Thursday, April 24, 2008

Ted and Lisa Vote to Repeal 19th Amendment

Actually, that didn't come up yesterday, when Ted and Lisa voted with the borg, to support the notion that if women don't get equal pay to their male counterparts for the same work, and their employer intentionally hides that information, the woman can only collect money for the last six months of the wrong. She'd then have to sue again every six months, as long as the unequal pay continues, until it stops. Or until the Supreme Court revises their last ruling, and rules that they meant 30 days, not 180. What the U. S. Supreme Court did last year, in their Leadbetter vs Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. decision, was legalize a new era of economic rape.

Steve Benen wrote about this early today, at Crooks & Liars:

in a bizarre ruling, a narrow Supreme Court majority decided last year that Americans who face wage discrimination only have 180 days to challenge the initial discrimination in court. In other words, if your employer is paying you less money for equal work, and you don’t find about the discrepancy until seven months after the problem began, you can’t contest this in court.

The House already passed a measure to improve workers’ rights in this area, and the Senate was poised to do the same. A bipartisan majority supported the legislation.

But not by 60 votes.

John McCain, the GOP's shining light in Alaska now, didn't vote, but said this about why women fail - at least in his mind - in New Orleans, where he's blaming the Katrina victims, so he can raise more money from that part of Bush's base:

“They need the education and training, particularly since more and more women are heads of their households, as much or more than anybody else. And it’s hard for them to leave their families when they don’t have somebody to take care of them.

“It’s a vicious cycle that’s affecting women, particularly in a part of the country like this, where mining is the mainstay; traditionally, women have not gone into that line of work, to say the least."


I'm hoping to see some criticism of their vote - especially Ted's - show up real soon in op-eds, letters to editors and in civil rights discussions around Alaska. Speak up, candidates! Ask St. Hulk "WTF?"

Good thing the 19th Amendment didn't come up, huh?

With rubber stamp sock puppets, who continue to support a president whose incompetence is unparalleled in U.S. history; who tend to eat their own with a special relish Goebbels might have genuinely enjoyed or envied, like Ted and Lisa and Don, peoples' rights get sold down the river way too often.

We can't miss an opportunity to hit at Sen. Stevens when something like this comes up. Democrats need to attack his record. Again and again and again until we win in November.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should be in advertising, you can spin anything-I'm not a McCain fan, but he is right on this one.

CelticDiva said...

I'm just back from the Gathering and I'm wiped out so to the oh-so-brave anonymous I say...fuck you!!!!

If you've ever been through an EEO action (mine wasn't pay related but it was awful) you'll know that it destroys any chance of a long-term career; it makes you a pariah among management and those who want to stay "in" with management; all of the milestones and rules benefit management; there are no "advocates"; within the organization; it requires reams of paperwork and a sharp, legal mind if you can't afford a lawyer; it requires tons of back-up testimony and documentation; it requires patience, because the process literally can take years.

They settled with me because my case (and my documentation) was that good. However, the stress made me desperately ill.

There's nothing to spin here, you jerk...being subjected to pay inequity, then being forced to go through the EEO process, then being unable to get compensated when they find IN YOUR FAVOR is continuous, outrageous victimization.