Women still woefully behind men in wages
Pay equity
Here I sit at my kitchen table gathering my IRS materials. April 15 marks income tax day, but 11 days earlier is Equal Pay Day, symbolizing how far into 2017 women must work to earn what men earned in 2016.
On average, women who work full time earn about 80 cents for every dollar a full-time male worker earns.
Over a lifetime (47 years), the total estimated loss of earnings of women compared with men are $700,000 for a high school graduate, $1.2 million for a college graduate and $2 million for a professional school graduate. That’s a lot when 40 percent of households with children include a mother who is either the sole or primary earner for her family.
As I get ready to retire, I know my retirement savings and benefits are significantly less because of salary discrepancy.
American Association of University Women advocates for strong pay-equity legislation, regulation and enforcement to protect employees and assist employers. Legislation to guarantee and protect pay equity is long overdue.
Kathleen Welton
President, AAUW
Kansas City
Northland branch
Gladstone
Solving problems
Dave Helling wrote about the Democrats’ electoral problems in the Feb. 28 Star (11A, “Democrats’ problems beyond argument”) . He blames their woes on poor candidates and lack of a strategic plan. Some of that is true.
But the broader picture is this. Republicans have the best debate issues. They get to argue giving us our cake and eating it, too. We can have low taxes, no regulations and small government. At the same time, we can have a huge military. All without deficits. Just magic.
The question is, why we buy such simplistic notions that are arguably false. The answer is we don’t when times are bad. We almost intuitively turn to Democrats to solve really big problems. That’s what Democrats are: problem solvers.
My father told me years ago that the Republican Party was the party of the wealthy. He was right then and he is right now. That being said, how do Republicans get so many of us average folks to vote for them?
The answer to that is too long for one letter.
John Chapman
Gladstone
No shame?
There may not be a word in the English language that adequately defines the lack of a sense of duty of the 50 Republican senators who have not yet summoned the courage to speak out about the incredible behavior of President Donald Trump. In my opinion, this display of cowardice is enough to disqualify them for any future elected office. I suppose there are some who actually still believe the drivel that comes from Trump’s mouth and that disqualifies them on the basis of stupidity.
It’s a tough choice: cowardice or ignorance.
It is tragic that clearly so many politicians have mastered the arts of self-delusion and lying in the process of running for office and that they employ them in the Congress. So far only the representative from California, Daniel Issa, has joined Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio in exercising their duty to face and condemn Trump’s lies and double-talk.
It’s enough of a travesty that the president has no compunction to tell the truth but for the elected representatives of their constituents to openly ignore their responsibilities and Oaths of Office (Article VI, Clause 3 of the Constitution) is beyond comprehension.
Is there no shame?
Steve Sherry
Kansas City
This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Women still woefully behind men in wages."