I rarely share my political opinions in a public forum. This issue, however, affects my granddaughters and deserves public comment.
In this country, white women earn, on average, 78 cents to every dollar a man earns. For black women, it is 68 cents and for Latina women, it drops all the way to 54 cents to the dollar. Republicans have blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act four times. Four times, the Republican party has said, by their votes, that women are unequal to men and do not deserve to be paid the same.
Four times, the Republican party has said, by their votes, that a woman only has 3/4 the value of a man. Four times, the Republican party has said, by their votes, that women are considered to be lesser then men and should be paid as such. Four times, the Republican party has said, by their votes, that women do not deserve the same compensation as a man. Four times, the Republican party has said, by their votes, that they do not respect women.
As parents and grandparents, we tell our daughters and granddaughters that they can grow up to be anything they want to be. If you vote Republican, you need to tell your daughters and granddaughters that, yes, they can grow up to be anything they want to be but they need to be prepared to be paid less than a man because you voted to keep people in office who think that they are not as valuable as men. You need to tell them that, because of your votes, they will be considered lesser and be paid less than men. Tell them that you are a proud Republican and they'll just have to get over the fact that, because they are female, they will always be paid less.
I, on the other hand, will tell my granddaughters that I used my vote to speak for their future. I will tell them that they deserve equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender. I will tell them that I was proud to use my vote to speak for their future.
As we enter this election madness, take a long, hard look at your daughters and granddaughters. It is their future you are voting to change.
Love,
Jerri
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