As some of you may have learned already, a Republican (who else) Representative is proposing a tax code provision that would investigate whether a terminated pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. The theory is that tax credits and deductions cannot be used for abortions, therefore a women claiming such benefits would, if she were being audited, have to prove the circumstance. And the IRS would be responsible for acquiring written documentation of that circumstance. In other words, the woman would have to prove that she had been in compliance with current abortion laws. The argument on this continues.
Now I personally am seeing a real gender bias on the part of Congressional Republicans. It does indeed seem that they are terribly interested in taking away rights, protections, coverage, and supports from women. And I would like to make a proposal to help even the playing field. Now I don’t expect to get a lot of support for this right out of the box, but I think if people mull it over for a while, they will begin to see the value of my Modest Proposal.
Step One – All forms of medication for erectile dysfunction are immediately removed from the open market. Viagra and its confreres may only be administered by a doctor. However it cannot be prescribed for anything other than providing for the needs of the duly married spouse (female, of course). It would be illegal to provide the drug(s) to any unmarried male, and it would be illegal to use the result of the medication on any person other than the duly married spouse. Hence, any male using Extenze, for example, who is having an affair, would be subject to arrest and fines.
Step Two – Since most people include their medications on their tax returns, any payments for these drugs, should the individual be audited, would require contemporaneous documentation that he was in fact unable to perform. This would include the name of the party with whom he could not perform (the spouse), the dates that he could not perform, and the methods undertaken to encourage him to perform.
Oh, and health insurance companies may chose to cover the expenses, but it will be their responsibility to acquire the necessary documentation.
Now I know there are some women who would see this as pouring cold water, as it were, on their good times. Many women aren’t married, and may not care to be married, and feel that they are entitled to those special moments, not matter what their status. But come on, we all know we don’t really need that particular anatomical part to have that special moment. Sure, it’s OK, but it’s not absolutely required. And really, how many times has lover boy had his special moment and rolled over and gone to sleep. It’s your turn, sister. And if he feels as one male (and this is a direct quote from a man who is mysteriously still alive), “I don’t want to. I might get frustrated”, then turn to your friendly little BOB (battery-operated boyfriend). It gets it right every time, it doesn’t leave a mess, it’s there when you need it…the list goes on.
And if you are one of those women in the category of “Married”, think how much more fun your life will be. He will be able to perform for you and you alone. Think there’s another woman? Turn his ass in.
Now I think this would go a long way (not really trying for a pun there) to equalizing the pain that our current government seems determined to inflict. They keep saying that everyone has to share in the hardships (oops, there goes another), so let’s be sure that everyone does indeed get a chance to play.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Word From Wisconsin - We Don't Need No Stinkin' Teachers
One of the target groups for heavy, and probably unnecessary, funding cuts in Wisconsin is teachers. On a recent Jon Stewart episode, he showed clips of “newscasters” and others belittling teachers for their short work days – “They’re done by 3 o’clock every day”- as well as their summers off – “They get three months vacation every year.”
Other comments dealt with the incredible salaries and benefits these teachers receive by taking money from poor hard-working citizens. How did the definition of teacher suddenly morph into the definition of a CEO?
Now I’m sure most of the people who drop by this blog are very aware of the incredibly hard work that teaching is and deeply grateful for the excellent teachers who have made a difference in their own lives. For anyone who may not fall into this group, let me share with you some of my own knowledge and experiences from the battleground that is the American school system.
I have taught at the college level for a number of years, but about six years ago, I found myself teaching in an inner city high school. My subjects were English, English Literature, and Study Skills. An average day consisted of trying desperately to get my students to stay in their seats, stay off their cell phones, stay awake, stop eating in class, stop talking, find or borrow textbooks because none of them had brought them to class, provide them with paper and pencils because they hadn’t brought those either, and if there was time, actually try to teach something. In a class of seventeen students, only about four would actually be paying attention. Another four would be trying to start fights or set the leftover paper covers on the bulletin boards on fire. Almost none of my students passed the tests, mostly because they didn’t bother to complete them. They didn’t do assignments. It did make the grading easier. When I failed students, they told me I had to pass them because they had been in class. By that they meant they were there about half the time.
