Quote:

---

I posted this on FB this morning, and has received some truly heartwarming responses and requests by family and friends to post it elsewhere. Thought I would post it here with the good people of Daily Kos.

An Open Letter to my 40-something white, male friend on Facebook:

I have not commented in months on your political posts, because I have realized that you are not planning on changing your mind in this election, and you are set on your talking points.

I occasionally post things on my Facebook page for my friends, mostly like-minded politically, many living overseas; to see things they might have missed. Perhaps you would also like to show restraint and not comment on my postings. You will not change my mind either, nor the minds of any of my commenters.

But since you persist, here is my response.

You ascribe to a party that doesn’t believe that contraception should be readily available and covered by health insurance. Period. Yet, if by chance, your daughter becomes pregnant because of lack of access to birth control, the Republican Party believes she must endure an ultrasound of her lady parts to shame her for what she did. Worse yet, if, God forbid she was raped, not only does she have to live with the emotional, and possibly physical, scars of rape, but also with the pregnancy from her rapist. (Unless, of course, you believe that rape “shuts down” the possibility of pregnancy.) It’s also too bad if she has a life threatening hemorrhage while pregnant, that unborn life is worth more to the Republicans than your daughter’s (until it’s born, of course). You believe in the party of “small government”, unless it’s about a woman’s private parts. Then you are for a government as large as a trans-vaginal ultrasound. Extreme.

Explain that to your daughter.

The Republican Party is for the creation of an amendment to the Constitution, that a fetus is a person (just like a corporation). A fetus would have all the rights of a grown person. If your daughter runs a marathon while in the early stages of pregnancy, and again, God forbid, loses the baby, she would be criminally negligent. Even the state of Mississippi rejected this in the last election, but it continues to be a plank of the Republican Party platform. Extreme.

Explain that to your daughter.

I know you’ll claim that you teach your daughter “right from wrong” and that she would never get in the situation of having an unwanted pregnancy. With all due respect, please tell that to the thousands of teenage girls every year that get pregnant, who go to church every Sunday, and who come from respected, involved families. Ignorance and denial aren’t policies.

Explain that to your daughter.

If your daughter happens to be gay, the Republican party believes she should not have the same rights you and I have to marry, have children, or even have the right to visit their partners while dying in a hospital. They have been on the wrong side of EVERY.SINGLE.CIVIL.RIGHTS.ISSUE. Extreme.

Explain that to your daughter.

As a defense, I know you’ll say this election is not about social issues; it’s about the economy. As you are not a woman, it probably isn’t about social issues for you. But, OK, I’ll take the bait.

You believe in a party that believes it’s fair that your daughter and my daughter do not get equal pay for the same job that our sons do. Extreme.

Explain that to your daughter.

You believe in a Republican party that wants to cut federal student loans. Maybe you’ve been saving for years for your daughter’s education. You are lucky to have had the money to do that, and I hope you didn’t lose it all in the stock market crash of 2008 brought on by the fiscal policies of the last administration. If you haven’t been as lucky, and need some assistance, one party feels students should be at the mercy of private lenders with high interest rates. (Or “borrow money from their parents”. – Mitt Romney) Student debt is a huge drain on the economy.

Explain that to your daughter.

You believe in tax cuts for the top income earners and that cutting government spending creates jobs and spurs growth. We are still waiting for that to have happened from the enormous Bush tax cuts. Economists have just admitted this has been a drastic failure in Europe. Austerity doesn’t work in a recession. Why, in the last 50 years, have jobs from Democratic presidents dwarfed those by Republican presidents, 42 million to 24 million? A balance of government spending and fair taxes, not from tax cuts to the 1%. Extreme.

Explain that to your daughter.

Living as a part of a community is not just about “me”, it’s about “us”. Being an American used to be about “us”. We should be about caring for the least of “us”. Charities alone can’t do it, no matter what you argue. We are too large and too diverse for that. We have made promises to our seniors, and those populations depend on those promises. (Please don’t use the 716 billion in Medicare cuts here please, we all know it’s been fact checked to be false). I have and am paying for the current seniors to receive Medicare and Social Security. We owe them that. They paid for the last generation to receive those same benefits. I, too, would like the assurance of knowing that when I’m 65, those benefits will also be there for me. No, I would not like them to be at the mercy of the stock market, and I would not like to have to “shop around” at 75 years old for the insurance company that might take me on, if I happen to have no preexisting conditions. I shudder to think of an 85 year old woman having to sort through the process of finding health coverage.

