The American Nightmare: No Exit, No Entry

Dost-mittar #143: ``I am hoping that some smart politician would campaign on the pledge of putting a ceiling on corporate compensations, maybe even a maximum ratio between the highest and lowest paid worker in the firm.``

I don`t think is possible or even recommended. The market has to decide this. Or it has to be worldwide. If USA puts up a ceiling on executive salary, and UK does not, then all the top executives will head for the UK.........

I see this daily in the Canadian IT industry. There is such a huge differerence in the skill sets of IT executives in Canada and in the USA that it is not even funny. I would not be exagerating if I were to say that the guys running the IT depts. of top Canadian banks etc. are quite incompetent. I have personally met quite a few CIOs and VPs etc. here. It has gotten to a stage, where I can almost say, as a rule, that unless the executive guy is a desi or arab etc., he will be a goof.

In the USA, it was certainly not like that. I found Americans to be the most competent executives............

It is the same at the senior technical level. There are very few Canadian born (gora) senior software architects, managers etc. who are worth anything. Most of the good ones are first generation immigrants from South Asia, China, Iran etc.........

This is despite the fact that Canada is the most (?) e-nabled large country in the world. It has excellent universities, which, unlike US universities, are all accessible to all finanical levels of the society. Just U of T, alone has 80 Comp Sci Ph.D professors.

Interestingly, I ran into quite a few competent Canadian IT people, in the USA. The reason is simple. Silicon Valley pays quite a bit more than Canada. As do the executive corporate positions in USA. So the top Canadian executive, technologists migrate out to the USA, temporarily, to make a lot of money. This is despite the fact that some huge % of Canadians (over 90% ?) say that they do not want to be any other nationality than Canadian. And Canada has been, on average, the highest ranked country on the UN`s HDI, in the world. It was no. 1 for seven straight years. And Canadian cities are easily ranked the best in North America, and second only to Switzerland in living conditions............

This is the area where the USA excels, over all countries. It provides the most enabling connditions for the top x % (1-5%) of people to succeed and grow and create and become filthy rich and enormously affluent...............However, on average, for the remaining 95%, I would have to say, Canada is better..........

Re: # 147

Thanks Zahra

Point taken. Article sucked and didn`t meet your standards.

The column perspective is holistic. I am fighting a monster--the ideas around globalization are vast, exploratory and interdisciplinary.

Btw, just an FYI, from what I read, the Canadian health care system also sucks. People go to India for surgeries.

# 141, 144 by SaimaShah

You don’t have to be upset…but I felt that there is a lot that you need to know about American corporations and other facets of life that probably you are not familiar with due to various reasons including 1. You have not spent much time in the US and 2, You most likely have not worked for major corporations in the US.

Your inexperience often leaves you short of some coherent ideas on the role of the US corporations not only in US but also outside of the US.

No, I have no personal concerns about the job security. In fact, I don’t even need one.

I will wait for the second part...

After reading this write-up, I am a Pardesi fan. I hope to see a thought provoking and illuminating analysis by him.

Re: # 141

Please do not lay the blame on me for misunderstanding your write-up. Blame the convoluted article covering million bits and pieces to confuse the readership. The glitzy title was ready to make the readers believe, ``THAT`S IT! We found the answer to all the unspoken secrets`` :) As a writer, you were mocking your reader`s intellect. That`s my concern. Let`s move on. I hope to read a thorough and comprehensive piece next time. There`s always a next time. The world does not end here. We do not need to fix everything right now.

Take Care.

ZahraJ #131: ``That`s a realistic and philosophical approach. Sweet. Let`s hope that it will provide some food for thought to the Canadians on board. They may be able to see beyond their cultural mosaics and health care benefits.``

Do you have any practical knowledge of Canada, or are you simply shooting from the hip? How long have you lived in Canada? I spent quite a few of my elementary school years in the USA. And quite a few of my college and professional days in the USA. Yet during all this time, I knew nothing about Canada. Not next to nothing. But simply nothing. And not a single American I met knew anything about Canada..........

Nothing wrong with that.........But one can only comment intelligently on a subject, if one has some knowledge of it. Otherwise, one ends up looking like a fool, amongst people, who do have knowledge of the subject.............So to have any kind of intelligent discussion with you on this subject, one would have to query you on your exposure to the topic you are commenting on.............For starters how much understanding do you have of the cultural mosaic and health benefits in Canada? Does the Canadian govt. pay for my massage if I want one? Can my kids study Urdu and/or Punjabi in schools? Why is it a mosaic to begin with? Why is health care so important in Canada? Who was Aaron Wilson and how is he related to health care in Canada, etc.?

Re: # 141

Saima Ji…there is plenty of descent and debate within the country. We don’t need Nazis telling us how to treat prisoners, nor do we need French to lecture us on race relations. If we need some help with pancakes or Maple syrup, we will ask for your help.

No one is personally attacking you. We are only attacking your point of view, which is neither pointy nor viewy. Trust me with such thin skin, you won’t last a day in New York City, and forget about working in a corporation.

Re: # 131

I never really talked about job security or insecurity other than pointing out that the Corporation has only one goal. You can measure that goal as good or bad using your choice of yardstick--I used one in my article that was critical of that goal. Others have used a different one.

Btw, job security is not an agenda for this column. Perhaps that has been your concern at some point in time?

As to whether or not I have other agendas, for that you will have to wait to read the column as it develops over time.

