What Women Want

Did you know that 46% of single mothers earn incomes under the poverty line? Or that more than 14 million women live in poverty? It shouldn't be surprising that "women feel the impact of economic insecurity and rising food, energy, education, and health care costs more deeply than men – and see government as a key to the solution." A recent poll by the National Women's Law Center indicates women want:

• A better health care system



• An end to the wage gap



• Affordable birth control, comprehensive sex education, and protection for Roe v. Wade



• Access to high-quality child care



• Improved economic security for women and their families



• A solution to the dropout crisis



• A fair and independent judiciary

The facts are in: "One in four girls drops out of high school. More than 17 million women have no health insurance. And women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men."

The National Women's Law Center is offering candidates a Platform for Progress.

Passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and the Fair Pay Act would be a good start. Another good start would be to reverse the damage done by the welfare reform bill signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. If Congress was so hell bent on impeaching him it should have been for this -- not a stain on a blue dress.

Economic security won't happen for single mothers until they have access to quality, affordable child care. And it won't happen for many women (and men) until we have universal, single-payer health care.

Yes, those Commie socialist ideas feminists have been advocating for decades!

It's amazing how people don't seem to have a problem with socialized fire or police protection -- but somehow offering security to women and their children is a Communist plot!

Comprehensive sex education could help keep a lot of girls in school. As would providing them the same opportunities to participate in team sports. Girls who participate in sports generally have higher self esteem than girls who don't. And when girls feel good about themselves, they are less likely to need validation by a boy (or man), which delays the onset of their sexual activity by around 18 months. For some, it's just enough time to graduate.

The National Women's Law Center would like to know what you think.