Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, March 31, 2018

B3

OPINION

 Mountain Views News Saturday, March 31, 2018 

BLAIR BESS


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IS PRESIDENT TRUMP 
ANTI-TRUSTWORTHY?

It’s fascinating to hear the president rail against those 
who don’t pay their fair share of taxes or have grown 
too powerful. This from a man who thinks he’s 
smarter than everyone else. Because he doesn’t pay 
taxes. And has grown too powerful. 

 President Trump is whining, yet again, about Jeff Bezos and his brainchild, 
Amazon. In a recent tweet, he tapped out “Unlike others, they [Amazon] pay 
littler [sic] or no taxes to state & local governments, use our Postal System 
as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the U.S.), and are putting 
many thousands of retailers out of business!” 

 Can you believe it? The president is absolutely livid about rich guys putting 
ordinary folks out of business. Guess he forgot about all the contractors he 
stiffed, the investors he screwed, and the legal bills he refused to pay. 

 Let’s get real. The new tax laws favor big corporations like Amazon and 
the well-to-do like Jeff Bezos. And Donald Trump and his family. And the 
Trump Organization and the Kushner Companies. The Trumps, Kushners, 
and their businesses stand to save tens of millions of dollars each year. 

 Regarding Amazon abusing the U.S. Postal Service, both the company 
and its customers pay for the privilege of having merchandise delivered 
door-to-door. The president probably doesn’t realize this because he doesn’t 
like to read and has no need for books; or likely anything else Amazon may 
have to offer. Unless it’s gold-plated.

 The president has a point about the role Amazon has played in the 
slow, painful demise of the brick-and-mortar retail sector. It’s true. But we, 
as consumers, have also contributed to the steady decline of Main Street 
and mall shopping experiences. We’re lazy, and like convenience and 
affordability. 

 The real reason the president cares about retail contraction, however, 
is personal. It could potentially hit him in the bank account. The success 
of commercial real estate is intrinsically tied to the prosperity of the retail 
industry. 

 But why hammer away at Jeff Bezos? Because, in addition to being 
Amazon’s largest individual shareholder, Bezos also happens to own The 
Washington Post. The President would like to shut the lights out at The 
Washington Post. As The Post’s motto says, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” 

 The president doesn’t much like The Post. He doesn’t much care for 
democracy either. And he really doesn’t appreciate the coverage given to 
him by The Post’s journalists. They are nothing more than purveyors of 
“fake news.” Even though, despite White House denials to the contrary, 
their scoops consistently prove to be accurate. 

 At The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, 
and many other “failing” newspapers, news sites and cable news networks 
have done an excellent job in keeping the most dishonest president in history 
honest. And there’s the rub. The president loathes honesty.

 President Trump’s tweets are ominous. They suggest he or his proxies 
will continue their attempts to chisel away at the news media through 
manipulation of public opinion, the Constitution, the rule of law, tax 
legislation, and government agencies.

 The Department of Justice has been tasked to investigate whether a planned 
merger of AT&T and Time Warner violates anti-trust laws. Ostensibly, this 
is because the president doesn’t like the idea of a small number of companies 
dominating the nation’s media, thus hurting consumers. Who does? 

 The truth: Time Warner owns CNN, another of the president’s nemeses. 
Administration threats to kill the proposed merger are a not-so-indirect 
result of the president’s desire to silence CNN. Just as his threats to Amazon 
are rooted in his desire to darken the doors of The Washington Post. 

 Too much wealth and power in too few hands negatively impacts all 
Americans. But before attacking Amazon, AT&T, Time Warner, or Jeff 
Bezos, the president needs to take a close look in the mirror. 

 President Trump must cease his ongoing assault on the First Amendment. 
His misuse of power for personal gain is damaging to those he ostensibly 
serves; and self-destructive. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Deliberate 
attempts to abuse and obstruct it are inexcusable. And, as may soon be 
proved by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a prosecutable offense.

-

 Blair Bess is a Los Angeles-based television writer, producer, and columnist. 
He edits the online blog Soaggragated.com, and can be reached at BBess.
soaggragated@gmail.com.


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LEFT TURN/RIGHT TURN

JOE GUZZARDI

TOM PURCELL


NARCISSISM & THE REPUBLIC - 
‘ME THE PEOPLE?’

Boy, is narcissism getting out of hand with younger generations. 

San Diego State psychologist Jean Twenge examines the trend in two 
books: “Generation Me” and “The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in 
the Age of Entitlement.”

Twenge says the self-esteem movement - in which everybody gets a 
trophy - has produced many “me-centered” young adults, whose opinions of their own skills 
and talents are often out of sync with reality.

 Why is this an issue? Because, says Psychology Today, “true narcissists can only see things 
from their own perspective.” They are incapable of the civility and thoughtful deliberation a 
representative republic requires to address the many challenges ours is facing.

 Lucky for me, I grew up in the 70s when it was impossible to become self-centered. 

Unlike many modern parents, who often give their children unique names to demonstrate 
how “special” they are, I was given the biblical name Thomas, after my father. I never took 
myself too seriously, because thousands of other kids had names - Bill, Bob, Tim, Joe - just 
as common.

 Families were bigger in the 70s. Growing up as the only boy with five sisters was awfully 
humbling.

 When I was 12, Bobby Grebber, the neighborhood bully, began roughing me up. Well, I 
didn’t have older brothers to teach me how to fight; my sisters taught me. I looked Grebber 
dead in the eyes and said, “You are sooooo immature! Get a life!”

