Dear Tracee,

What more do you people want?

She’s literally campaigning FOR her opponent. She’s signing over her delegates. Lots of political losers can barely shake hands with the winner.

There’s a certain number of the population who might vote for John McCain now that Barack Obama didn’t pick a woman VP. Especially if John McCain picks a woman as his VP. But, it won’t be because of Hillary.

I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t understand the appeal of this thinking.

At first I thought that’s crazy, it’s the politics. The healthcare, the economy, the war.

Then I thought, wait.

I no longer believe men – Republican or Democrat – are capable of acting in the best interests of women.

Men will act in their own self-interest.

Case in point, my husband voted for Barack Obama, though clearly Hillary Clinton was in the best interest of me, and my position in this economy and the workplace.

If women were that smart, we’d be a hell of a lot better off than we are today. Hell, if women acted in their own economic self-interest we’d have the brass ring of equality.

I don’t care how nice or good the men are or how much they say the right thing.

Women are entitled to be represented in our own government. We’re half the population. We’re half the economy.

It’s not passe, it’s not cliche to want that or to insist on it.

We should stop believing that Democrats are our only hope – we should start holding Republicans equally accountable to women. No one should get a free pass.

Both of these guys better realize that when they talk about “The Economy”
My economy and theirs are two different animals. My economy isn’t even the same as my own husband’s.

I don’t enjoy economic dependance and I’m fighting against it with my vote this year. Since reading The Feminine Mistake , by Leslie Bennetts, I now understand how “The Market” and “Family Pressure” is pushing women out of the workplace.

I, frankly, think that’s dangerous for me, my daughter, this society and our economy.

One of the best things I heard last night, and I believe it was the president of The White House Project, Marie Wilson who said it,

WOMEN are an underused and under-appreciated and underpaid VITAL resource for the economic future of this country.

If you think we can compete on the world stage in science, computer technology, health care, business, or any other industry without utilizing women as a fundamental resource then I think you don’t understand much about our economy, how it works, or the kinds of world pressures it’s under.

Women must stop acting and voting as if we’re okay with being on the clearance rack - 25% Off.

I want to see BOTH candidates offer me equal pay for equal work, I want to see both candidates realize that I want health care whether I work for a corporation or not, I want to see both candidates acknowledge that children exist and must be cared for by all employees. I want to apply pressure to both because it’s in MY best interest to increase my odds of getting it.

With Hillary, I felt it was a sure thing that these issues would get addressed as a high priority. She’s a woman so she gets how different her economy is from Bill’s.

With Barack, apathy while he deals with what HE feels is a higher priority of importance, is no better than the outright disregard of John McCain.

Some have suggested that it could only be a “twisted sense of loyalty to Hillary” that might make people reconsider their political interests.

This ignores the fact that lots of Republican women were willing to cross the Party Line to vote for themselves and their own personal economies, with a vote for Hillary. But may not be willing to do so for a man.

Let me assure you – my vote will come from a place of 100% loyalty to ME and my daughter’s future.

If Barack Obama wants my vote – he better make some promises to women and families. I’m talking about First 100 Days promises, not platitudes.

If John McCain wants my vote – he better make some promises to women and families.

Black Grandmothers

Image Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me, my political loyalties lie 100% in the best interests of me and my daughter’s economics. Momsrising.org - that T-shirt I’m wearing, is applying pressure to both parties to make the economy of women and all families equal to that of men.

Post from: Blisstree

Hillary, Barack, John & Women’s Economy

I figure we could solve a multitude of problems for American families by doing these two things.

* Reduce the in-office workday by 1.5 hrs (assume 3:30).

* Increase the school day by 1.5 hrs (assume 4:00).

This way parents can swing by and pick up their kids on their way home from work.

It’s insane that our school day and our work day aren’t aligned. Its like we’re pretending that our nation’s workers and our nation’s parents are two separate people. They’re not.

In reality, what we’re doing is pretending that our nation’s mothers are still houswives. They’re not.

This leaves the kids home alone for hours – studies show they’re doing drugs and getting knocked up during these hours.

It leaves parents feeling neglectful and guilty though they’re doing the best they can.

Our students would do better on standardized tests and they could get back recess, art, music and PE back in the every curriculum with the extra time.

Most of our nation’s workers can check their email, write reports, and complete busy work at home. This would also reduce the number of hours employees are just dinking around watching the clock and surfing the web for lack of anything better to do.