Now I have a Master’s Degree in Communication and a Teacher’s Certification in three areas. My Education training did not include how to break up fights. It did not include how to make students stay in their seats. It did not include methods for forcing students to bring their materials to class. There was nothing on how to take on the persona of a drill sergeant. My classes assumed that I would be teaching well-behaved, motivated students. And that any students who were disruptive and unmotivated would be dealt with by the administration, so I wouldn’t have to.
Now I know there are schools like this and I know that not all teachers have to struggle daily to motivate themselves as I did. But, schools like the one where I was employed do exist, and pretending that all teachers are working in some happy little paradise where all the children are bright, the classrooms are stocked with books and computers, the daily assignments are all available on Microsoft Edware, and teachers go home every night to spend their evenings going to yoga, a coffeehouse, or their bookclub, is merely subscribing to a fantasy world. (I know – that was a long sentence, but look at all the commas for pauses)
Most teachers I know spend from several hundred up to a thousand dollars each year purchasing supplies for their students because the school system can’t afford it. They spend their evenings grading, preparing assignments, researching to update material, and that’s Monday through Friday. So much for being done at 3:00. Weekends are catching up on what didn’t get done during the week. And many schools expect their teachers to sponsor an extracurricular activity. If it isn’t sports, it’s unlikely they’ll get any extra pay for it. Teachers are also expected to attend athletic and arts events. There goes a lot more evenings and weekends.
And then there’s that three month vacation. Teachers are required to keep up with educational trends, so part of the summer is spent taking classes which are necessary to remain certified. In most cases, the cost comes out of their own pockets. When not taking classes, many teachers have a summer job so they can afford to keep paying the bills over their “vacation”. Or maybe they take the opportunity to go into therapy.
Pensions are great if you can manage to stay in the field long enough. Burn out is all too frequent, and sometimes very literal. One teacher at my school had her hair set on fire by a student. Thank heavens for that great insurance. Although, depending on the school district, you may be penalized for taking sick days. And the insurance I had didn’t cover much.
I managed to stay in for two years and then I moved on. I don’t believe that any of my students benefited from my being there and that made me very sad. I didn’t have the training to handle the complete lack of motivation in the students, and the administration wasn’t interested in following through on their own policies for behavior. It was a lose – lose situation. Now I teach one night class in communications at a local community college. If my students aren’t interested, they don’t come to class. The ones I do have are bright, perhaps a bit unfocused at times, but willing to work. I am much happier and I feel I am successful in this environment.
Most teachers chose to teach because they love what they do and they want to make a difference in the future of our country. No one and nothing is served by denigrating the work that they do, denying them the pay and benefits they have earned, or by failing to provide the resources they need to do their job. Imagine a future where young adults are unqualified to do any but the most menial of jobs. A future where only the wealthy will have a well-rounded education. In this future, there won’t be any doctors, teachers, scientists, lawyers (well, ok, that may not be such a drawback), because the education won’t be available to most people and the ones who can afford it, won’t be interested in doing actual work. That’s wildly generalizing, but you see the point.
So to those who think teachers are over-paid, breeze through their seven-hour days, and work on their tans during their extended summer vacation, you don’t know squat. You ought to be spending some time as a teachers’ aide and maybe discover what the educational process is really all about. And then maybe teachers will be able to get combat pay.
Other comments dealt with the incredible salaries and benefits these teachers receive by taking money from poor hard-working citizens. How did the definition of teacher suddenly morph into the definition of a CEO?
Now I’m sure most of the people who drop by this blog are very aware of the incredibly hard work that teaching is and deeply grateful for the excellent teachers who have made a difference in their own lives. For anyone who may not fall into this group, let me share with you some of my own knowledge and experiences from the battleground that is the American school system.
