Hello,
I just picked up the June issue of THe Journal of NIH Research and on
p. 23 found an interesting article describing how heads of really big
businesses (Chrysler,Dupont, Lockheed Martin, Eastman Kodak,etc) rallied
last month to defend federal support of biomedical research. Sixteen blue-chip
company leaders paid about $20,000 for an ad in the May 2 edition of the
Washington Post, in which they signed a letter saying that government-funded
research is critical for the success of these research-based industries."
According to the article, thees business leaders has signed and delivered a
According to the article, thees business leaders has signed and delivered a
similar letter to more than 300 congressional offices on March 23.
It occured to me that this ad in the Washington post might help
us in our efforts to convince our members of Congress to support the
Udall bill, and biomedical research in general. Congress is concerned
about the bottom line these days, so it is to our advantage to let congress
know that industry believes government - funded research , specifically
NIH research, creates jobs and economic success for businesses.
It would be particularly impressive if we could find some industry
leaders who would lobby congress specifically for the passage of the
Udall bill. Any ideas on how to do this?
As a Tennessean, I was delighted to learn on this network that our
Senator Frist, who is a physician, has signed on as a co-sponsor of the
Udall bill. I have just written him a letter of thanks, and suggested that
as a physicain he could be a strong advocate for the bill.
I've also written a letter to my other congressmen asking them to
join Senator Frist as co-sponsors (they have responded to earlier letters
with a noncommital response). I urge others to contact, or re-contact,
their members of Congress. Lets' go for a groundswell of support!
Regards,
Lynn
