Well Kelly, my wife would remind you that "You're talking to a bunch of engineers. You have to 'clarify!" She hates it when I say that.
Anyway, the word "outsourcing" to me has always meant anytime a company looked outside its own four walls to get something done, like hiring contractors or other companies to do something they might have done themselves under other circumstances. I ran a business for 10 years that depended directly on my clients doing that very thing - outsourcing. They didn't send the jobs overseas; they gave them to me, domestically.
But in today's political environment the word has taken on a new, darker, sinister, almost evil meaning (mainly by those that have a gut level hatred for anyone that makes a profit). If you asked 100 people on American streets right now what it means, they would say "sending jobs overseas". The word never meant that until the media's obsession with this whole Bain Capital "issue".
I would also remind folks who want to respond to the poll to consider this - the biggest benefits or losses are usually indirect. For example, if you own stock in a company (thru a 401K or any other vehicle) that doubled its profits by outsourcing then you benefitted. If you directly lost a job that went overseas, that's hard to see it as a benefit. But I can tell you as someone who has had, and lost, several jobs over the years, time adds perspective to your judgment of benefit or loss.
