scifiknitter

In a few days, I will be 61. I have been privileged to be part of a great expansion in our rights as individuals in the nation that I live in during my life. Now everyone can go to the same public schools, eat at the same restaurants, and drink at the same drinking fountains, regardless of the color of his or her skin. Women’s rights have expanded past the right to vote. We’re still not getting equal pay in the workplace, but the Lily Ledbetter Act gives us an additional tool to use as we do our darndest to push thus issue forward. The glass ceiling has weakened some, and more women hold politically and financially powerful positions in government and industry. Our medical options now include effective contraception, allowing us to control when we have children and how many we have. And yes, Rowe v. Wade gave women the right to decide whether or not to get an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy based on their individual situations and moral beliefs. The increase in ...

Once upon a time I cast a vote that I later deeply regretted. I was a member of a labor union, and I voted for a contract that preserved my benefits, but reduced them for people who would be hired in the future. Upon reflection, that vote left a bitter taste in my mouth. I vowed to never again cast a vote that would preserve privileges for myself, and deny them to others. This election is another occasion when I’m being offered that choice. Over and over, Romney, Ryan and their surrogates say that if you are 55 years or older, your Social Security and Medicare benefits will not change under the Ryan budget, which Romney has pledged to sign into law. That’s not good enough for me. Obama’s public stance on Social Security is that he “believes that no current beneficiaries should see their basic benefits reduced and he will not accept an approach that slashes benefits for future generations.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/seniors-and-social-security I’ve read many articles over...