The Spectacle Blog
California Democrat Rep. Jane Harman’s family business is laying off American workers - including engineering employees in California - and shifting jobs overseas.
A letter from the human resources director of one Harman company, obtained exclusively by The American Spectator, describes a “permanent” layoff of dozens of California workers that went into effect last week.
“I am writing to inform you that Harman Consumer, Inc. has decided to consolidate their global engineering operations located at 8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, California 91329, to Shenzhen, China,” Sandra Buchanan wrote in the letter dated July 20. “The separation is expected to be on September 30, 2010 and will affect forty-eight (48) employees… . The layoffs are expected to be permanent … .”
Harman is the third-richest member of Congress, and her net worth increased last year $40 million, according to a study of Federal Election Commission records conducted by The Hill newspaper. Her husband, Sidney Harman, founded Harman International Industries, which was valued in 2007 at about $8 billion.
By May 2009, the company had already slashed its U.S. workforce by 900 and expected to make more than a thousand more layoffs by mid-2010, according to a Saturday Evening Post article that noted: “[W]hile shutting down U.S. facilities, Harman was simultaneously opening factories in China and India, as well as massive multimedia outlets in Dubai and New Delhi.”
Sidney Harman recently purchased Newsweek magazine. His wife is seeking re-election in California’s 36th District, which has been hit hard by the current recession. Mrs. Harman’s Republican challenger, Mattie Fein, has been harshly critical of the incumbent’s record on economic issues. One of the main newspapers in the district, the Torrance Daily Breeze, has said it is “not interested” in covering the GOP candidate.
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jrs| 10.4.10 @ 12:39AM
While I don't support the outsourcing of jobs (which unconditional support of "free trade" does), note that the company is now publicly traded, and at the very least the Harman family is not involved in the day to day operations of the company making this an irrelevant story.
Going to my "free trade" in quotes. We have long pushed the concept of free trade in this country. As a well educated student of economics (by far better educated than the vast majority of readers, members of congress or tea party wannabes), I understand the benefits of free trade. Unfortunately, what we call free trade isn't really free trade. Not when competitors use child labor, prisoners, government support of industry, currency manipulation, etc.... Second off, dust off your old econ textbooks. Free trade theory never said that everyone is better off, only that gains outweigh the loss but nothing of the distribution. What economic theory goes on to say (optional by the way) is that winers can (or be forced to) compensate losers through tax policy (redistribution). Note, in this context, redistribution can be though of as an extension of capitalism, and not always in a socialist context.
Further, and this brings us to the scariest aspect of globalization. Some job loss is inevitable and actually desirable, i.e. lowest skilled labor can be done cheapest in low income nations, etc... Instead we should focus on higher skill jobs (i.e. engineering, marketing, etc...). Unfortunately, our country is losing it's ingenuity (thanks to video games) and is incompetent at math and science (how many american kids are in engineering grad schools?) and pretty soon we'll be left without low skill jobs and high skill jobs. Of course the unions are to blame, but on the other side of the token if education was left to only conservatives, I don't think we'd be that much better off (look at the quality of public schools in the south).
Timothy L. Pennell| 10.4.10 @ 10:59AM
Yaaaaaawwwwwwwn.
Hey, look at that. Another 'Dog Bites Man' story.
You're trying to say WHAT, exactly? That Democrats are Hippocrates?
You mean like The African Muslim, in the White House, who thinks that the D.C. Public School System just "DOESN'T MEASURE UP" to HIS KID'S standards, but it's GOOD ENOUGH for all the Poor Minority Kids living there, who had their Private School Vouchers taken away by the COKE HEAD.
Or are you talking about his Wife - FAT *SS - who's always sticking her nose in to OUR menus, while her Cigarette Smoking, Drunk, of a Husband (see results of Presidential Medical Checkup) stuffs his fat mouth with Cheese Steaks, Cheeseburgers, Ice Cream, and Hot Dogs?
Or what about Nancy Pelosi, who raised the Minimum Wage on every U.S. Territory except American Samoa? You didn't know that? She EXEMPTED them from the Minimum Wage hike. It seems that STAR KIST employs most of the people in that land. And Starkist is owned by Del Monte. And Del Monte is in Pelosi's State. And SHE and her HUSBAND, have quite the Stock Portfolio. Of which, Del Monte plays a big part. (KACHING)
And, of course, there's Dianne Feinstein, who QUIT the Senate Committee that dealt with appropriating stuff for the Military, after her Husband stepped away from the Companies that he was involved with, that got many a Contract from that very same Committee?