All in favor say Aye.

Can I get some Dads in the house to say Aye?

A family friendly workday is never going to happen without the men getting on board. Convince your husband to talk to HIS HR department. That’s how change we’ll see real change.

Post from: Blisstree

Change America in an Hour and a Half

I turned 35 on Saturday.

We had a California picnic at the lake.

My husband got me this fabulous Momsrising.org T-shirt.

Of course, what I want for my birthday is equal pay, family leave insurance, and gender equality. It’s not just a t-shirt. It’s political action.

He gets me.

When I was a teenager I thought I’d be stupid and boring and washed up and not care about my looks or health at 35.

Instead at 35, I find myself engaged in life, pro-active about my health, excited about my work and more willing to let go of all my hang-ups with every passing day.

Oprah has me convinced 50 is the Holy Grail for women, anyway. I’m still a babe in terms of that standard. I like that standard, it makes me feel I have all the time in the world to get everything I want to accomplish accomplished.

I feel more like Me, and more accepting of that, as time passes.

In short, I’ve never been happier and I’ve never felt better. I’m in my prime.

Post from: Blisstree

35th Birthday

Dear MomsRising.org member,

I want to share the story of Selena with you — a woman who had her baby on a Thursday and was back at her desk the next Monday morning while her newborn son remained in the hospital.

First, the good news: What happened with Selena doesn’t need to happen anymore if Congress passes a Family Leave Insurance bill for everyone to be able to stay home with new children.

*Tell Your Congressperson it’s Time to Pass the Family Leave Insurance Act: http://www.momsrising.org/NationalPaidFamilyLeave

Here’s what happened with Selena: She was pushing a shopping cart full of pasta, rice, tortillas, and other basic food staples, when a pain started as a nagging stitch in her side. Her baby wasn’t due for another six weeks though and she thought the pain would likely just go away, as many strange pinches and pains do during pregnancy, so she continued shopping for her family.

Selena and her husband, James, had carefully worked out their finances to accommodate a second child, figuring out that they could only afford to have Selena take a little over two weeks off after the baby was born. Like 61 percent of families in the U.S. with children, they were both in the labor force.

But unlike the rest of the world, the United States doesn’t (yet!) have Paid Family and Medical Leave for all new mothers (which is paid time off after the birth of a baby). In fact, only four countries in the world don’t have some form of paid leave for new mothers: Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, Lesotho, and the United States. So, not surprisingly, having a baby in the U.S. is a top cause of poverty spells as people face job interruptions due to lack of paid family leave.

It’s not so very hard to see that what happened to Selena could happen to many of us.

The best laid plans sometimes go awry. The morning after the shopping trip, Selena went to her doctor and found out she really was in early labor. After trying unsuccessfully to stop the labor, Selena and James’ baby boy, Connor, was born six weeks early.

Their baby was rushed out of the room and up to the Neonatal Intensive Care unit, Selena’s husband rushed up with him, and Selena found herself alone in a hospital bed realizing that she was going to go home well before her baby. She had a tough decision to make.

With her son stable in the hospital, but not knowing how long until he could come home, the choice was between Selena taking time off when he was in the hospital, or waiting to take time off when the baby was released from the hospital and could come home. “There was no way we could afford for me to take off more than we planned,” recalls Selena.

They made a difficult decision: They decided it would be best if she waited to take time off until the baby came home.

So this is how after Selena had the baby on Thursday, she was released from the hospital Friday, and was back at her desk on Monday morning. “It was the hardest two and a half weeks of my life,” she says recalling the ache of being away from her newborn son and the rigorous family schedule at that time.

We have great news though. MomsRising members are making a difference at the state level. In Selena’s home state, Washington, such a law was passed within the last couple of years-mainly due to the work of local MomsRising members pushing it forward. This means that Selena wouldn’t face the same predicament if she had her baby there next year.

In fact, due in no small part to the efforts of local MomsRising members, Paid Family and Medical Leave laws (also called Family Leave Insurance) have passed in both New Jersey and in Washington, and are moving forward in Oregon, New York, Maryland, and more. And, California was the first state to have such a law.

Working together, we moms are making progress at the state level, and know we can do it at the national level too. And now we have the chance to build much-needed support for a strong, groundbreaking bill for all moms and families.

