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Last night, CNN spent a long time with various experts talking about =
American jobs being sent to India from the USA and named many =
corporations. Interestingly, Hungry and Poland were also mentioned as =
major job export areas. Made the comment that the people answering the =
phones are trained to say that they are in Houston, texas.
This morning, CNN's advice was to stop telecommuting as a working style =
because a telecommuter was the easiest person to replace because there =
is no personal relationship, etc. CNN's expert's advice was to get back =
into the company's premises and don't be a complainer.
Also suggested that it was up to "you", the employee to tell the =
management what files you had brought into the company, what personal =
contacts you had made, etc.,
Their conclusion was that the corporations would be lucky to have any =
Americans left who could aford to buy their products. I would suggest =
that the same thing is true of Canada.
Many of the members of this list will not know of the Salt Taxes which =
were responsible for the French Revolution (although re-imposed by =
Napoleon in 1805) and Ghandi's March to Dandi which was the start fo the =
emancipation of India.
I bring this up because of Foxy 1's post about the farming out of =
telecomputing jobs to India. Accountants in Canada are also farming out =
their accounting business to Chartered Accountants in Uganda at $1.00 =
Cdn per hour - sort of New Cadillac service for used 10 year old =
Chevette prices.
There is nothing new about using different countries to spread work =
around. It is up to us all to arrange our affairs to be able to cope =
with the changes. =20
What is significant here is that the forerunners (i.e. telecommuters) =
are the easiest to replace. I have a client living in Bella Bella who =
works in Boca Raton, Florida every day and I have a client in Richmond =
who works in Downtown Philadelphia by telecommuting.
Both of those people are replaceable at 1/20th of the cost by hiring =
someone to do the same job in India, Bangladesh or Trinidad.
The following comes from: http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Dandi.html
The Salt March To Dandi
=20
The Salt Tax=20
After proclaiming the Declaration of Independence of India on January =
26, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi came to an impasse in his political career =
focused on freeing India from British rule. A new anti-government =
campaign was imperative for achieving the secularization of India for =
its people; it remained unclear, however, to Gandhi what form was most =
appropriate for this campaign to take (Sheean 152; 156-7). During the =
period that followed in which he could find "no light at the end of the =
tunnel,"; it became apparent to Gandhi that non-violent civil =
disobedience would form the basis for any ensuing protest (Sheean 152; =
156-7).=20
=20
Beginning in February 1930, Gandhi's thoughts swayed towards the British =
salt tax, one of many economic improprieties used to generate revenue to =
support British rule, as the focal point of non-violent political =
protest (Ashe 301). The British monopoly on the salt tax in India =
dictated that the sale or production of salt by anyone but the British =
government was a criminal offense punishable by law (Ashe 301). Moreso =
than in more temperate climates, salt was invaluable to the people of =
India, many of whom were agricultural laborers and required the mineral =
for metabolism in an environment of immense heat and humidity where =
sweating was profuse. Occurring throughout low-lying coastal zones of =
India, salt was readily accessible to laborers who were instead forced =
to pay money for a mineral which they could easily collect themselves =
for free (Jack 235). Moreover, Ghandi's choice met the important =
criterion of appealing across regional, class, and ethnic boundaries. =
Everyone needed salt, and the British taxes on it had an impact on all =
of India.=20
=20
Led by an "inner voice" during this period of strategical uncertainty, =
Gandhi used the British Government's monopoly of the salt tax as a =
catalyst for a major "Satyagraha" campaign (Copley 46-8). One of =
Gandhi's principal concepts, "satyagraha" goes beyond mere "passive =
resistance"; by adding the Sanskrit word "Agraha" (resolution) to =
"Satya" (Truth). For him, it was crucial that Satyagrahis found strength =
in their non-violent methods:=20
Truth (Satya) implies Love, and Firmness (Agraha) engenders and =
therefore serves as a synonym for force ... that is to say, the Force =
which is born of Truth and Love or Non-violence.... [If] we are =
Satyagrahis and offer Satyagraha, beleveing ourselves to be strong ... =
we grow stronger and stronger everyday. With our increase in strngth, =
our Stayagraha too becomes more effective, and we would never be casting =
about for an opportunity to give it up. (Gandhi 87)
Choosing the salt tax as an injustice to the people of India was =
considered an ingenious choice by critic Judith Brown (1977) because =
every peasant and every aristocrat understood the necessity of salt in =
everyday life (Copley 46-8). It was also a good choice because it did =