I have taught at the college level for a number of years, but about six years ago, I found myself teaching in an inner city high school. My subjects were English, English Literature, and Study Skills. An average day consisted of trying desperately to get my students to stay in their seats, stay off their cell phones, stay awake, stop eating in class, stop talking, find or borrow textbooks because none of them had brought them to class, provide them with paper and pencils because they hadn’t brought those either, and if there was time, actually try to teach something. In a class of seventeen students, only about four would actually be paying attention. Another four would be trying to start fights or set the leftover paper covers on the bulletin boards on fire. Almost none of my students passed the tests, mostly because they didn’t bother to complete them. They didn’t do assignments. It did make the grading easier. When I failed students, they told me I had to pass them because they had been in class. By that they meant they were there about half the time.
Now I have a Master’s Degree in Communication and a Teacher’s Certification in three areas. My Education training did not include how to break up fights. It did not include how to make students stay in their seats. It did not include methods for forcing students to bring their materials to class. There was nothing on how to take on the persona of a drill sergeant. My classes assumed that I would be teaching well-behaved, motivated students. And that any students who were disruptive and unmotivated would be dealt with by the administration, so I wouldn’t have to.
Now I know there are schools like this and I know that not all teachers have to struggle daily to motivate themselves as I did. But, schools like the one where I was employed do exist, and pretending that all teachers are working in some happy little paradise where all the children are bright, the classrooms are stocked with books and computers, the daily assignments are all available on Microsoft Edware, and teachers go home every night to spend their evenings going to yoga, a coffeehouse, or their bookclub, is merely subscribing to a fantasy world. (I know – that was a long sentence, but look at all the commas for pauses)
Most teachers I know spend from several hundred up to a thousand dollars each year purchasing supplies for their students because the school system can’t afford it. They spend their evenings grading, preparing assignments, researching to update material, and that’s Monday through Friday. So much for being done at 3:00. Weekends are catching up on what didn’t get done during the week. And many schools expect their teachers to sponsor an extracurricular activity. If it isn’t sports, it’s unlikely they’ll get any extra pay for it. Teachers are also expected to attend athletic and arts events. There goes a lot more evenings and weekends.
And then there’s that three month vacation. Teachers are required to keep up with educational trends, so part of the summer is spent taking classes which are necessary to remain certified. In most cases, the cost comes out of their own pockets. When not taking classes, many teachers have a summer job so they can afford to keep paying the bills over their “vacation”. Or maybe they take the opportunity to go into therapy.
Pensions are great if you can manage to stay in the field long enough. Burn out is all too frequent, and sometimes very literal. One teacher at my school had her hair set on fire by a student. Thank heavens for that great insurance. Although, depending on the school district, you may be penalized for taking sick days. And the insurance I had didn’t cover much.
I managed to stay in for two years and then I moved on. I don’t believe that any of my students benefited from my being there and that made me very sad. I didn’t have the training to handle the complete lack of motivation in the students, and the administration wasn’t interested in following through on their own policies for behavior. It was a lose – lose situation. Now I teach one night class in communications at a local community college. If my students aren’t interested, they don’t come to class. The ones I do have are bright, perhaps a bit unfocused at times, but willing to work. I am much happier and I feel I am successful in this environment.
Most teachers chose to teach because they love what they do and they want to make a difference in the future of our country. No one and nothing is served by denigrating the work that they do, denying them the pay and benefits they have earned, or by failing to provide the resources they need to do their job. Imagine a future where young adults are unqualified to do any but the most menial of jobs. A future where only the wealthy will have a well-rounded education. In this future, there won’t be any doctors, teachers, scientists, lawyers (well, ok, that may not be such a drawback), because the education won’t be available to most people and the ones who can afford it, won’t be interested in doing actual work. That’s wildly generalizing, but you see the point.
So to those who think teachers are over-paid, breeze through their seven-hour days, and work on their tans during their extended summer vacation, you don’t know squat. You ought to be spending some time as a teachers’ aide and maybe discover what the educational process is really all about. And then maybe teachers will be able to get combat pay.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
On Behalf of Women, Of Which I Am One
Okay, this post is a little bit late. That’s because when I heard that part of our Federal government was planning to remove federal funds from Planned Parenthood, I went into rant mode. And I truly don’t want this blog to be about rants. I want it to be an example of civil and reasoned discussion. But really, when I started receiving the first emails about this “budget cut”, all I could do was storm around the house, going “WTF????” And as more news came out (redefining rape, making it legal to kill abortion doctors), I spent more time going “WTF!!!!”. Now, time has passed. I’ve done my deep breathing. I’ve gone to my happy place. So I am now ready to begin my post.
