defense. Instead he focused on what the U.S. government should do to protect workers at home.
“There hasn’t been a lot done to help people whose jobs are outsourced,” said Jain, a Medill sophomore and Daily staffer. “Our secondary level (of education) isn’t nearly as good as it could be or should be.”
During his presidential campaign, Democratic candidate John Kerry accused “Benedict Arnold companies” of betraying U.S. workers by shipping their jobs to countries such as India and China. Multiple speakers noted this protectionist position was not consistent with his endorsement of organizations that seek to increase international trade.
Dan ShalMonday, the assistant director of NU’s debate team, slammed protectionists like CNN personality Lou Dobbs, saying: “For every dollar spent on outsourcing, there is a benefit of $1.12 or $1.14 to the economy.”
Shalmon got one of few chuckles from the audience of 20 when he spoke about his education at the University of California at Berkeley.
“It’s a farce to think we can keep workers in other countries from learning how to program computers,” he said. “Even at Berkeley, it’s not rare to see a math class taught in a language other than English.”
College Republican Vice President Shil Patel, a Weinberg sophomore, endorsed outsourcing. He said the issue was blown out of proportion during November’s election.
“It helps U.S. productivity and adds value to the U.S. economy,” Patel said. “It’s definitely not a problem.”
The consensus of the hour-long discussion was that the United States will need to outsource low-end jobs to compete in a global economy.
“Nothing is ever going to stop outsourcing ever,” Shalmon said. “It’s impossible.”
Reach Derek Thompson at [email protected].
