Sumbuddy tell me please why the U.S. wants so badly to be a third-world country?

Russo, Lucent's Cost-Cutter, to Reduce Workforce at Alcatel
April 3 (Bloomberg) -- Patricia Russo, who eliminated 30,000 jobs at Lucent Technologies Inc., says she will move quickly to reduce the workforce when she takes over as head of Alcatel SA after the French company's $13.4 billion purchase of the biggest U.S. phone-equipment maker.

``We clearly intend to have speed as our bias,'' Russo said yesterday on a conference call after announcing the sale to Paris- based Alcatel, where she will become CEO. Russo aims to save $1.7 billion after three years at the enlarged phone equipment company.

Russo plans to eliminate 10 percent of the combined staff, or 8,800 jobs, after reducing the workforce by 50 percent at Murray Hill, New Jersey-based Lucent. The turnaround experience may help her boost earnings at the new company, whose products range from phone gear to networking and broadband devices, executives said.

``She had great learning from a difficult and complex challenge when she took over Lucent,'' said Fred Hassan, chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough Corp. Russo sits on the Kenilworth, New Jersey-based drugmaker's board. ``Some of those turnaround experiences are greatly helpful when you do a merger.''