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Good News About Women and the Stimulus Package

Posted by Jill Filipovic, Feministe at 4:26 PM on January 29, 2009.


We didn’t win the birth control battle, but the stimulus package is still very good for women.

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We didn't win the birth control battle, but the stimulus package is still very good for women.

 

So, what's in the package for women? "Expanding health for them, child care, unemployment insurance, direct help in higher food stamps and energy assistance," said Joan Entmacher, vice president for family economic stability at the National Women's Law Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group that has worked closely with the Obama transition team and key members of Congress. "It also protects a lot of jobs for women in education, early education and social work services."

"You don't get everything you ask for," said Entmacher, "[But] we're pleased with the funding specifically targeted to child care and Head Start and other investment for children with disabilities."

Other feminist leaders are also guardedly positive about the stimulus.

"We're pretty happy with what we're seeing so far," said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, "But we're waiting to see details."

Asked whether the Obama administration was more friendly to feminist advocacy groups than the last administration, Gandy laughed and replied, "Are you kidding? The difference is like night and day."

Digg!

Jill Filipovic is a New York freelance writer and a law student at NYU. More of her writing is available at her blog, Feministe.


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Given that no republicans voted for the package in the house...
Posted by: SalB on Jan 29, 2009 9:41 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
even with that dangerous contraception part taken out, why not put it back in in the senate version? It seems clear that Republicans just want to vote against everything Obama does (just like the did with Clinton), so why not just do what is right and add contraception assistance back to the package?

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» RE: two year elections ignored, why? Posted by: Sister_Lauren
Not So Fast ... Where are the Permanent Changes ?
Posted by: mmckinl on Jan 29, 2009 10:01 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Democrats 2012 Re-Election Stimulus Package ...

Over 60% of the vaunted "Stimulus Package" won't even take effect for over 18 months ... just prior to and just in time for the 2012 elections. All the help, temporary help, for states could be passed without the tax cuts and these "shovel ready" boondoggles.

What we need from this government is a permanent commitment , not a patch-work of political temporary fixes. The economic model of 70% consumption based on debt and trade deficits is finished, kaput. We must work towards a new economic model, towards sustainability. What we are getting is a vain and dangerous attempt at resurrecting a failed idea , growth via conspicuous consumption.

We need Medicare for All ! Medicare for All can be implemented within weeks of the Bills passage and almost completely phased in within a year ... This helps the under and uninsured, business, state and local government, decreases bankruptcies ( 50% of all bankruptcies are all or in part due to medical bills ), and makes our products more competitive at home and abroad.

Don't be fooled, the Stimulus is too little too late unless you are running for office in 2012.

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» AGREED! and... Posted by: undrgrndgirl
Time to quit the gender split
Posted by: BST on Jan 30, 2009 5:11 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's way past due time to quit balkanizing issues by gender; I speak as an older woman who has been married, divorced, raised a child and worked all my life. Men are our friends.

What's good for women is also recognized by thinking men as good for them and for children. Once we start examining issues in this way, change may come more rapidly.

Emphasizing the "feminist" view of life at this point in our evolution widens any schism between men and women. In my experience, most men are just as eager to see women advance and receive support, as are women.

Let's include men, not repel them by gender-specific language.

Birth control is an issue for both sexes, so is health insurance and education for children, food stamps and employment.

One area in which women could assert their personal power is through restraint on family size. A major shackle women place on themselves is producing a number of children beyond their means to support if they were suddenly on their own.

This does no service to the women, the men in their lives or, most of all, the children.

I suggest that more women start viewing men as allies rather than adversarial creatures.

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mmmmmm, tell me more about this "stimulus package"
Posted by: 2dogarage on Jan 30, 2009 7:20 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Does it include f@#king Matt Damon?

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classist attitude
Posted by: littlepitcher on Jan 30, 2009 9:03 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Omission of the birth control package directly impacts two-wage earner households with a man laid off. This guy will assuage his hurt feelings and devastated income with extra sex, and no, he will not suit up. His beer and bong will come out of household funds before contraception, and the sole wage-earner will end up with an unplanned pregnancy and the additional 20+ years of expenses this entails.

As long as contraceptive assistance is not a part of the economic stimulus package, it is not woman-friendly except to the upper classes, and they are a distinct minority of American women.

So this is minority-friendly government--stockbrokers, bankers, and their ladies, economically stimulated and insulated from the recession by the extorted taxes of their poorer majority.

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» RE: classist attitude Posted by: BST
» RE: classist attitude Posted by: DaBear
» RE: classist attitude Posted by: DaBear
seniorita
Posted by: seniorita on Feb 1, 2009 3:44 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
what has happened to NOW and the self respecting women who have who spent almost several decades working for available contraception for women? why, oh why do women continue to allow themselves to breed children who they cannot support and for whom they have no healthcare insurance or assistance? what are the current female leaders, especially their political counterparts, doing to hammer home these questions and help more women understand the importance of demanding contraception? It appears that the philosophical landscape regarding responsible child bearing is going down the tubes - as long as we continue to reproduce irresponsibly, we will always experience a humane and economic enigma owing to the fact that we will never be able to convince our political representatives - even the so called progressives - to vote for enough dollars for services which will make it possible to provide healthcare, education, food, housing and all the basic components which are necessary for a reasonable civilized existence. It is understood that the religious right and other religious groups have their own agendas for reproduction, but they just "aint gonna work"! We have become not just a nation of irresponsible material excesses - we have also become a nation of irresponsible sexual reproductive excess - notice, please, the great numbers of starving people throughout the world and their plight - there is more to say on this subject; books could be written about it - ladies of the USA, PLEASE take back your lives. Demand and work for contraception as vigorously as you would for food stamps and healthcare.
It's in your own best interest.

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