Really, people, WHAT THE F**K? What are these crazies thinking? Do none of them have mothers, sisters, wives, daughters? I can understand a man who has never taken advantage of the services of Planned Parenthood, but surely most women know someone who has gone there for contraceptives, for HIV testing, for cancer testing, for referrals for mammograms, for Hepatitis vaccines, for flu vaccines, for testing for sexually transmitted diseases, anemia testing, cholesterol screening, diabetes screening, physical exams, high blood pressure screening, and more. And men, too, can seek help for birth control, male infertility, and testicular cancer. So why does one-half of our government no longer care about access to these services? And there is no need to get into an abortion debate. The Hyde amendment forbids using federal funds for abortions, and I’m pretty sure, since Planned Parenthood knows they are in the crosshairs, the accounting shows they are in compliance.
Now I know none of the men in my circle would ever support this atrocity (yes, that’s a loaded word, but by my definition of the word, this qualifies). Because these are men who respect woman, who aren’t afraid of woman, who don’t think of them as beneath men. So what can we discern about opinions of women as held by these men (and horrifyingly to me – even some women). They do not appear to be striking out against professional women, who are well-off. Rather this strikes against the very lives of women who are making minimum wage, women who are struggling to support children, women who lack job skills, who lack basic knowledge of their own health, who lack self-esteem. It strikes against women who are the least able to protect themselves. And I find it immoral, unconscionable, unethical, (fill in your own adjectives here).
I am pretty sure, based on my own knowledge and years’ worth of discussions with other women, that removing these services is not only a very bad thing for women, it is also a very bad thing for future attempts at fiscal responsibility, which seems to be the “goal” of this proposal. Since our government is very concerned with cutting spending, allow me to project several years into the future.
A woman, multiplied by several thousand, is unable to find family planning providers, or unable to afford effective contraception, and finds herself pregnant. Whether or not she is married has no bearing. We all know that in the real world, a poor woman is not likely to get much benefit from having a husband. Frankly, many of us middle-class women don’t get much benefit from having a husband, but that’s another post. The woman, multiplied, is now going to spend the next nine months carrying this child she did not plan for and likely cannot afford. She will get no sick days at work. She will get no paid time off. She will have to seek pre-natal care in a clinic which cannot see her for at least a month. She will sit in the waiting room an hour or more past her appointment time, because of all the other women who are trying to get care at the same clinic. When her delivery time arrives, she will be taken to a hospital by her mother or sister or a friend, where she will be asked to fill out copious forms, all confirming that she has no insurance and she is the only responsible party for paying the bill that may well be up to $10,000, if there are no complications. At some point, she may get to speak with a social worker, who will tell her about the few remaining programs which may help her get food for her infant or possibly medical care for the child.
She has now missed several days of work, possibly more if there were complications. If she is lucky, her job will still be waiting for her. If not, she will find herself unemployed. The last figures I saw indicated that the average cost of raising a child through high school is $222,000. Guess who is going to be stuck with that bill, multiplied by the number of children who arrive untimely.
Add to that the cost of caring for women who discover too late that they have HIV, and have perhaps passed it on to their partners. Add to that the cost of caring for women who discover too late they have breast cancer. And there are the women who will eventually have severe health issues because they could not get information, testing or treatment when they needed it.
And all that costs. It all adds to the bill that eventually has to be paid. Denying reasonable care at a reasonable cost will prove far more costly in the long run. Making life harder for poor women, middle class women, and their present and future children is not an answer. According to Russ Carnahan, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (Energy and Commerce? Did we just enter an alternate dimension here?) Currently no further action has been taken. I strongly suggest that if you are a woman, or know a woman, you locate the members of this committee and politely ask them what they are smoking. Not really, but you get the idea.
My apologies if this comes too close to ranting for some, but lately, there have been a lot of political issues that are making me rant. I swear I’m having flashbacks to the 60’s. I want to take to the streets with a sign, chanting “Hell No, I’m not letting you stay in office one minute more than I have to.” I’m going off now to find my tie-dye T-shirt and a doobie. The good ol’ days are back.
