"We are working hard to reinvent ourselves and position ISA and our partnering organizations in a way that we can be the voice of automation all around the world raising the stature and credibility of the overall profession we represent to a level that has never before been realized.

"This is not easy and it will not come quickly, and while that journey should have begun long ago, we can't wait any longer to organize the troops and lead the charge and we are fortunate to have a strong foundation on which we can build. That is what we intend to do. And we can't do it without both individual and corporate support. Times have changed and so must we.

"I do not believe that the individuals and corporations, which claim a stake in the field of automation, can spend our time and attention focused solely inward looking at each other. We are competing for talent, dollars, and every other imaginable resource with many other professions that have been better coordinated and with more history behind them.

"In order for us to realize the potential we have and receive the credibility we deserve as a legitimate and understood market power, we must elevate our thought and goals and unite to show the essential critical mass.

"When we are successful as a profession, the world will understand all of the various technologies of automation and how they impact humanity in a positive way on a daily basis and they will aspire to be part of the movement."

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S. Chandra Sekhar [Chandras@kockw.com] comments on the futility of name-changing:

"After reading about the ISA name change debacle, I started wondering whether all this hoopla is really worth it. It reminded me of several other name changes which had resulted in a negative effect on the morale of the people involved. Basically a company name gives pride to those involved. By its very nature, pride cannot be given in the 'future tense', meaning that nostalgia and pride should be seen together.

"I can now recollect my disappointment, in fact, when 'Instrument Society of America' became what it is now. I am not sure if any future name changes would result in any more pride in its members. On the other hand, the existing members might feel a bit confused, to say the least.

"Compare this to what the previous 'Computer Maintenance Corporation' of India did. At one point of time they realized that they were doing much more than mere 'maintenance' and simply changed the name to 'CMC'. What was an acronym previously became simply a 'name' now. They are happy forever.

"Enough said. My proposal is to change the name to 'ISA' and define what ISA stands for, with a suitable slogan."

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Gary Mintchell [gmintchell@automationworld.com] suggests that healthcare must indeed be government-run:

"The commenter on healthcare about if there is no government regulation and we all have free choice to choose the best health plan is living in a dream world. Theoretically, the idea sounds hard to beat. But, who has time in the midst of earning a living to study in detail the complex (purposely so) offerings of health insurance?

"What we'd all have to do is find a trusted advisor. Between the over-hyped offerings of providers and the often tainted advice of advisors, who is going to step in and tell companies that they've gone over the line? Actually, your opening rant is sufficient rebuttal to the 18th century theories of leave the government out of it."

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