Outsourcing your financial information to India..

I had a problem with Coldwater Creek, an online women's site. I used the link on the site to converse with a customer service rep. She was handling the call from India.

I started to wonder what other corporations were outsourcing business to India.

I had to call AT&T for a technical problem and the tech rep's accent was too difficult for me to understand so I gave up and told him I would try to figure it out myself. turns out the modem installed was defective-I kept telling the tech it was overheating-the bottom got so hot I had to turn it off.

When I was about to give up completely he agreed to send me a new one and I haven't had a problem since. But not without a good hour of frustration trying to understand one another.

Outsourcing jobs is a real threat to all of us.

If you only knew how many companies outsource your financial information to India, you might think twice about whose hands you are trusting with  credit and banking information 

This is an incomplete list of some of the businesses I am not going to be visiting with my dollars. I have a feeling the damage may already be done-but maybe I will fell a little better knowing I at least voiced my protest.

Here is a link to a list of many businesses who outsource customer service to Indian companies-

http://www.nojobsforindia.com/

Here is a short list :

Home Depot

JCPenny

Albertsons

Avon

Capital One

AOL

Travelocity

Charles Schwab

ATT@T

Delta Airlines

Dupont 

Google

Johnson and Johnson

MBNA

Citibank

Bank of America

Wachovia

Shell Oil Company

H&R Block

Lexmark

Walmart online

Purina

Target

Nike

Bell South

MBNA

Dell

Normally I am not an alarmist. I didn't worry about SARS or stay awake with a gas mask on waiting for my letter with the white powder to come in the mail.

I am not egotistical enough to think every major disastrous possibility is going to happen to "special little ole me"

The outsourcing of my credit, banking, social security number, financial information and personal data to another country because they do it cheaper does not comfort me. Does it comfort you?

Now, if I thought corporations were outsourcing because India provided superior security and service, and I knew for a fact that in the United States we did not, I wouldn't peep.

But this is what freaks me out-they are doing it because it is cheaper!!!!!! arrgghh!

We already know what that means-guys-flammable pj's, leaded paint, tainted fruit and veggies, lead painted Toys r Us-

No, this does not comfort me.

My bank does business with India. I don't like that. I think we need to boycott them. 

Hello?? Americans purchase these products. If a business has such little respect for  our bucks -then our bucks should  stop here-in America.

That's my slogan for them-"The Buck Stops Here-in the US-

My son had a great idea-he believes all corporate executives should have to live in the third world country that business exploits. I agree.

The Job Application on-line-discrimination

The Internet has produced many wonderfully efficient caches of production. For example, paying bills online is probably putting the US Mail out of business. Shopping is another great contribution. I hate Christmas shopping-amongst hordes of runny nosed, flu contaminated fellow citizens who would call in sick but never, even consider not going into public with the same disease..(that's another rant).

Without the stress of the masses, shopping for presents is delightful.

This isn't about the wonderfully creative and positive developments.

Have you noticed most businesses and companies now require you to apply on-line? Many require you take a personality test as well. They ask you for full job histories and pretty much tell you if you don't provide it you are lying and will not be considered. They ask for all the from-to dates for degrees and certificates.

Before you ever get your foot in the door.

They don't have to respond to you after they have taken all your information. They don't even have to e-mail you to tell you they received your application.

They can pretend they never received it if they want to ignore it.

The process allows for major discrimination. Age discrimination is probably the greatest abuse in the professional world at present.

With the thousands of Baby Boomers returning to work or out of work looking for jobs because of the economy, business can just ignore the application and fail to respond.

Two years ago states couldn't get enough teachers. They were publicly wooing older adults to consider a career change to education. The merits of personal satisfaction and altruistic motive were touted and appealed to many professionals.

Teach For America appealed to new graduates with no degree in education, asking them to sacrifice a few years in the nations toughest school districts.

I heard that message. At age 46, with a graduate degree in social work, I returned to graduate school to earn the 36 credits needed to become a highly qualified teacher. My daughter was in second grade. I took out school loans to pay for my degree, with the promise that help was available for tuition because teachers were needed so badly.

After seven years teaching in one school district, with excellent job reviews, a professional five year certificate, a highly qualified rating and experience with at risk students successfully passing standardized testing, when I apply for a job (which are ironically scarce right now-what happened in just two years??) often I don't hear back at all. Not a peep.

Do you think it has to do with the fact I am 56??

I can't even get my foot in the door for a face to face. If one employer in this area would just meet with me, I might, just might, be able to communicate my level of knowledge, my passion and my commitment to children and education.

Or is the competition all about age?

What do you think?

Mission Accomplished? Where was the news???

Please, help me restore faith in democracy-

Was there not ONE news, media, writer, reporter, tv or radio station on this day, so many years ago that recognized what a lot of hooey this photo op was and spoke out about it???

Please, if there was one-someone lead me to that source?

4,284 soldiers have died since Mission Accomplished and over 31,000 have been injured.

