With all the talk of “special places in hell” and insinuations that women are turning to Bernie as a ploy to impress boys; I feel it is time for this feminist to express why, in my opinion, Bernie is the better candidate to address everyday issues facing women.
As a woman, I vote with my brain, not my anatomy. The insinuation that a “true feminist” would choose Hillary simply because she is a woman is in itself sexist. As a feminist, I push for equality. Equality means selecting the candidate that best represents the good of women, and policies are not based on gender.
I am proud to know several feminists who are both male and female. They value equality and would not have a problem with a woman as president, but they happen to have a problem with Hillary, her record, and where she stands on issues. I agree.
I also feel the ploys by the Hillary camp, particularly by Bill Clinton, to decry Hillary’s detractors as “sexist” is a very low blow. First of all, Bill Clinton is in no position to discuss sexism. Secondly, Bernie Sanders is often the target of ageism, but I have yet to hear him complain about Hillary’s supporters being “ageist” if they don’t support him. The ploys here are becoming childish and as a thinking woman; I do not appreciate the attempt made to guilt me into choosing a candidate I don’t believe in.
That being said, here are the top 3 areas where I feel Bernie speaks to me as a woman more than Hillary and why. Bernie Supports a Living Minimum Wage of $15 per Hour
This wage allows single women to be able to have more work / life balance. It’s simple really. People who work full time deserve to be paid a living wage that allows them to comfortably pay for a place to live and put food on the table. Those who work full time should not be forced to rely on government assistance and still be struggling just to survive.
When people earn a living wage, they have more disposable income and that increases demand and drives the economy. Many of the corporate elite will tell you that raising the minimum wage will kill the economy, cause inflation and push companies to take jobs elsewhere.
Let’s be honest. Companies are taking their jobs elsewhere anyway and they have been doing so for a long time. Much of this started under the NAFTA agreement during Bill Clinton’s presidency. This trend will be worsened by the current TPP agreement, an agreement that Hillary was fully behind until just recently when she conveniently changed gears.
The basic costs of goods and services have been increasing and the purchasing power of minimum wage has been decreasing despite no raise in the federal minimum wage since 2009. According to the Pew Research Center “Since it was last raised in 2009, to the current $7.25 per hour, the federal minimum has lost about 8.1% of its purchasing power to inflation.”
Our minimum wage rate is tragic for people working to survive. A lot of naysayers will say that people should just bootstrap and go to school to get a better job. OK, but if you can’t afford to eat and pay rent without working 2 jobs how do you find time to go to school, pay for it and raise a family?
It is common practice to demonize low skill workers, but the truth is, in areas hard hit by the economic meltdowns of the past decade, there are college graduates working these jobs in many areas. It’s not just “lazy” people in these jobs. Often, it’s people who have no other choices and very limited job opportunities. Combine this with overwhelming competition for the few openings that do come up.
To be fair, currently, Mrs. Clinton states she is in support of a $12 minimum wage. She did also support minimum wage increase bills in the past. Unfortunately, for those living in many areas, $12 hourly is till poverty wages. We cannot rebuild a thriving middle class on poverty wages.Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor for the previous Clinton administration agrees. Robert Reich: The Morality of a $15 Minimum Wage
The fact is, a great many other countries are doing better than us when it comes to minimum wage, and that is with conversion and their cost of living factored in.
Big business has always whined and cried at the idea of a minimum wage increase, but the truth of the matter is if there is demand for products, there will be a need for jobs to fill that demand. Do You Agree We Need a Higher Minimum Wage?
No. Let the free market determine the best wages; they are fair and govt. should never interfere. No. The current minimum wage should be an incentive to do better – these people aren’t trying hard enough. Yes. Minimum wage was put in place to ensure that workers have their basic needs met and are not reliant upon government assistance. Business should provide for their own workforce. Yes, a robust middle class boosts the economy by increasing demand for products and services, which then creates more jobs.
See results without voting A balanced look at the argument.. Bernie Sanders Supports Equal Pay for Women
Bernie Sanders supports, and if elected, would enact the Paycheck Fairness Act that would end wage discrimination based on gender.