not alienate Congress moderates while simultaneously being an issue of =
enough importance to mobilize a mass following (Copley 46-8).=20
=20
=20
The March=20
In an effort to amend the salt tax without breaking the law, on March 2, =
1930 Ghandi wrote to the Viceroy, Lord Irwin:
If my letter makes no appeal to your heart, on the eleventh day of =
this month I shall proceed with such co-workers of the Ashram as I can =
take, to disregard the provisions of the Salt Laws. I regard this tax =
to be the most iniquitous of all from the poor man's standpoint. As the =
Independence movement is essentially for the poorest in the land, the =
beginning will be made with this evil.=20
On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and approximately 78 male satyagrahis set out, =
on foot, for the coastal village of Dandi some 240 miles from their =
starting point in Sabarmati, a journey which was to last 23 days (Jack =
237). Virtually every resident of each city along this journey watched =
the great procession, which picked up new converts as it passed through =
the villages and that was at least two miles in length (Jack 237). On =
April 6th he picked up a lump of mud and salt (some say just a pinch, =
some say just a grain) and boiled it in seawater to make the commodity =
which no Indian could legally produce--salt (Jack 240).=20
=20
Upon arriving at the seashore he spoke to a reporter: God be thanked =
for what may be termed the happy ending of the first stage in this, for =
me at least, the final struggle of freedom. I cannot withhold my =
compliments from the government for the policy of complete non =
interference adopted by them throughout the march .... I wish I could =
believe this non-interference was due to any real change of heart or =
policy. The wanton disregard shown by them to popular feeling in the =
Legislative Assembly and their high-handed action leave no room for =
doubt that the policy of heartless exploitation of India is to be =
persisted in at any cost, and so the only interpretation I can put upon =
this non-interference is that the British Government, powerful though it =
is, is sensitive to world opinion which will not tolerate repression of =
extreme political agitation which civil disobedience undoubtedly is, so =
long as disobedience remains civil and therefore necessarily non-violent =
.... It remains to be seen whether the Government will tolerate as they =
have tolerated the march, the actual breach of the salt laws by =
countless people from tomorrow. I expect extensive popular response to =
the resolution of the Working Committee (of the Indian National =
Congress). (qtd in Jack 238-239)
He implored his thousands of followers to begin to make salt wherever, =
along the seashore, "was most convenient and comfortable" to them. A =
"war" on the salt tax was to be continued during the National Week, that =
is, up to the thirteenth of April. There was also simultaneous boycotts =
of cloth and khaddar. Salt was sold, illegally, all over the seacoast =
of India. A pinch of salt from Gandhi himself sold for 1,600 rupees, =
perhaps $750 dollars at the time. In reaction to this, the British =
government had incarcerated over sixty thousand people at the end of the =
month (Jack 240-3; all of last paragraph).=20
On the night of May, 4 Gandhi was sleeping in a cot under a mango tree, =
at a village near Dandi. Several ashramites slept near him. Soon after =
midnight the District Magistrate of Surat drove up with two Indian =
officers and thirty heavily-armed constables. He woke Gandhi by shining =
a torch in his face, and arrested him under a regulation of 1827.=20
=20
Aftermath=20
The effects of the salt march were felt across India. Thousands of =
people made salt, or bought illegal salt. This period is to be =
considered the apex of Gandhi's political appeal, as the march mobilized =
many new follwers from all of Indian society and the march came to the =
world's attention. After Gandhi's release from prison he continued to =
work towards Indian independence, which was achieved in August, 1947, =
but Dandi was a key turning point in that struggle.=20
=20
Works Cited=20
Ashe, Geoffrey. Gandhi: A Study In Revolution. London: Heineman Ltd., =
1968.=20
Copley, Anthony. Gandhi: Against the Tide. Oxford: Basil Blackwell =
Ltd., 1987.=20
Gandhi, Mohandas K. "Victory in South Africa." in The Essential Gandhi. =
Ed. Louis Fischer. New York: Vintage, 1962. 84-111.=20
Jack, Homer A. The Gandhi Reader: A Source Book of His Life and =
Writings. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1956.=20
Sheean, Vincent. Mahatma Gandhi: A Great Life In Brief. New York: A. =
Knopf, Inc., 1955=20
Image sources:=20
http://www.nuvs.com/ashram/gallery/index.html=20
http://www.nuvs.com/ashram/gallery/02.html=20
=20
Author: Scott Graham, Spring '98.=20
=20
David Ingram's US/Canada Services
US / Canada / Mexico tax and working Visa Specialists
US / Canada Real Estate Specialists
4466 Prospect Road
North Vancouver, BC, CANADA, V7N 3L7
Res (604) 980-3578 Cell (604) 657-8451
(604) 980-0321=20
New email to [email protected]
www.centa.com www.david-ingram.com
Be ALERT, the world needs more "lerts"
=20
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