Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day Holiday, because I sure did! It was a blast! (Pun intended). In perfect timing with the holiday spirit of U.S. independence, we have the opportunity to go to our nation's capitol and let our voice be heard. This month we have a member traveling to D.C to represent us at a Legislative meeting. Dr. Belur Dasarathy will go on our behalf, and if given an opportunity he will present our current position on the state of engineering professionals in the Huntsville area.

After much thought provoking deliberation, the IEEE Huntsville Section Executive Committee proudly states our position as follows:

The IEEE Huntsville Section recognizes the many contributions of foreign professionals, and that many of us have recent emigrant roots. We do not support legislation that unnecessarily restricts foreign immigrants from seeking high tech employment in the US. We do support legislation that ensures the US high tech work force remains competitive. This includes legislation that ensures foreign workers are paid competitive wages and benefits that are comparable to similarly qualified US workers, and that US workers are provided adequate access to education and training to remain competitive. Engineers should compete on the basis of skill and ability, with appropriate equal financial incentives for equal abilities. The IEEE Huntsville Section also supports legislation that limits the transfer of high tech jobs to foreign countries to reduce cost when the technical capability is available in the US.

Hopefully, all you members-at-large will agree with this position. If not, then please feel free to get involved in our meetings, programs, and other functions and let your voice be heard. As I have stated frequently, this is YOUR IEEE Huntsville Section. We look forward to seeing and working with you in the near future.

Until then, enjoy the rest of this Independence Month and "Let Freedom Ring."

Signed, a proud American


Sonya Hutchinson
2003 IEEE Huntsville Section Chair
sonya.hutchinson@ieee.org