GT#126:

I think that we are mostly in agreement.

``Modern markets, with fewer producers (corporations), MAY be more prone to collusion.``

I would settle for even two companies as long as they cannot collude. The problem arises when you have a monopoly like my cable company where I do not have any choice and have to depend upon a regulator to look after my interests. Even here, things are not totally bleak because the satellite dish does provide some competition and there is always the gray market from across the border.

I agree that money plays a big role in the US politics these days, which is partly the reason we have people like Rumsfeld and Dick Cheny driving the US govt. policies. But the US system has recognized this problem and I wouldn`t be surprised if some stringent controls are placed on corporate funding of political parties.

There is also a general feeling that corporate bosses pay themselves all too handsomely in both Canada and the US and regardless of performances, sometimes even when the firm is on the verge of bankruptcy. I am hoping that some smart politician would campaign on the pledge of putting a ceiling on corporate compensations, maybe even a maximum ratio between the highest and lowest paid worker in the firm.

The issue of welfare is somewhat different in my opinion. I do not think that it is the job of a corporation to improve societal welfare, other than by doing what it is supposed to do, i.e., creating wealth by make efficient use of resources in delivering its product or service.

It is the job of the civil society to ensure laws that provide adequate minimum wages and a proper safety net for those who fall through the cracks through fiscal policies and welfare programs. And here, I would claim, at the risk of attracting pointed barbs, that we Canucks do a somewhat better job than Americans.

I think to get a cosmpolitan view of the world, and to understand different cultures, values, societies, nations etc., one has to actually live in different places. To do that one has to have the courage to move around. It is not easy to do.........Only then can one make comparisons.........

If one has not experienced two different things, and only has experience in one, then one can never reach any definitive conclusion, on what is better and what is worse......Is Lahore better than Karachi, for a particular community........People should go live in Lahore, then go live in Karachi, and then form an opinion, and present it...........Or accept the fact that they are not in a position to form an opinion. Misguided nationalism, based on a lack of knowledge of other places, is exactly that - misguided........

Bite into an apple and bite into a peach, and then try to explain which tastes better. If one has only tasted an apple and only seen a peach from a distance, then one can, at best, scream loudly that the apple tastes better. But one can never say with certainity whether it does or does not...........

#131 and 135

How incredibly childish these replies were. ZahraJ has misunderstood and taken a tangential meaning. Do you really think that making assumptions about whether I am Canadian or American or black or white will eliminate the ideas and concerns in the article?

The ideas in the article are real and valid. Who speaks them is besides the point. Isn`t that what you love about America? Then, why is it so easy to forget the singular greatness of the American way and sinking to personal attacks.

Are you really American? If so, why the defensiveness? Shouldn`t you adapt to changing realities that the world is more critical of America and that the same bright brains who were attracted to America now want something more.

Your replies show that America has indeed become a quasi iron curtain country that subscribes to a point of view no longer open to dissent and debate. And that people who can be detached and examine it because they have an alternative identity, won`t do so either.

Re #138, ``There is no other goal``.

DUH! :)

money

buys happiness

buys democracy

buys lunch.

Re: # 133

Saima,

Is pointing out inadequacies in the article synonymous with being angry?

You wrote an analysis to share with the readership on Chowk. If you are so sensitive about accepting the critique then you should have shown sensitivity before posting offending generalizations in your article. Apparently, everyone in America is dumb and the writer is the visionary on board to change the fates of many and educate them. Your analysis is weak, to put it nicely. Your focus on the immigrants` stance had some weight and worth exploring angles. You can probably extract that portion to create a stand alone article. That would be an interesting read. In future, please do not dump inaccurate and incomplete portrayal of a subject area with no head and tail making it look glitzy.

Re: # 137

Thanks for the explicit reply and acceptance of one of the main ideas in my humble attempt to show the pattern of life in America. The famous `change` that people are supposed to `adapt` to is all about making more money aka growth in Economics, aka profits in Accounting. There is no other goal.

The entire system colludes towards this one purpose. And it is interesting to see that still the promised growth in incomes has not been realised.

RE #100 by SaimaShah on November 20, 2005 0:24am PT
Re: # 98

And how do you propose `people` should `adapt` to `change.` For example:
1. Who should adapt?

Whoever wants to keep their job and stay with that company/corporation

2. What does adaptation mean?

Changing the way you do things to fit they things your bosses want done.

3. What does the change you talk about look like? The leader (CEO and senior management) should know, or knows. Their vision for the corporation.

What is changing? Whatever they (top exec mgmt) want, including themselves.

who is changing IT? The followers (managers and staff)

and why? To make more money.


4. How should we convince people that it is they who need to adapt to change?

You influence them using whatever legal persuasive means you have.


5. If they agree to `adapt` to `change` what can they do to prove they have successfully `adapted?`.

Benchmarking, scorecard, etc.


My A in Leadership class still rankles...

Re: # 106

``1. Creative brainstorming IS allowed in corporate life otherwise they will become dinosaurs and would disappear. ``

So? never denied it. Clarified elsewhere. Capitalist creativity is addictive and liberating.

2. ``The challenge for us in this generation is to adjust to it by being innovative in terms of how we can still add value to the system. It’s not an easy task. Focus should be on our education system and finding other ways to add value rather than questioning wisdom of global competition. ``

There is a lot more than just the educational system as you understand it. Just fixing the school system isn`t possible. The problem goes deeper.