News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Letters

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable as well as posts that are attacking other users. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
comments powered by Disqus
April 17, 2012

READERS FORUM: April 17, 2012

The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Equal pay for women still  a distant goal

This year’s Pay Equity Day is one day after Tax Day, on Tuesday, April 17. On that day the average woman will have FINALLY caught up to what the average man made from January through December 2011, only it took her four months longer.

The national average is now 77 cents on the dollar. Just to make it interesting, Hoosier women are almost at the bottom of the pay equity scale, at 72 cents on the dollar (2010 Census), and guess what, that’s down 1 cent from 2009. That one cent has moved Indiana from a 44th to 47th standing. The only states doing worse are Utah, Louisiana and Wyoming.

The 2009 Shriver Report (“A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything”) continues to have an impact on people’s awareness of the overall problem, but how does this translate down to local levels? The wage gap costs working women and their families tens of thousands of dollars in lost wages and directly affects women’s retirement security. Oh, and let’s not forget to factor in ethnicity: white and Asian women earn, respectively, 82 percent and 88 percent of white men’s earnings. African-American and Hispanic women earn much less — just 70 percent and 61 percent of what white men earn, on average.

American Association of University Women Executive Director Linda D. Hallman recently stated, “Equal Pay Day ... is an unfortunate reminder of how far we have to go to reach true pay equality. The wage gap hasn’t moved significantly in nearly a decade, and at this rate, we’ll be marking Equal Pay Day for the next 60 years.” AAUW has had pay equity as one of its public policy issues since 1922, so we know what we’re talking about!

Read The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap on the AAUW web site at http://www.aauw.org/learn/research/upload/simpletruthaboutpaygap1.pdf and then tell Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. This will update the 48-year old Equal Pay Act and work to close the wage gap by improving enforcement, closing loopholes and strengthening remedies for mistreated workers.

It is especially crucial to challenge Congress to deal with this, since the disappointing Supreme Court ruling in the Wal-Mart v. Dukes class action sex-discrimination case last June, another narrow, 5-4 decision that now makes it harder for women and other workers to systemically challenge unequal treatment in the workplace. AAUW believes that equal pay for equal work is a simple matter of justice for women.

— Marsha Miller,

Member, AAUW of

the Wabash Valley



Can’t fashion law on clothing

Mr. Shepherd’s recent opinion piece suggested that the use of any communication device by a vehicle operator should be prohibited by law. I agree! For the safety of all, this is a reasonable suggestion.

However, Mr. Shepherd further asserted his belief that a law should be created that forbids the wearing of specific clothing by young males. WOW! Despite the “implied bigotry” and intrusion into personal choice, this isolated piece of illogic is embarrassing and offensive on many levels. If Mr. Shepherd thinks that seeing denim, a flannel pattern and a shirt on a person is obscene (with no exposed skin or external body parts), how must he emotionally respond to piercings, tattoos, hair colors and styles, or other adornments that he does not choose for himself?

Freedom of speech is a legal right; but freedom to think is a choice.

I dislike calf’s liver, but I do not suggest it should be banned. I enjoy good lasagna, but do not believe a law should be enacted requiring its consumption. A smoking ban in public buildings is motivated by the need “to promote the general welfare” of all people, by eliminating unhealthful air in specific situations. That is reasonable.

But banning a clothing style based on one’s stereotypes or prejudices or fears is sadly misguided.

— Jim Camp

Terre Haute



‘Theory’ doesn’t  mean ‘unproven’

I feel I need to reply to Mr. Follett’s letter of April 9, 2012. In that letter he says that evolution is unproven because it is called a theory rather than a law.

Mr. Follett should know that scientists use the terms “law” and “theory” interchangeably.

Let me give him just one example. In 1687, Newton published his explanation of how gravity works. We now call his work “Newton’s Law of Gravity.” But, in 1916, Einstein published an improved explanation of gravity which is called the “Theory of General Relativity.” General Relativity made Newton’s Law obsolete.

If you think that the Theory of General Relativity is unproven, then you should throw away your GPS. It won’t work unless General Relativity is taken into account.

— Richard Ditteon, Ph.D.

Professor of Physics and Optical Engineering

Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Letters
Latest News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
TribStar.com Poll
AP Video
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor China, Others Want What's Under the Arctic Ice Raw: Gun Scare Mars Cannes Film Festival CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools Raw: Suicide Bomber Kills 2 Americans, 13 Others Raw: 6 Die in Russian Ship Fire Raw: Texas Gov. Flies Over Tornado Damage One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree Raw: Pope Frees Doves From Cage $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NDN Video
Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Beyonce Is Pregnant! SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion Woman tricked into taking abortion pill Emma Watson Goes Pantless IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths Cindy Crawford Stuns At Cannes
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
  • -

     

    March 12, 2010

activity
Real Estate News