I won't believe a word mainstream press touts again. Ever.

This sickens me.

They still aren't writing about the deaths and injuries of this unjust war.

Is there anyone out there in media willing to tell us the truth? (meaning facts-not opinion and hoopla)-and not skewered facts as in "Fox news"..

Las Vegans continue rabid dog attacks on workers

LasVegans proudly continue to exhibit their hatred of all things beneficial to a society. Primarily education, compassion, a sense of community-along with a total lack of self awareness.

OMG these people are scary. Our kids can forgo UNLV and easily go to another university BUT our grade school kids can not do that. Stop sacrificing everyone else just to save UNLV. They cost us too much money and are a luxury not necessity. UNR and other states can do higher we for us until we have extra money in the state
By Teaser
5/2/09 at 11:26 a.m.
Why not close Nevada State College? That was never necessary in the first place. The whole thing started merely as an effort to raise property values.
By Harley
5/2/09 at 11:36 a.m.
Steven Horsford and Barbara Buckley can kiss their political careers goodbye.
By neiman1
5/2/09 at 11:45 a.m.
Suggest removal
Reality is a tough thing to face. Visitors to this state are as broke as anyone else. There are no rich executives in New York to fly out for a weeks convention. Income to this state is still coming down. The completion of new casino hotels only ends construction jobs. It creates no new visitors.
We are America's playground. Problem is no one can afford to play. Now fear of the swine flu is making all air travel scary and this month is set to be a disaster. Increased tax rates will not generate more taxes, just move it around.
By lvsun123
5/2/09 at 11:50 a.m.
Suggest removal
Nevadaapplslices,It is obvious from the the grammar in your last sentence that you do not have a college education. It is obivious from many of your other posts that you do not value education at all. You are an idiot, plain and simple.
I commend Steven Horsford for doing his job and trying to come up with a solution to the state's budget crisis. Hopefully, our leaders will be able to come up with a plan that will not devastate education and turn this state into a cesspool full of simpletons!
By lvsun123
5/2/09 at 11:55 a.m.
Suggest removal
Harley, you wrote:
"Steven Horsford and Barbara Buckley can kiss their political careers goodbye."
Why? Because they are actually doing their jobs, unlike our governor?
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 12:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
They are attempting to maintain a gross increase in spending just a few years ago. In 05-07 the state increased the budget 42 percent.
42 percent. That is simply unsustainable. http://npri.org/publications/legislature...
Lawmakers are clearly out of touch. As resort entrepreneur Steve Wynn recently observed, "Anybody who raises taxes now is purely psychotic. Every time they touch a tax now, you can increase the unemployment line at the Culinary union and every place else in this city."
Unfortunately, policymakers in Carson City hear less from honest taxpayers and more from thethat a entrenched interests lways hunger for more porky government spending.
Nevada's budget problem does not result from insufficient revenue. If Nevada's government had shown restraint and a little responsibility -- spending limits and a rainy day fund -- Nevada would not be in the situation we are in today.
The Silver State does not need billions in new taxes. It needs responsible, accountable and mature governance.
By nevadaappleslices
5/2/09 at 12:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
Lvsun, you do not know what you r talking about. Waive and scream all you want, but there is not enough money to go around. Gibbons is doing a great job.
By LasVegas2009
5/2/09 at 12:35 p.m.
Suggest removal
LvSun: You are one of the dirt bag pay me more teachers in this town that has cost the state way to much money. We dont care about your college education or your qualifications we want you to take a 50% cut in pay. These teachers are making over $50,000 a year. Fire 2000 teachers save the state $100,000,000.00 thats 100 million!!
Shut down 50% of the schools and kick the illegals out! Just like teachers feeding off the tax payers these illegals are feeding off our tax dollars as well. Teachers should make around $18-$24 thousand a year and thats it. We have teachers making $65,000 plus in this town.
Time to cut the state employee and teachers pay down to the amount the job is worth.
Make the government smaller! Cut the welfare roles and if you don't work you can't have any money. Make those on government assistance work for what they get.
By LVPaco
5/2/09 at 12:39 p.m.
Suggest removal
It is high time that mining industry pay there fair share... MINING MINING HELLO MINING MINING TAX THE Gold and Silver Mines of Nevada... And make the pay retroactively...
By DouglasDemocrat
5/2/09 at 12:57 p.m.
Suggest removal
LasVegas2009
Where do you come up with your ridiculous numbers? The average starting salary for a teacher in the State of Nevada is $31,703. And right now, because of the "brain drain" from changing retirement benefits, there are a lot more teachers at the low end of the pay scale.
Fire 2000 teachers? Do you WANT 60 kids in a class run by ONE teacher? Can you handle 60 7-year-olds? No? Then how do you expect someone else to do it?
If we paid teachers what they were worth instead of spending money on things like baseball stadiums and tax breaks for empty subdivisions, we might actually have something approaching a working system.
And how can you work IF THERE ARE NO JOBS! If people are unemployed, they should get nothing? Are you kidding me? That's idiotic and borderline sociopathic.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 1:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
Doug, I don't know about that number
Most teachers are in CCSD and CCSD starts new inexperienced fresh out of college teachers at $35,000. Brand new teacher with a masters degree gets almost $41,000
http://www.ccsd.net/jobs/LLPsalary.htm
Your number is probably done by county, bringing the average down.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 1:08 p.m.
Suggest removal
Also Doug, don't be so dramatic. While firing 2000 teachers is a lot, it would only make the teacher to student ratio go up by about 4 students per teacher...and that is just for Clark County
(meaning no other county would be effected). 60 students per classroom would require about 60-70 percent of teachers to be fired.
By bill777
5/2/09 at 1:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
Unemployment high school drop outs = 14%Unemployment high school grads = 9%Unemployment college grads = 4%
67% of all venture capital startups are in California, New York, Texas, and Massachusetts. Three of those are top 10 highest tax states, but they are the four best higher education systems in the USA.
Yes, the university system needs to do a much better job with its resources. So does the state in general. But the future of this state, and this country, depends on education. Las Vegas has a third world college graduation rate, and a 45% high school graduation rate.
We are living with the consequences of having no attention paid to education, which has prevented economic diversification. The answer is not to hammer the future to simplify the present. The answer is to make corrections with both spending and revenue to put us on a course that makes the future better.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 1:10 p.m.
Suggest removal
Doug,
Assume we did fire 2,000 teachers. They lose their jobs.
But we don't raise taxes. That means other people have more to spend, more profits to use to hire new people or increase wages. That helps the economy recover.
Assuming teachers are as productive in the private sector as any other job then there is no net loss in society.
You see, the money has to come from somewhere. You're logic above assumes that it pays for teacher salaries or vanishes into thin air. That is just silly.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 1:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
Bill,
If you had a state of paupers, would your answer be to raise taxes on all them them? Your assumption is that taxes create wealth. Rather than wealthy people tend to get taxed more. I think you have the cause and effect backwards.
Texas isn't a high tax state either, btw. Nor does increasing taxes diversify the economy.

