BACK ON MY SOAPBOX

BACK ON MY SOAPBOX

This morning I was reading some articles in USA Today about the problems confronting us with Social Security. In particular, there is an article by DeWayne Wickham (USA Today, Tuesday, January 25, 2005, Page 13A, “Social Security reform: Women may be big losers”). This article sounds the alarm for American women.

Mostly, Mr. Wickham focuses on the disadvantages for women of private investment accounts, the solution proposed by the administration. You can read the details for yourself. But what really caught my attention was near the end of the article. Wickham cited one of our congressional representatives (a Republican from California), Bill Thomas. Mr. Thomas appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press yesterday where he suggested the following solution: Cut benefits to women. Why? Because statistically, women live longer on average than men. So to even things out, they’ll just reduce the amount of money women can collect from Social Security. They call it, “Gender adjusting Social Security”.

Hello? Have I been sent back to 1960 in a time machine? What is the man talking about? I think he’s talking about penalizing women for living longer.

Well, let’s take it one step further. You might give us a choice, like – Hmmmm. Give us an option for ending it all when our husbands die – kind of like they did in India for centuries. No need for cremation, just dump us in the coffin and close the lid. Or if we’re single, just figure the average life expectancy for men. We can sign an agreement prior to receiving our first Social Security check that on the date that we hit that age, we will go to the doctor and get “put to sleep”. If we refused to “self-expire” on the appointed date, they could prosecute for breech of contract. Sounds reasonable to me!

Of course, if you weren’t willing to “go quietly into that good night”, they could just cut your benefits. Which is what our Mr. Thomas is proposing. What this effectively means is that there is one more sphere in which women’s work earns less than men’s work. It means that our labor is worth less than a man’s labor. That may not be his intended message, but that is the bottom line.

There are many less offensive ways to deal with the dwindling Social Security coffers. Why not simply raise the retirement age? Both men and women are living longer on average, so raise the retirement age for everyone. If we’re living longer and healthier lives, it makes sense to me that the need for retirement necessitated by failing health and the desire to have a little “R and R” in our golden years could come a little bit later.

I would urge every American woman to read Mr. Wickham’s article in today’s paper. It was a real wake-up call for me – not only about Social Security, but about a creeping sexism that seems to be eating away at the progress women have made in this country over the course of the last forty or so years. To me, at least, it’s not even subtle.

Maybe next someone is going to suggest that since women outnumber men in our society, their votes should count less in order to “even the playing field”.

(Can someone please explain to me why misogyny seems to go hand-in-hand with so-called conservatism in this country)?

© 2005, Robin Munson

INAUGURATION DAY

INAUGURATION DAY

The other day I got an anonymous e-mail from someone who had somehow interpreted one of my blogs to mean that I was a fan of the President. I have to say for the record, I am not a fan. Politically and socially, I have too many disagreements with Mr. Bush for me to feel that way. On a personal level, he rubs me the wrong way, too. That part is not his fault. But I know that somewhere around fifty percent of the American people feel pretty much the way I do. So it’s especially painful for me to see the airwaves filled with news of the inauguration today. It’s like watching a scary movie – I just can’t look.

On the other hand, as my husband reminds me whenever I begin to wax eloquent on the subject, this administration is having its day, and soon the tide will turn. The pendulum always swings, and I have great hope that I will live to see it swing again – soon.

What is absolutely amazing to me about this country is that – in spite of the fact that virtually half the population is opposed to just about everything this administration is and all it stands for – the protests remain peaceful and lawful. There is no hint of civil war. There will be no bloody coup. Blue states and red states continue to do trade and there is civility between neighbors who voted for Bush and neighbors who voted for Kerry. Congress may be lopsided in favor of Republicans, but rules and procedures are maintained. I have friends who voted for Bush, as a matter of fact. Nice people. That actually comforts me.

As I have said before, but it bears repeating – nothing would make me happier than to find out I was wrong. I would love to find out that this administration (and I know it’s not just the President) was right all along. I would love to find out that, indeed, the war in Iraq transformed Iraq into a democratic, free state with equal rights for women. I would love to find out that a victory in Iraq would, in fact, lead to a newly liberated and peaceful Middle East.

And wouldn’t it be wonderful if the “War on Terror” actually ended terrorism? Or even made a big dent in it?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we found out (somehow) that indeed, Social Security was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2005, and that this administration single-handedly saved it by partial privatization? (That would be a confirmation that our young work force has the wisdom to invest their money wisely!)

A return to “Christian Values”? Okay by me, as long as we’re talking about the values espoused by Christ, which were inclusive, forgiving and peaceful. (As opposed to some of these ersatz “Christian Values” which I suspect are exclusive, judgmental and antagonistic).

I’m going to get off my soapbox, now. I may not particularly like the President or his tactics, but I respect the office and the system that it represents. I’m just waiting for the tide to turn and the pendulum to swing.

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© 2005, Robin Munson