Explain that to your daughter, your wife, your mom.

You are a white, middle-aged man. You live and have always lived in the middle class. You do not know what it is to be a woman, or any kind of minority. Yet, you and your party want to control and define every part of our lives for those of us who are. This is not Mad Men. This is 2012. You claim women’s issues don’t matter to you.

Explain that to your daughter.

Unemployment is now at a 4 year low. Foreclosures are at a 5-year low. Consumer confidence is at a 5 year high. We are finally out of the black hole. Things are starting to come around. I will not ever vote to go back to the policies that put us there.

I am proud to explain that to my daughter.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Yeah, let daddy govt take care of your daughter.

Every girl is 'Julia', huh?

Good gorram grief.

---

Quote:

---

but because of this phony 'war on woman ' crap, the Dems decided to play games instead of deal in realities.

---

Quote:

---

Two people who tried to meet 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yusufzai in her Birmingham hospital bed were questioned by police, highlighting fears about the safety of the girl who has become a global icon of hope and courage.

The people were well-wishers, according to police, but the medical director at the Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital initially claimed they were arrested after pretending to be members of Yusufzai's family.

Hospital staff members eventually retracted the statement, but it seemed to show they remain acutely aware of the threats on Yusufzai's life. The Taliban, which shot the girl in the head in Pakistan, promise to keep trying to kill the elegant advocate for girl's education, no matter how long it takes.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Didn't need to read the whole thing. I've heard the lies often enough.

'equal pay for equal work'

Please.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Kwicko:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Didn't need to read the whole thing. I've heard the lies often enough.

'equal pay for equal work'

Please.

---

So is it that you don't believe a woman is capable of doing equal work, or she just isn't worth as much if she does?

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1kiki:

The disparity in pay for women and men who have equal training, education, experience and skills has been shown to be next to nil.


cites?

---

Quote:

---

It's Time That We End the Equal Pay Myth

The wage gap statistic, however, doesn’t compare two similarly situated co-workers of different sexes, working in the same industry, performing the same work, for the same number of hours a day. It merely reflects the median earnings of all men and women classified as full-time workers.

The Department of Labor’s Time Use Survey, for example, finds that the average full-time working man spends 8.14 hours a day on the job, compared to 7.75 hours for the full-time working woman. Employees who work more likely earn more. Men working five percent longer than women alone explains about one-quarter of the wage gap.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/04/16/its-time-that-we-end-t
he-equal-pay-myth/

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Yes, because peer reviewed crap which supports stuff YOU agree with, like man made global warming , is all that counts as " evidence " , your mind.

Anyone who offers up a counter view, gets completely dismissed, out of hand.

Got it.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Yes, because peer reviewed crap which supports stuff YOU agree with, like man made global warming , is all that counts as " evidence " , your mind.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Yes, because peer reviewed crap which supports stuff YOU agree with, like man made global warming , is all that counts as " evidence " , your mind.

Anyone who offers up a counter view, gets completely dismissed, out of hand.

Got it.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:


Anyone who offers up a counter view, gets completely dismissed, out of hand.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1kiki:

The disparity in pay for women and men who have equal training, education, experience and skills has been shown to be next to nil.


cites?

---

Quote:

---

According to all the media headlines about a new White House report, there's still a big pay gap between men and women in America. The report found that women earn 75 cents for every dollar men make. Sounds pretty conclusive, doesn't it? Well, it's not. It's misleading.

According to highly acclaimed career expert and best-selling author, Marty Nemko, "The data is clear that for the same work men and women are paid roughly the same. The media need to look beyond the claims of feminist organizations."

On a radio talk show, Nemko clearly and forcefully debunked that ultimate myth - that women make less than men - by explaining why, when you compare apples to apples, it simply isn't true. Even the White House report: Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being explains why. Simply put, men choose higher-paying jobs.

Here are 8 reasons why the widely accepted and reported concept that women are paid less than men is a myth. The timing couldn't be better - today's International Women's Day 2011. What better time to empower women with the truth instead of treating them like victims. And, in case you're wondering, Nemko's source of information is primarily the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - rock solid.

Why the Gender Pay Gap is a Complete Myth

Men are far more likely to choose careers that are more dangerous, so they naturally pay more. Top 10 most dangerous jobs (from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics): Fishers, loggers, aircraft pilots, farmers and ranchers, roofers, iron and steel workers, refuse and recyclable material collectors, industrial machinery installation and repair, truck drivers, construction laborers. They're all male-dominated jobs.

