Our trusted public figures are busy telling us about the state of the economy, how soon it will be better, and how to deal with it. We’ve got television experts on the case daily to help all of us working women be financially savvy during these stressful times. The question is: can these experts relate to the economic situation of the masses? Let’s see what they make…
Last week I went to the "Thinking Forward, Thinking Big" progressive wonkfest hosted by the Economic Policy Institute, Demos, The American Prospect, and the Institute for America's Future.
Written by MOTHERS volunteer Kelly Coyle DiNorcia
Many of us who read this blog are aware of the statistics. Women make less money than men for equal work. Their lifetime earnings are significantly lower than that of men, on average. They are at significantly higher risk for falling into poverty than men.
Blah, blah, blah.
I spent most of the weekend watching the debate in the Senate on the stimulus bill, or listening to people talk about the debate on the stimulus bill. I know I am suffering from stimulus bill overload, but before I go stick my head in an ice bucket, I want to make the following points.
I am still thinking about the stimulus plan, and the role "market forces" played in making this mess.
When Caroline Kennedy wanted to be considered for Hillary Clinton's seat in the US Senate, a number of articles appeared presenting her as the icon of mid-life womanhood, returning to the workplace after years spent in the home raising children.
To which I thoughtfully responded, "Huh?"
I'm not an economist, and I don't play one on TV.
Over the summer, I took eight-year-old PunditGirl to see the Meet Kit, American Girl movie.
For the uninitiated, Kit is the Depression-era girl whose dad loses his job, moves away to look for work and the family ends up taking in boarders and keeping chickens to sell eggs to make ends meet.
I am consulting for an environmental organization in Oakland called Green For All. I am helping the group spread the word on a new book by Green For All’s founder and president Van Jones.
Barack Obama says the way to help out the average American is with tax cuts and credits.
