Ok, blog break over. It's been brought to my attention that Joe Hoeffel is a member of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans. The Caucus is intended to encourage Indian-Americans to participate more in the political process.

I've been receiving a lot of email from my former supporters about Joe's affiliation with the Caucus and his lack of support for jobs legislation restricting the abuse of H1B and L-1 VISAs, many of which take away American jobs in favor of cheaper Indian labor.

Now, I have no problem with India or its people. The country has done a great job to position itself as a cheap high-skilled labor alternative for US corporations, and it is entitled to do so. My problem is with our own government's participation in selling us down the river by allowing US companies to exploit the VISA system in a way that hurts American workforce, families, and communities. Keep in mind, many of these visa holders do not pay local, state, or US taxes.

If Joe Hoeffel is going to win, he's going to need to support of the labor community and disenfranchised knowledge workers. So far, he has spoken to the issue but his existing affiliation with the India Caucus and his lack of support for legislation fixing these loopholes brings his stance into question. I'm not interested in words or policy. I would like to see some real action, as would a lot of my supporters. This week, I asked them to throw a few bucks Joe's way, because Joe is the Democratic candidate. A number of people reacted badly because of Joe's record on these issues. I'm going to talk with Joe directly about it and will report back. I agree with those who say they can't support someone who doesn't walk the walk, and I'm evaluating my own support for the Hoeffel campaign.

Sadly, our alternatives are few. I hope Joe ends up on the right side of this issue.