[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 125 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1676-E1677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL AEROSPACE WEEK

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                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 16, 2010

  Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate National 
Aerospace Week.
  At a time when there is so much discouraging economic news, we can 
look to the skies for some solace.
  Los Angeles County's unemployment rate is hovering around 13 percent, 
worse than the national average. But my district, the 36th 
Congressional District, has an unemployment rate of less than half 
that--largely because of the cushion provided by the aerospace 
industry. It is our economic engine.
  Our aerospace companies employ 819,000 Americans in high-skill, high-
wage jobs--nearly 6,500 of them in California--who together contribute 
3 to 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.
  The products produced by aerospace companies are in world-wide 
demand. Last year the U.S. exported $81 billion in aerospace 
technology, responsible for the largest foreign trade surplus in the 
American economy.
  Aerospace is not only vital to the American economy--it is vital to 
our national security. From the Mexican border to the Pakistan 
frontier, unmanned aircraft and other platforms provide eyes and ears 
to our military and law enforcement.
  These are American jobs, and they are a cornerstone of our economy. 
For reasons of national security, nearly two-thirds of these jobs 
cannot be performed overseas. They are here to stay.
  But our aerospace workforce is aging. Some 60 percent of aerospace 
workers are over age 50, and almost 26 percent are eligible for 
retirement this year. Not enough young scientists and engineers are 
signing up to take the place of the ``gray wave.''
  It used to be that being a rocket scientist was synonymous with 
genius. Now that mantle seems to apply only to the inventors of 
Facebook, eBay and Google. We are graduating just 70,000 engineers a 
year. And U.S. students recently ranked 21 out of 30 in science 
literacy, and performed even worse in math literacy.
  The only way we'll maintain our edge in aerospace is by inspiring 
kids and making it ``cool'' again to design air and space craft. Dean 
Kamen--the inventor of the Segway--does this through a nonprofit after-
school robotics program. FIRST--For Inspiration and Recognition of 
Science and Technology--is partnered with the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology to supply secondary schools with instructional materials, 
guidelines for starting robotics teams, and marketing support to 
interest children in studying the math and science behind construction 
of these devices.
  Schools in my district participate in the robotics competition, and 
Dean Kamen has personally visited my district to take part in a panel 
on the need for more young people to pursue aerospace careers. Our 
economy and national security depend on it.

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