Younger Women’s Task Force-NYC Metro Chapter hosts monthly book club meetings. See the end of this post for more information.

Martha Burk’s book, Your Money and Your Life: The High Stakes for Women Voters in ’08 and Beyond , is more of a good skim than a good read. And that fact is actually more of a service to its purpose: to provide women with an overview of the 2008 election issues, the facts, and the questions we should ask. Rather than discussing the book as a book, or my own reactions to it (as YWTF-NYC’s earlier book club posts have done ), I will share a few points that I found interesting and encourage you to pick up the book if you want more.

• 96% of American believe men and women should have equal rights; 88% believe that the Constitution should make this clear. Three out of four Americans believe that the Constitution already does secure equal rights for men and women.
• We’ve all heard that the war-spending costs the U.S. a half million dollars per minute. During budget cuts, the Women’s Educational Equity Act was cut (and then reinstated). The Act, which assists girls in technology, math, and science, cost only 6 minutes in war dollars .
• Up to 50% of subprime loans went to people who could have qualified for a standard loan. Women were 32% more likely than men to be sold a sub-prime loan .
• SCHIP, which provides low-income children with health insurance AND was vetoed twice by the President because of cost, was paid by for by an increase in tobacco taxes.
• 145 nations ensure paid sick leave . The U.S. does not.
• The recent budget deficits are mostly caused by the 2001-2006 tax cuts, most of which benefit corporations and the wealthy.
• The wage gap widens as a college-educated woman progresses in her career. One year after graduation, she makes 80 cents to a man’s dollar—after 10 years, she makes 69 cents . This is exacerbated if she takes time off from work for any reason.

Pissed off yet? Don’t let your passion atrophy—do something! You can talk to your local and state leaders about what they are doing about these (and other) issues. If they won’t listen to you, talk to your community and build a coalition that cannot be ignored. Make sure your friends, family, coworkers know where your leaders stand on the issues and whether they reflect your community’s values. VOTE, and advocate for those who cannot.

YWTF-NYC’s next book club meeting will be on September 17 at 7:00 PM at Tea Spot (127 Macdougal Street, NYC). Check out our Meetup site for more info on upcoming meetings.

YWTF’s national voter engagement campaign, Voting Vixens , promotes younger women’s connection to and knowledge of the political process. YWTF is a progressive non-profit that supports and encourages young women’s leadership. We do not endorse candidates or political parties.

Rebecca Andruszka is Director of Communications and co-chair of the Book Club Committee at YWTF-NYC. All opinions express are those of the individual, not of Younger Women’s Task Force.

0

You recommended