Men are far more likely to work in higher-paying fields and occupations (by choice). According to the White House report, "In 2009, only 7 percent of female professionals were employed in the relatively high paying computer and engineering fields, compared with 38 percent of male professionals." Professional women, on the other hand, are far more prevalent "in the relatively low-paying education and health care occupations."

Men are far more likely to take work in uncomfortable, isolated, and undesirable locations that pay more.Men work longer hours than women do. The average fulltime working man works 6 hours per week or 15 percent longer than the average fulltime working woman.

Men are more likely to take jobs that require work on weekends and evenings and therefore pay more.

Even within the same career category, men are more likely to pursue high-stress and higher-paid areas of specialization. For example, within the medical profession, men gravitate to relatively high-stress and high-paying areas of specialization, like surgery, while women are more likely to pursue relatively lower-paid areas of specialization like pediatrician or dentist.

Despite all of the above, unmarried women who've never had a child actually earn more than unmarried men, according to Nemko and data compiled from the Census Bureau.

Women business owners make less than half of what male business owners make, which, since they have no boss, means it's independent of discrimination. The reason for the disparity, according to a Rochester Institute of Technology study, is that money is the primary motivator for 76% of men versus only 29% of women. Women place a higher premium on shorter work weeks, proximity to home, fulfillment, autonomy, and safety, according to Nemko.

It's hard to argue with Nemko's position which, simply put, is this: When women make the same career choices as men, they earn the same amount as men. As far as I'm concerned, this is one myth that has been officially and completely busted. Maybe you should celebrate International Women's Day 2011 by empowering women with the truth instead of treating them like victims ... which they're not.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by CaveTroll:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1kiki:

The disparity in pay for women and men who have equal training, education, experience and skills has been shown to be next to nil.


cites?

---

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-28246928/the-gender-pay-gap-is-
a-complete-myth/



Additional material;
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576250672504707
048.html

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by m52nickerson:
Look how fast Rappy can build a strawman on the first reply to the thread. It goes to show he got nothing.

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.
A warning to everyone, AURaptor is a known liar.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Yes, because peer reviewed crap which supports stuff YOU agree with, like man made global warming , is all that counts as " evidence " , your mind.

---

Quote:

---

Anyone who offers up a counter view, gets completely dismissed, out of hand.

---

Quote:

---

Got it.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Why did I think you'd bother with anything I posted, regardless of what it was ? Your knee-jerk reaction is surprising, not in the least.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:


You won't even begin to comment on what I've posted, because you're too scared to. I get that. I really do.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

I love the part about 'repeatable' experiments, as if this issue is some how related to SCIENCE.

It isn't.

The propaganda being pushed here is as deplorable as the phony science of 'man caused global warming'.

Some here simply want to fight, for the sake of fighting. You won't even begin to comment on what I've posted, because you're too scared to. I get that. I really do.


" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Quote:

---

It's Time That We End the Equal Pay Myth

The wage gap statistic, however, doesn’t compare two similarly situated co-workers of different sexes, working in the same industry, performing the same work, for the same number of hours a day. It merely reflects the median earnings of all men and women classified as full-time workers.

The Department of Labor’s Time Use Survey, for example, finds that the average full-time working man spends 8.14 hours a day on the job, compared to 7.75 hours for the full-time working woman. Employees who work more likely earn more. Men working five percent longer than women alone explains about one-quarter of the wage gap.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/04/16/its-time-that-we-end-t
he-equal-pay-myth/

---

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Kwicko:




So.... No?


Still no peer-reviewed research, no scientific studies? Just more op-ed pieces?

Shocker.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by CaveTroll:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Kwicko:




So.... No?


Still no peer-reviewed research, no scientific studies? Just more op-ed pieces?

Shocker.

---

The source material came from the US Board of Labor Statistics. While their recent unemployment numbers were fiction (and have been adjusted to reflect reality)...

---

Quote:

---

...The numbers this article are based on are not in dispute.

---

Quote:

---

Posted by Rappy:



Experts say that the gender pay gap touted at Tuesday night's debate by President Obama is simply not true, and that even his own White House staff pays men more than women...

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
My sister is far from being a left-leaning liberal, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the blatant discrimination here.

---