| Norman
Augustine, former CEO of Lockheed Martin, once observed,
"Engineers today seem to be the stealth profession, the
silent occupation…If we as engineers are unwilling to
responsibly speak out on issues within our realm of expertise, who
then will?"
IEEE-USA takes
that question very seriously; in fact, one of our primary
organizational missions is providing government decision-makers
with information they need to address technologically complex
issues. IEEE-USA communicates with Capitol Hill on some issue
almost every day, but the truth is that Members of Congress often
prefer constituent input when making decisions on the many issues
that they must address. My personal experience with Congressional
visits has been that the Members of Congress give almost all of
their attention to the constituent when a mixed group comes to
present a position or offer information. Constituent contact lets
them know that the issue is important, that it affects their state
or district, and that voters are concerned enough to act. A few
knowledgeable engineers who speak out can have a significant
impact, especially on complex technological issues on which
engineers have special expertise.
Reinforcing the
important role of the constituent engineer, consider the advice of
Rep. Vernon Ehlers, himself a physicist who ran for Congress after
years as a volunteer adviser to then U.S. Representative and
former President Gerald R. Ford. According to Ehlers, "what
is needed is for scientists [and engineers] to become lobbyists.
You have to be able to react rapidly to alerts that your input is
needed in the congressional process. You have to get to know your
local Congressperson and help him or her."
For these
reasons, IEEE-USA will unveil its Congressional Advocacy
Recruitment Effort (CARE) project on 28 April 2001 as part of the
IEEE-USA 2001 Workshop. Our goal is to arrange for IEEE U.S.
members to pay constituent visits Our goal is to recruit IEEE U.S.
members to pay a constituent visit to their U.S. Senators and
Representative in their district or Washington office sometime
during the 107th Congress (2001-2002). That’s a total
of 535 constituent visits, a small number that can result in a big
pay-off for the engineering profession if even a few members are
able to establish themselves as trusted sources of information and
advice.
To make CARE
work, IEEE-USA will provide issue alerts, background information
and a "how-to" tutorial on arranging a successful
congressional visit. Each Member of Congress will be mapped and
assigned to a specific IEEE U.S. Section(s). PACE Chairs for IEEE’s
U.S. Sections will be enlisted to help find members in their
sections willing to make these visits. Volunteers can call on
IEEE-USA for assistance with their visits and will be asked to
provide a follow-up report. For more information on the project
and how you can participate, visit the CARE web page at http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/care.
In addition to
our CARE Initiative, IEEE-USA is one of the principal organizers
of the 6th annual Congressional Visits Day (CVD), which
will bring more than 300 scientists, engineers, researchers,
educators and technology executives representing more than 60
organizations to Washington on 1-2 May 2001 to raise visibility
and support for science, engineering, and technology.
CVD’s
objective is to underscore the long-term importance of science and
technology in the United States through meetings with
congressional decision-makers. Its core messages are:
- A balanced
federal investment in science, engineering, and technology
(SET) is fundamental to the future of our nation’s
prosperity
- S&T
partnerships between government, universities, and industries
mean progress, economic growth and jobs
For more
information on 2001 Congressional Visits Day to find out how you
can participate, visit the CVD webpage at http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/cvd/
or contact Deborah Rudolph at d.rudolph@ieee.org.
Whether it’s
CARE, CVD, inviting a Member of Congress to speak at your local
section meeting or tour your engineering facility, or just writing
a letter to your Representative on a matter of personal concern,
the key is that you have to take the initiative to communicate and
interact with your elected representatives. Your profession and
the country need you.
IEEE-USA
President's Column
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