A Step in the Right Direction

Admittedly, our new president has his hands full. The country is in a shambles in so many ways and everything can't be fixed at once. With the wars, the economy....the list goes on and on. All the things that need to be corrected will take some time.

The first day in office, Obama went into action. He has already made some moves that have me cheering. Today he took another step in the right direction: he signed a bill today extending the time for workers to file pay-discrimination lawsuits, "declaring that it's a family issue, not just a women's issue." The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act reverses something that shouldn't have been limited in the first place.

According to MSNBC:

"The measure is designed to make it easier for workers to sue for decades-old discrimination. He said "this is a wonderful day."

The law effectively nullifies a 2007 Supreme Court decision that said workers had only 180 days to file a pay-discrimination lawsuit.

Ledbetter said she didn't become aware of a pay discrepancy until she neared the end of her 19-year career at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Gadsden, Ala. She sued, but the Supreme Court in 2007 said she missed her chance.

The court said in its 5-4 ruling that a person must file a claim of discrimination within 180 days of a company's initial decision to pay a worker less than it pays another worker doing the same job. Under the new bill, given final passage in Congress this week, every new discriminatory paycheck would extend the statute of limitations for another 180 days.

Congress attempted to update the law to extend the time, but the Bush White House and Senate Republicans blocked the legislation in the last session of Congress."

Thanks, Mr. President...for being more active in your first few days than our former president was in years. As an adult woman who has worked her entire life, this is nice to see. Thanks for looking out for us. And thanks to Michelle too, who is already showing her intelligence and class as a First Lady. We don't expect everything to be fixed right away, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

"Dick" Armey, Proud Sexist

Listening to "Hardball" as I worked on my computer, I caught a debate between Joan Walsh, of Salon.com, and Richard Keith "Dick" Armey, the former U.S. Representative from Texas's 26th congressional district (1985–2003) and House Majority Leader (1995–2003). They were discussing the stimulus plan.

In yet another example of an old, white Republican guy showing his true colors, Armey came out with this ridiculous, sexist comment aimed at Walsh: "I am so damn glad that you could never be my wife, 'cause I surely wouldn't have to listen to that prattle from you every day."

Joan's response? "Well, that makes two of us. What an outstanding comment."

Kudos to Bob Herbert from the New York Times. When asked a question in the next segment he said "Before I answer that question, I want to comment on the sexist comment that Dick Armey made to Joan Walsh. He owes her an apology." Thanks, Bob. On the other hand, no thanks to Michelle Bernard who said nothing. Even when it was brought up a second time, she still said nothing.

I'd like to say I feel sorry for Armey's wife. She clearly gets no respect from him. Clearly no woman does. So Armey can't handle a strong woman speaking her mind? Instead he throws out an insult that not only hits her, but hits the woman who is supposedly his life partner - on national television.

Go back to Texas, Dick. Put on your big cowboy hat and shut up. And if your wife does have any strength or feminist gumption at all, she'll kick your butt for the rest of us.

Move On, Norm

With all the excitement of the election, it is both embarrassing and irritating that Minnesota still has an empty senate seat. This fight has gone on long enough and Al Franken deserves to take his rightful spot.

In a great move today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that they were going to try and seat Franken:

"We're going to try to seat Al Franken," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters on Wednesday, a few hours before he posed with Franken for photos just off the Senate floor. "There's not a question in anyone's mind, an assertion by anyone, that there's been any fraud or wrongdoing in this election."

They too see how ridiculous Norm Coleman is for dragging this out. Isn't it funny how he told Franken to concede before the recount was done, but now that it is done he is whining that there was fraudulence? This was a legal recount, and Coleman lost.

Move on Norm, and grow up. Minnesota needs Al Franken as our senator. He has worked long and hard for this position. It is unfair that this is being dragged on even more, and for one reason only - because you are being a sore loser.

Nice Compensation

After heroic piloting by Captain Sullenberger on US Airways Flight 1549, saving everyone on board, I have to say I'm impressed with their crews. Then, according to CNN, US Airways proceeded to show real character with their next move:

"U.S. Airways has sent a check for $5,000 to each passenger who was on the plane that crashed in the Hudson River last week, saying it will be months before they receive any of their possessions that were on the plane and are recoverable."

They obviously have to do an investigation and keep passenger's belongings for a time, if they can be recovered at all. But, what a nice way to compensate them after a really frightening experience as well. With 150 passengers on board, this amounts to a pretty large price tag for the airlines ($750,000 to be exact).

Quite unlike Spirit Airlines, who had tried to charge two passengers $90 cancellation fees when they didn't use the return leg of their trip - because they were in a plane crash! It should be noted that they were also on Flight 1549 because Spirit canceled their trip in the first place.

On the other hand, US Airways not only had a well-trained pilot and crew who handled a crisis in the best way possible, but handled the whole situation with real class.

Our 44th President of the United States of America

May Barack Obama be blessed with wisdom, strength, and direction...and may our country turn back around to the way it should be. He is the perfect man for the job at the perfect time. This is his fate.

"To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable." - Helen Keller

Two Heroes Together

In the continued press on Captain Sullenberger, Mayor Michael Bloomberg quoted Ernest Hemingway's take on heroism:

“Hemingway defined heroism once as grace under pressure and I think it’s fair to say that Captain Sullenberger certainly displayed that yesterday.” Asked what he meant by “guts,” Ernest Hemingway had once said: “Grace under pressure.”

Sullenberger received a call from President-elect Barack Obama, who congratulated him, and invited him to tomorrow's inauguration. As far as I'm concerned, they are both heroes. They're both willing to take on something almost impossible with grace, coolness, and humility.

We have few heroes these days. How appropriate that in these trying times, as the worst president I've ever seen leaves the White House - and a great, historic one moves in - that we have two heroes in the same place.

May both of these men be blessed for their efforts - one for saving 154 lives and his own, the other for taking on the huge job of saving the rest of us.

Inaugural Present

I just have to say, what a nice birthday present. It is truly a great year of changes ahead of us:

(Atmosphere at "We are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at
The Lincoln Memorial" presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday
January 18th 2009. Kevin Mazur/Courtesy of HBO via image.net)