Take a moment to forward this email to friends and family. The more moms that Congress hears from, the faster they’ll realize that something must be done now. The bill is written and ready to be passed; they just have to get working on it.

Here’s that link again to urge Congress to pass the Family Leave Insurance Act in case you need it:

http://www.momsrising.org/NationalPaidFamilyLeave

Let’s make this happen together!

Tell all your friends and family. This bill makes a crucial difference to every family, every worker, in America.

Post from: Blisstree

Family Leave Insurance Bill

Thanks to the tireless work of AAUW members and supporters for more than a decade, the House of Representatives passed (247-178) the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338) last week.

All Democrats present voted for the bill, and 14 Republicans crossed the aisle to vote yes in favor of equal pay. See how your representative voted, and contact your representative about their vote. Thank the representatives who supported the Paycheck Fairness Act. Express your extreme disappointment to those representatives who voted against this bill, and urge them to support pay equity legislation in the future.

Celebrate AAUW’s success in the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act! Visit AAUW’s website to read the in-depth story of the steps and strategies leading up to the bill’s passage and AAUW’s instrumental role in this victory. See pictures of AAUW leading the charge, capping off a fight that lasted more than a decade, and learn more about the role you and thousands of AAUW members and supporters across the nation played in this win for pay equity. Download a copy of the article for your branch and state newsletters. Then, visit our blog to let us know what you think of this success.

Thousands of Action Network subscribers sent multiple messages to their representatives in favor of this legislation, and AAUW’s Capitol Hill Lobby Corps visited many congressional offices to represent the support of AAUW members across the nation. In addition, AAUW coordinated a sign-on letter for 200 national, state, and local coalition partners to show Congress the widespread support for the bill.

If enacted, the Paycheck Fairness Act would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963, closing loop holes and improving the law’s effectiveness. Equal pay for equal work is a simple matter of justice for women, and the House passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act is a critical step forward in our goal to close the persistent and sizable wage gaps between men and women.

Take Action!

To contact your representative regarding his or her vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act, just click on the “Take Action” link in the upper right corner or copy and paste the following URL into your Internet browser. Then, follow the instructions to send your message. http://capwiz.com/aauw/issues/alert/?alertid=11770306&type=CO

AAUW continues to have “I am the face of pay equity” signs and stickers available for use at AAUW events. Visit AAUW’s Pay Equity webpage and download the Pay Equity Resource Kit for ideas, tips, and resources to use in your community throughout the year.

Post from: Blisstree

YAY! Equal PAY!

Flex your pointer finger for another mighty click to send a second letter on wage discrimination to Congress at Paycheck Fairness Act.

What’s it all about? Quite simply, the Paycheck Fairness Act is the granddaughter of the Equal Pay Act of 1963-the original “equal pay for equal work law” that was so pivotal to building economic security for mothers and families. The House of Representatives plans to vote tomorrow on the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would update and strengthen that Act. It would close loopholes and improved the law’s effectiveness in many ways, including:

• Improving Equal Pay Act Remedies by putting gender-based wage discrimination on an equal footing with wage discrimination based on race or ethnicity, for which full compensatory and punitive damages are already available.

• Improving Collection of Pay Information to enhance the detection of violations of law and improve enforcement of the laws against pay discrimination.

• Prohibiting Employer Retaliation by prohibiting employers from punishing employees for sharing salary information with their coworkers, which currently happens on a regular basis.

• Closing a Loophole in the Employer Defense by excusing a pay differential for men and women only where the employer can show that the differential is truly caused by something other than sex and is related to job performance.

• Eliminating the “Establishment” Requirement by clarifying that a pay comparison need not be between employees in the same physical place of business.

Since the vote is happening within the next day, please take a moment now to forward this post to friends, family, neighbors, moms groups, and more, so they can take action too. We need to have as many moms as possible contacting their U.S. Representatives to let them know that we expect them to vote YES on the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Here’s that link again, in case you need it.

Let’s make our grandmothers proud and help build momentum for this important legislation.

– Nanette, Donna, Kristin and the MomsRising.org Team

P.S. The National Women’s Law Center has a terrific factsheet.

P.P.S. Tell us your stories about fair pay, or the lack thereof.

Come on ladies – make me proud – take two seconds of your life and make an extra quarter an hour! Hello!

Tell your husband to do it too!

Post from: Blisstree

Act NOW for Equal Pay Act