Wake Up, Women of America!

Representative Virginia Foxx, pictured at left, Chairperson of the Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee is woefully out of touch with the current astronomical costs of higher education. Her following comment about people who graduate with student debt should raise the hackles of students and parents everywhere in America. "I went through school. I worked my way through. It took me seven years; I never borrowed a dime of money. I have very little tolerance for people who tell me that they graduate with $200,000 of debt or even $80,000 of debt."

Well, whoopee for you, Virginia.  That was 1968; this is now. Why is Ham on Wry addressing this to women?  Because it's only part of the purpose of this post, and many students have single moms.

In 1968, the average yearly cost for tuition, room, and board for a public university was $1,245. In today's dollars, that equates to $1245.00 for a year of college (National Center for Education Statistics). Does anyone who is paying for a higher education attend a university or college that charges so little for a year of college?  How can anyone in the position of chairing a committee that involves higher education make such an off-the-wall statement? This person actually holds a position of deciding how tax dollars are spent for higher education.

Digest that information for a minute before continuing readers, because the next information should anger any woman who has suffered violent abuse.  Republicans are threatening to vote no on the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act passed in 1994 when Clinton was President because lesbians have been included in the new version. Take a moment to research Janice Shaw Crouse and Phyllis Schlafly to learn their views on this issue. To those readers too young to remember Phyllis Schlafly, she spearheaded the movement against the Equal Rights Amendment in the 70's. Essentially, she feels that VAWA promotes divorce. Well, duh!  If she ever bothered to visit CASA or any of the thousands of shelter for abused women and their children she might have an epiphany about the wisdom of leaving a violent relationship.

Rush Limbaugh is another case in question, but readers can access the previous blog about his reference to a law student as a "slut" because she advocated for coverage of birth control in health care plans.  He did not, however, call for eliminating Viagra or Cialis.

This year more than ever, women must educate themselves about every candidate on the ballot, support well-informed female candidates, and rid the nation of misogynist who endeavor to make women second-class citizens. And, by the way, the overwhelming majority of candidates in question are Republican.