Despite increased education and workforce participation since the 1970’s, as of 2014 women still only earn 79 percent what their male counterparts take home. (American Association of University Women (AAUW))
If you are African American or Latina, those figures are even lower in many instances. Bernie has stood for equal pay for women for a long time. In 2001, he co-sponsored a constitutional amendment designed to guarantee fair treatment and equal pay for women.
In recent times, he’s been a supporter of the Lilly Ledbetter act; the first law enacted by President Obama in 2009. It allows those who face pay discrimination to seek remedy under federal anti-discrimination laws. You can learn more about that law here.
Learn more about Bernie’s stance and plans to bring equality to the work force here: Bernie Sanders on Equal Pay for Women “
“We must establish pay equity for women workers. It’s unconscionable that women earn 78 cents on a dollar compared to men who perform the same work.” — Senator Bernie Sanders Do You Support a Constitutional Amendment Guaranteeing Equal Pay for Women?
No, pay should be determined by employers only with no govt. mandates or restrictions. Yes, equal work deserves equal pay I agree, but a constitutional amendment may be a bit much… Unsure
See results without voting Bernie Supports Paid Maternity | Family Leave
In the October Democratic debate, Bernie Sanders stated “Every other major country” has paid family leave. Seems like a bit of a tall tale doesn’t it? That can’t possible be true. Actually, it is. When it comes to this issue, the US is far, far behind most other countries.
It may sound like a “radical left” position, to insist on paid family leave, but in all honesty, this proposal merely seeks to bring us more in line with other progressive nations. While our law guarantees a woman 12 weeks of maternity leave, this is often unpaid. Also, this law only applies to companies with 50 or more employees.
According to the International Labor Organization, an agency of the United Nations, The United States and Papua New Guinea are the only two, out of 170 countries they cited, that do not provide cash benefits to women during maternity leave.
When Bernie Sanders pushed the Clinton campaign (and the Republicans also) to state where they stand on this issue, Hillary deflected it by saying Sanders wants to raise taxes on the Middle class. What she didn’t say is that the proposal in place would only raise payroll taxes by .2% – a little over $1 per week for median wage earners. The cost benefit would far outweigh the price, and this would be for a family leave medical act – not just maternity leave. Have a sick parent you need to care for? This act would help you.
Instead, Hillary said she supports paid family leave, but laid out no clear plan how she would enact it without a tax increase and instead attacked Bernie’s stance on the issue with rhetoric and fear tactics. She hopes people only hear “tax increase” and don’t see how the increase is nominal and actually benefits them.
Learn more about this issue here: The Reason Bernie Sanders is Calling Hillary Clinton Out on Paid Family Leave
This article is on CNN no less and it’s public knowledge that Turner Broadcasting System (CNN’s Owners) are large donators to HIllary’s campaign and foundation – as are many of the other media conglomerates.
There are many other issues where I feel Bernie Sanders plans are better for the people than Hillary’s. There is a LOT of misinformation out there and I implore everyone to do their homework and look at all the candidates and decide for yourselves who is most aligned with your interests. Do not let the corporate owned media tell you what you think. Think for yourself!
I hope you will explore the links I placed throughout my hub, and do your own independent research as well.
Me? I’ll stand by the fellow who has been on the right side of history for decades, who I started following when he had the guts to stand up against the Iraq war BOTH times. He knew we were headed for unmitigated disaster and tried to warn people. Me? I prefer a leader with great foresight, who is not beholden to Wall Street and who is powered and funded by the people. A true leader who wants to ensure that capitalism thrives, but that the taxes we already pay into the system are used to help ALL of the citizens of this country and not line the pockets of the few.
Hillary is a pro-war, hawkish right wing democrat with a history of changing her mind on issues. Universal health care comes to mind. 20 years ago she pushed hard for it. I admired her then. Today, she insists that universal heath care with “never, ever happen”. That’s not the champion for change I want to represent me.