December 14, 2009
The Honorable Patty Murray
173 Russell Senate Office
Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Murray:
I noted with great interest
the comments you made about Alabama during a recent interview for the program All Things Considered. Your exact quote was, “I would challenge anybody to tell
me that they’ve stood on a line in Alabama and seen anybody building anything.”
Senator, on behalf of the over
5000 manufacturing companies in Alabama, I must accept your challenge. I have personally stood “on the line” in Alabama and watched hundreds of products being manufactured, including automobiles and space flight
vehicles. I remain hopeful that in the
near future, I will also “stand on the line” and watch the military’s new
refueling tanker be manufactured here.
Since the beginning of America’s space program, NASA has relied on the George
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Rockets built
and designed in Alabama delivered our astronauts to the moon. Most recently, NASA-Huntsville has been
instrumental in the design and construction of the ARES V crew launch vehicle
that will again carry man to the moon.
The automobile manufacturing
industry has also flourished in Alabama. Mercedes,
Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, and hundreds of their suppliers and support
companies call Alabama home. Senator,
since 1995, over one million automobiles have been manufactured in Alabama.
Over 312,000 Alabamians are
employed in the manufacturing industry.
Any one of these committed men and women, or I can attest that Alabama is on the leading edge nationally in the field of
manufacturing, medicine, and technical research.
Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to clarify this issue. I
wish you and your family the happiest of holidays and fruitful new years.
Sincerely,
Jim Folsom,
Jr.