Lame Ducks and Lame Beliefs Allow Prejudice to Hold Back the Country!

The fact that this bill was defeated along party lines tells another story. It implies that the recent General Election simply replaced one foolish party agenda with another foolish party agenda.

Chris Dodd pushing for the Paycheck Fairness Act

(HARRISVILLE, N.H.) - Yesterday, the Senate failed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. Sixty votes were needed to pass the bill but the vote fell two votes short at 58-41. This bill would have taken a giant step in the right direction to level the compensatory playing field in the workplace.

According to an article published by “The Hill” yesterday, titled “Democrats criticize Republicans for voting against pay-fairness bill” and written by Vicki Needham, “as it stands right now, women who do the same jobs as men earn $.78 for every $1.00 earned by men.” The article further states that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called Wednesday's failure of the Senate to end debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act on a 58-41 vote, "outrageous" and "egregious." Sen. Gillibrand noted that the bill was defeated almost 100% along party lines with a lone Democrat voting against it.

To think that our legislators had the opportunity to right a wrong that has existed in our country for so long and turned their backs on that opportunity is demoralizing at best. What lack of common sense and logic brings people to think that the same job, done equally well by women, is only worth 78% of the pay given to men? How is it that the Republicans in the Senate fail to remember the statement “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”? Can it be that just over 40% of the men and women of the Senate really believe that this statement refers to gender rather than species? Good heavens people, I was taught that this referral in the Declaration of Independence specified species, not gender, in grade school. How can it be that so many of our elected officials have reached such rarified heights while remaining so ignorant?

There are those who believe that the defeat of this bill was due to the fact that this vote was handed down by a lame duck Congress. In my opinion, that belief is lame. This decision is the result of prejudice and nothing else! The stance that the male should be either the sole or the primary provider is antiquated, chauvinistic, and foolish. Ever increasing prices and taxes have seen to the demise of that belief.

The fact that this bill was defeated along party lines tells another story. It implies that the General Election of November 2nd. simply replaced one foolish party agenda with another foolish party agenda. The Republican party has developed a reputation of being extremely pro big business at the expense of the average citizen. To me, the defeat of this bill does not just hint of that reputation being true . . . it screams it! It appears that the Republican Party believes the results of the recent General Election vilify the Democratic Party rather than an untimely agenda, excessive spending, and poor decisions. If that is truly the case, the Republican Party will learn that replacing an untimely agenda, excessive spending, and one set of poor decisions with more poor decisions based on prejudice (sexual or otherwise) will bring them defeat in 2012. They will learn that the majority of U.S. citizens believe the Declaration of Independence and our constitution. We believe that compensation should be given equally based on performance . . . not gender, race, religion, or country of national origin. We the people are making a list, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, and you can bet that we will be checking it twice just before the 2012 election. It is not about political party folks . . . it is about what we stand for as a people... but that is just my opinion!

You can write to Bob Collingsworth at this email address: colli2@webryders.net