| Outsourcing of jobs to offshore companies has been | | | | Liberals are also divided about outsourcing. The |
| a hot-button issue since the 1960s when the United | | | | Democratic party has traditionally been the party of |
| States began losing automotive manufacturing jobs | | | | labor in the United States but it was a Democratic |
| to Japan. In recent years, the outsourcing of | | | | president, Bill Clinton, who shepherded the North |
| technical jobs has revived the debate which became | | | | American Free Trade Agreement through Congress, |
| one of the top issues in the 2004 presidential | | | | a treaty which most experts agree facilitated the |
| campaign. However, actual facts and statistics about | | | | current outsourcing trend. |
| the effect of outsourcing on the American economy | | | | For every argument for outsourcing, there is another |
| are hard to come by. Rhetoric, not facts, dominate | | | | argument against it. For example, the Heritage |
| the discussion of whether outsourcing has an effect | | | | Foundation argues that despite outsourcing more |
| on the economy. | | | | Americans are employed than ever before and that |
| There is a serious dichotomy between the beliefs of | | | | jobs continue to be created to compensate for |
| average Americans and those of economists and | | | | those lost overseas. Anti-outsourcing advocates point |
| other experts. For example, a Zogby International Poll | | | | out that gross wages are dropping because the jobs |
| showed that 71% of Americans believe that | | | | that are being created are low-level service sector |
| outsourcing hurts the economy but when the Wall | | | | jobs, not high-tech jobs to replace the ones that are |
| Street Journal asked the same question of | | | | being lost. |
| economists, only 15% felt that outsourcing had a | | | | The Heritage Foundation, citing the Organization for |
| negative effect. | | | | International Investment also argues that for every |
| Opinions on outsourcing tend to be divided by | | | | job outsourced, another is "insourced" to the United |
| economic status rather than political persuasion. For | | | | States from another country, often at a higher rate |
| example, some Republicans in the House and Senate | | | | of pay than the job lost. Anti-outsourcing advocates |
| believe that outsourcing has a terrible effect on the | | | | say that those numbers can't be accurately verified. |
| economy and that legislation should be enacted to | | | | What is clear is that until the federal government |
| stop it. However, conservative think tanks like the | | | | conducts accurate research into the effects of |
| Heritage Foundation and Republicans with ties to big | | | | outsourcing on the United States economy, there will |
| business believe that the threat of outsourcing has | | | | be no definitive answer one way or the other. |
| been over exaggerated. | | | | |