How many times do I have to tell you what my trade is before you listen, Tom ;-)

Refresh my memory. I'm old. Or cough up an album entry like the rest of us. Don't make me sic Lindy on you.

It was obvious by the late 80's that tech was the future middle class job.

The word "tech" covers a pretty wide swath. As I have pointed out, nobody in the late 80's had any real idea exactly what "tech" would be creating business in 2004. I have tremendous confidence in the creativity of Americans and others. Nobody is promising transitions without some upheavals.

Its obvious now that, without any protection or incentive from government, etc, that nothing a programmer in the US can do can't be done cheaper by someone elsewhere.

True, all else being equal. Now, as for "protection or incentives..."

If we artificially raise the price of our programming by excluding foreign programmers, then those foreign programmers will be creating lower-priced product for somebody else. Of course, in our new protectionist mode, we can simply prevent that lower-priced software from being sold in America, or tax it. Yay! That just leaves them the entire rest of the world as a market, while our protected American software companies get to compete by offering the same product at a higher price. Maybe we could include coupons for free sodas or something. Okay, let's subsidize the company with tax dollars so they can sell their product for less money than it costs to make it. Maybe they can make it up in volume. This kind of crap goes on and on when government tries to "fix" a market problem. Each interference with the market requires two more.

And this is just the most obvious consequence in this example.

You know, when I say "the market always works," people misinterpret it to mean that the market will always make things swell for everyone. No, I use it in the same sense as the phrase "gravity always works." If you take it into account, you can work with it. If you try to cross a canyon walking on a flashlight beam, or lift a bulldozer with your bare hands, just because you think you ought to be able to, you'll have trouble.

Capital and brains without labor is worth exactly nothing.

True, but as we are finding out, the latter is in a lot higher supply on this planet than the former.

white-collar American engineers are not american labor?

Sure didn't use to be. That was what "white collar" meant.

As with arguments about "taxing the rich," the line between the "bosses" and the "workers" seems to move around considerably depending on the argument. So, at what point does working with your head instead of your hands put you in the evil "boss" category? Do you draw the line at a certain income level? Whether or not you have an executive washroom key?