Of course, these are only the TIP of the Iceberg.
These Lib Broads? Just as CROOKED as their Male Counterparts. Maybe even more so.
Warrior | 10.4.10 @ 12:14PM
Thanks for letting me know the Harman's have no actual control over their business, there are acceptable ways to redistribute wealth, no one should ever take a lower skilled job, we should all be engineers or in marketing and that all the conservatives teachers are in the south. I bet you and Robert Gibbs enthrall each other with your insights and logic.
Oil| 10.10.10 @ 1:00PM
(look at the quality of public schools in the south).
Indeed sir, to emphasize I would like to direct you to this gem - http://xahlee.org/Periodic_dos.....aphics.png
Lesser Weevil| 10.4.10 @ 2:11AM
What's your point? Obviously, they wouldn't be outsourcing if they didn't think that it was economically rational to do so. Are you saying that they shouldn't? How can they afford not to? This is just the economic law of gravity.
Another thing: keeping jobs in the US is no guarantee that they will benefit American workers. I work in the computer industry, and only about 20% of my colleagues are US-born; this is a drastic change from 20 years ago when I first started in the Silicon Valley. No matter how you slice it, competition is now global.
Jrs is quite right. The US can only maintain its prosperity through innovations that lead to new markets and higher productivity. As we sink under the weight of enormous debt and regulation, the outlook isn't bright, especially with the health sector about to be ground under the heel of Obamacare.
David W| 10.4.10 @ 8:24AM
I think the point raised by the article is that a member of the party that denigrates rich people and accuses Republicans of thinking of only money (thus supporting outsourcing because it will let "us" make even more money) is affiliated with a company that does the same thing - whether directly or indirectly or just profits from it. I'm sure, if Ms. Harmon was really against outsourcing, there would be a way for her or her husband to do something about it. Again, it is a "do what we say, not what we do" thing.
gearjammer| 10.4.10 @ 10:22AM
Yes, the maddening double standard strikes again. Add this to Kerry building hi 7 million dollar yacht in New Zealand , while boat builders in New England are hurting. If, any republican candidate in a debate can't counter this outsourcing party for rich only bull this time round, then I give up.
steve| 10.4.10 @ 8:43AM
you are invitedto follow my blog
Timothy L. Pennell| 10.4.10 @ 10:48AM
Yaaaaaawwwwwwwn.
Hey, look at that. Another 'Dog Bites Man' story.
You're trying to say WHAT, exactly? That Democrats are Hippocrates?
You mean like The African Muslim who thinks that the D.C. Public School System just "DOESN'T MEASURE UP" to HIS KID'S standards, but it's GOOD ENOUGH for all the Poor Minority Kids living there, who had their Private School Vouchers taken away by the COKE HEAD.
Or are you talking about his Wife - FAT *SS - who's always stinking her nose in to OUR menus, while her Cigarette Smoking, Drunk, of a Husband (see results of Presidential Medical Checkup) stuffs his fat mouth with Cheese Steaks, Cheeseburgers, Ice Cream, and Hot Dogs?
Or what about Nancy Pelosi, who raised the Minimum Wage on every U.S. Territory except American Samoa? You didn't know that? She EXEMPTED them from the Minimum Wage hike. It seems that STAR KIST employs most of the people in that land. And Starkist is owned by Del Monte. And Del Monte is in Pelosi's State. And SHE and her HUSBAND, have quite the Stock Portfolio. Of which, Del Monte plays a big part. (KACHING)
And, of course, there's Dianne Feinstein, who QUIT the Senate Committee that dealt with appropriate stuff for the Military, when her Husband stepped away from the Companies that he was involved with, that got many a Contract from that very same Committee?
Of course, these are only the TIP of the Iceberg.
These Lib Broads? Just as CROOKED as their Male Counterparts. Maybe even more so.
JFGalt| 10.4.10 @ 2:38PM
But the voters keep voting her in. That's where the real problem lies. Why should any of this hypocrasy be a surprise?
gearjammer| 10.4.10 @ 2:55PM
Thanks to the media in the Golden State being part and parcel of the democrat party the voters are clueless.