Even though I had five sisters, my father, always pinching pennies, made me wear hand-me-
downs. It wasn’t too bad most of the year, but Easter Sunday was unpleasant. Do you know 
how hard it is to outrun a bully with your pantyhose bunching up and your bonnet flopping 
in the wind?

 We never experienced a self-esteem movement at St. Germaine Catholic School. The nuns 
didn’t worry about making us feel good about ourselves. They focused on pounding values 
into us and making sure we mastered math, science, reading and writing. Any narcissistic 
tendencies were wacked out of us with a hard wooden ruler. 

I attended a public high school, where I was finally able to attempt a little narcissism - until 
my parents saw a slip in my grades. That resulted in a temporary loss of every privilege. No B 
grade or better meant no car, friends or the freedom to leave the house.

I made it to Penn State University, where I gave narcissism a full go. It was there that I was 
introduced to my first love: Rolling Rock beer. By the time I was a junior, I had attained, to 
quote comedian Frank Nicotero, a “3.2” (blood-alcohol level).

 But my parents intervened and humbled me yet again. No B grade or better meant no 
more cash.

 What’s worse, my father, worried that my liberal-arts major would fail to land me 
a job, persuaded me to sign up for more practical courses. I’m the only person ever to 
graduate from Penn State with a major in English and a minor in air conditioning and 
heating.

 In any event, unlike older generations which had little choice but to be humbled out of 
their narcissistic impulses, newer generations are getting too self-centered.

 Twenge tells NPR that millennials score higher on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory 
than prior generations. She says narcissism is evident in pop songs, which focus on the self, 
as well as in books that frequently use phrases such as “I am special” and “all about me.”

 And obsessive use of social media, home of the “selfie,” certainly nurtures a narcissist’s 
worst tendencies.

 Perhaps parents should re-embrace some of the harsh child-rearing techniques of prior 
generations, so that we may reverse today’s Narcissistic Personality Inventory scores.

 Because today’s growing narcissism is hurting an entire generation of our children, 
which is not good for our country.

-

Copyright 2018 Tom Purcell. Tom Purcell, author of “Misadventures of a 1970’s Childhood,” 
a humorous memoir available at amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor 
columnist and is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. For info on using 
this column in your publication or website, contact Sales@cagle.com or call (805) 969-2829. 
Send comments to Tom at Tom@TomPurcell.com.

NERVOUS TECH GIANTS RAMP 
UP LOBBYING

Since Congress created the H-1B in 1990, IT services companies 
have had things go mostly their way. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
Services statistics show that the federal government has 
issued about 1.8 million visas through 2017 to overseas workers 
that displace or block employment opportunities to experienced, 
skilled Americans. H-1B visas are valid for three years, are routinely renewed 
for an additional three years, and routinely lead to citizenship.

 But in the Trump White House, the president has ordered tighter H-1B qualifying 
standards which have put a big league scare into tech giants Tata Consultancy 
Services, Infosys and Wipro. In February, USCIS announced that it will require “detailed 
statements of work or work orders” about the job that would be performed 
by an H-1B visa holder when employed at a third-party site. Employers will need to 
file more details, known as requests for evidence (RFE), to confirm why a foreign-
born applicant should be given preference over American applicants. Previously, 
adjudicating immigration officers didn’t have to review third-party contracts, dates 
or location of precisely where the H-1B visa holder would be employed.

 In anticipation of the April 2 H-1B filing date for fiscal 2019, immigration lawyers 
have criticized USCIS for overly stringent demands, and India’s largest IT service 
companies have increased their lobbying budgets. A Center for Responsive Politics 
review showed that Tata increased its lobbying expenses 37 percent to $110,000; 
Infosys, up by a multiple of four to $200,000; and Wipro, up by five-and-one-half 
times to $130,000. Indian workers receive 70 percent of the total H-1B visas issued 
every year – 65,000 go to overseas applicants, and 20,000 are reserved for foreign 
nationals studying in the U.S. who earn an advanced degree.

 The agency defends its more rigorous standards. USCIS noted that it has found 
“significant employer violations” among H-1B employers which include paying less 
than the required wage, not paying workers the required wage while they wait for 
project assignments, and having employees perform non-specialty occupation jobs. 
In short, IT specialists hire many, but pay little.

 Employers cannot point to tangible evidence that they truly need overseas workers. 
In fact, high-ranking industry officials admit that qualified Americans are readily 
available. Industry representatives routinely claim that because of a qualified personnel 
shortage, about 500,000 jobs cannot be filled. But in a moment of rare candor 
in 2016, then-Infosys Chief Executive Vishal Sikka admitted that if new regulations 
slowed the flow of Indian cheap labor techs to the U.S., the employers’ solution 
would be to hire “locally,” meaning American. Sikka: “There are enough universities, 
enough ability to hire, enough ability to teach.”

 At the same time that Sikka confirmed what H-1B critics had been insisting for 
decades – that no shortage of qualified U.S. tech workers existed – the Business 
Insider reported that HP cut 55,000 jobs between 2012 and 2016; yet, the company 
filed more than 2,000 labor condition applications for H-1B visas. And CNBC’s 
story, “Silicon Valley: Much young talent, many fewer jobs,” reported that at San 
Francisco’s annual Internapalooza, more than 5,000 college-age students showed up 
hoping to get a chance at a Silicon Valley job, evidence that an abundant supply of 
young talent is available.

Understanding why employers love the H-1B visa is easy – it expands the applicant 
pool which, in turn, allows them to pay less in salaries.

-

Joe Guzzardi is a Progressives for Immigration Reform writer and researcher. Contact 
him at jguzzardi@pfirdc.org. Find him on Twitter @joeguzzardi19.

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