We Won, They Lost

8 Random Items for 1/29/2009 #5

Here's what the title above means:

President Barack Obama is signing into law an equal-pay bill that is popular with labor and women's groups and is expected to make it easier for workers to sue for decades-old discrimination.

Equal pay for equal work? Is this even a controversial matter? Well, yes. It is highly objectionable to many Republicans. Why?

Well, many conservatives just don't believe the government has any place telling any business what they can and cannot do. (Of course, telling individuals what they can or cannot do in the privacy of their own bedroom is a different story.) If the market wants to punish those companies that discriminate, it can do it. If not, then discrimination must be a good thing. This would be the "it's just not the government's place" position.

Then their in the misogyny position. These are those groups of white male Republicans who don't believe that women could possibly perform equal work. They also believe a woman's place is in the home. These are largely religious people who believe that God created man superior to women. This would be the "evil and stupid" position.

Finally, there are those Republicans who realize that their hold on power requires discrimination. They know that deep down they can't measure up to their competition, so they support anyone who is holding down someone else. This would be the "maintaining control" position.

Republican controversy aside, we voted Obama into office and we can now see the beginning of the end of pay inequality in the workforce. That is real progress.