Really, people, WHAT THE F**K? What are these crazies thinking? Do none of them have mothers, sisters, wives, daughters? I can understand a man who has never taken advantage of the services of Planned Parenthood, but surely most women know someone who has gone there for contraceptives, for HIV testing, for cancer testing, for referrals for mammograms, for Hepatitis vaccines, for flu vaccines, for testing for sexually transmitted diseases, anemia testing, cholesterol screening, diabetes screening, physical exams, high blood pressure screening, and more. And men, too, can seek help for birth control, male infertility, and testicular cancer. So why does one-half of our government no longer care about access to these services? And there is no need to get into an abortion debate. The Hyde amendment forbids using federal funds for abortions, and I’m pretty sure, since Planned Parenthood knows they are in the crosshairs, the accounting shows they are in compliance.
Now I know none of the men in my circle would ever support this atrocity (yes, that’s a loaded word, but by my definition of the word, this qualifies). Because these are men who respect woman, who aren’t afraid of woman, who don’t think of them as beneath men. So what can we discern about opinions of women as held by these men (and horrifyingly to me – even some women). They do not appear to be striking out against professional women, who are well-off. Rather this strikes against the very lives of women who are making minimum wage, women who are struggling to support children, women who lack job skills, who lack basic knowledge of their own health, who lack self-esteem. It strikes against women who are the least able to protect themselves. And I find it immoral, unconscionable, unethical, (fill in your own adjectives here).
I am pretty sure, based on my own knowledge and years’ worth of discussions with other women, that removing these services is not only a very bad thing for women, it is also a very bad thing for future attempts at fiscal responsibility, which seems to be the “goal” of this proposal. Since our government is very concerned with cutting spending, allow me to project several years into the future.
A woman, multiplied by several thousand, is unable to find family planning providers, or unable to afford effective contraception, and finds herself pregnant. Whether or not she is married has no bearing. We all know that in the real world, a poor woman is not likely to get much benefit from having a husband. Frankly, many of us middle-class women don’t get much benefit from having a husband, but that’s another post. The woman, multiplied, is now going to spend the next nine months carrying this child she did not plan for and likely cannot afford. She will get no sick days at work. She will get no paid time off. She will have to seek pre-natal care in a clinic which cannot see her for at least a month. She will sit in the waiting room an hour or more past her appointment time, because of all the other women who are trying to get care at the same clinic. When her delivery time arrives, she will be taken to a hospital by her mother or sister or a friend, where she will be asked to fill out copious forms, all confirming that she has no insurance and she is the only responsible party for paying the bill that may well be up to $10,000, if there are no complications. At some point, she may get to speak with a social worker, who will tell her about the few remaining programs which may help her get food for her infant or possibly medical care for the child.
She has now missed several days of work, possibly more if there were complications. If she is lucky, her job will still be waiting for her. If not, she will find herself unemployed. The last figures I saw indicated that the average cost of raising a child through high school is $222,000. Guess who is going to be stuck with that bill, multiplied by the number of children who arrive untimely.
Add to that the cost of caring for women who discover too late that they have HIV, and have perhaps passed it on to their partners. Add to that the cost of caring for women who discover too late they have breast cancer. And there are the women who will eventually have severe health issues because they could not get information, testing or treatment when they needed it.
And all that costs. It all adds to the bill that eventually has to be paid. Denying reasonable care at a reasonable cost will prove far more costly in the long run. Making life harder for poor women, middle class women, and their present and future children is not an answer. According to Russ Carnahan, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (Energy and Commerce? Did we just enter an alternate dimension here?) Currently no further action has been taken. I strongly suggest that if you are a woman, or know a woman, you locate the members of this committee and politely ask them what they are smoking. Not really, but you get the idea.
My apologies if this comes too close to ranting for some, but lately, there have been a lot of political issues that are making me rant. I swear I’m having flashbacks to the 60’s. I want to take to the streets with a sign, chanting “Hell No, I’m not letting you stay in office one minute more than I have to.” I’m going off now to find my tie-dye T-shirt and a doobie. The good ol’ days are back.
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