The ignorance, hatefulness and lack of compassion only reflects, sadly, on the continued demise of the city of Las Vegas.

Keep it up-companies who care about employees won't touch this town.

I can't imagine a town the size of Las Vegas without a University, but many of you sure can. Wow.

pigs may get "swine" flu from people hahaha

The question here is-who or what really is the "swine?"

Farmers fearing the pigs may contract the disease from humans?

Pigs threatened by humans.

What message does this send from our spirit world??

What it's not about.....

I keep trying to figure this out.

This ugliness which creates this domino effect on our nation.

The layoffs that don't end. The corporations banking money offshore.

The wealthiest of our nation not stepping up to the plate to help save this country, instead worrying about their own taxes.

The middle class with splinter issues like abortion, believing our own President is the devil, and throwing their lot in with those who ruined our country for the past eight years.

The Republicans and Democrats who fight for their "party" and the next election rather than working together , representing all of us to repair our country.

Our country. The United States of America.

Democracy. Now means the right to charge citizens loan shark credit card interest. Steal 401K pensions. Layoff because they can. Demand pay cuts because they can.

Refuse loans because they can.

Repossess overinflated priced homes, made that way through the collusion of banks, realtors, builders, county officials and mortgage companies-because they could.

Inflate prices for utilities, groceries, gas, -controlling essential services such as health care-to the point of refusing services to the uninsured-because they can.

Once proud of it's Independence, loyalty, sense of justice and optimism, the United States of America has a runaway government rampant with corruption, lobbyists, personal interests-and a mass of citizens who no longer believe democracy exists, but rather they are powerless.

My 56 years of faith are shaken. I feel helpless. I have always believed .

How do I believe again?

Congratulations Las Vegas Sun

It takes courage to walk into the lions den of corruption and expose the talons of a corrupt and greedy system. It also takes courage to print it in a city so whitewashed by it's dishonesty it reacts with brazen indignity to accusations in the face of facts.

The Las Vegas Sun doesn't whitewash the city's ugly pustules by printing more sports and sports surveys on the front page. It doesn't skim over the fact Las Vegans have lost over 50% of their assessed values on homes in the area. In fact, it takes the time to put real faces on the losses piling up in the city. Congratulations -honesty and openness in today's climate of overwhelming greed and deceit feels like a lifeline to a better world.

If the Sun really wants to clean house, I suggest they investigate how the home assessors, Realtors and county colluded when inflating the real estate market. I suggest they investigate how building codes were overlooked in an effort to expedite the building of cheap homes with major flaws and how the building inspectors looked the other way.

In conjunction with those questions, I would ask how Realtors and banks worked together to package the toxic loans given to people.

If you really want to clean house, tell me why the town home I lost went from 234,000 to 65,000 in three years. Why my mother's house, after her death sold for 1.5 million, was repossessed and sold for less than 400,000, three years later.

There is something very smelly about the entire situation.