By Martha Burk

After suffering through several un-presidential GOP debates, I’m struck by the amount of anti-woman rhetoric spewing from the candidates. Although none of them dares utter the W word — unless it’s part of the phrase “our men and women in uniform” — it’s pretty easy to see what their views are on issues concerning the sex that comprises a majority of voters.

Take a look:

Social Security tops the list. Rick “Ponzi Scheme” Perry has declared the program unconstitutional, and the other candidates are struggling to characterize their various schemes to destroy Social Security as “saving” this vital program.

This is a women’s issue: women live longer than men, earn less during their working lives, and have smaller private pensions and savings accounts. And unlike the private accounts pushed by Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum, women don’t have to fight over Social Security payments in a divorce, and widows can’t outlive the benefit. Don’t some of these candidates have mothers or grandmothers?

Then there’s the pesky issue of jobs and the lack thereof. Some members of the media have tried to paint the Great Recession as a “mancession,” because construction took the biggest hit early on. Not so anymore. In the last 12 months, the pain has shifted to the female-dominated public sector currently under attack by the GOP, in which women are 50 percent more likely to be employed than men. And despite the fact that the number of women working part-time because they can’t find full-time employment has doubled since the recession began, the candidates are also opposed to any new stimulus money — unless you’re talking about giveaways for big banks and big corporate tax breaks.

When it comes to abortion, there’s plenty of agreement across the Republican field. All the contenders, including formerly pro-choice Mitt Romney, would deny women a choice when it comes to their own health or the size of their families. That’s why the topic almost never comes up in the debates. From a party that claims it wants the government out of our lives, this makes them all candidates for a new reality show. Let’s call it “The Biggest Liar.”

And take health care, another area of agreement among Republican candidates. Every GOP hopeful favors repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which they all fondly and frequently refer to as “Obamacare.” Poor women and their children are Medicaid’s major recipients, but the candidates want to slash both state and federal funds for the program, sending states on a race to the bottom in terms of who is covered and what benefits they get. And private insurance? Adult women are the largest group in the U.S. working for minimum wage, and far less likely than men to have a company-paid plan. Before the GOP-hated Affordable Care Act passed with its curbs on rate increases, insurance companies were raising premiums for individual policies at a dizzying pace. Increases exceeded 40 percent in some cases. You do the math.

And then think about the things they don’t say.

Year after year, election after election, equal pay polls at or near the top of the list of women’s concerns. The pay gap with men is even more stubborn than the unemployment rate. At 79 cents on the dollar, it has narrowed only about a dime in a generation. But don’t hold your breath while waiting to hear anything about it from the candidates.

What about those revered military women? A little-known statistic is that female members of the military were disproportionately mustered out for violating the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. They comprise about one in five of the troops but close to half of those discharged for their sexual orientation. And tough luck if you get pregnant from a rape or sexual assault. Sex crimes are rampant at too many military installations two countries away from a civilian hospital. Service women can’t get an abortion at the military hospital — even if they pay for it with their own money.

But enough facts. You decide. Does the GOP hate women?

The City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department is offering a Women’s Self Defense Clinic on Saturday, July 23, 2011 from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Glass Recreation Center, located at 501 West 32nd Street.
“When you can recognize and respond to dangerous situations, you will be more confident in your everyday activities and life,” said Debbie Isham, Parks Department Recreation Supervisor.
Instructor Alex Jones, who holds a fourth degree black belt in Go’Ju-Ryu Karate, will teach students tips and techniques on how to think on their feet, avoid threatening situations, respond properly to dangers and how to defend yourself in case of attack.
This clinic is for women 14 years of age or older and will cost $25 per person.
For more information or to register, please call the Glass Recreation Center at (903) 595-7271.

By Martha Burk

My entire working life, roughly 50 years, I’ve been hearing the same old excuses for women not advancing in corporate America. Two are dominant: “we can’t find qualified women,” and “just wait until the pipeline gets filled and things will automatically get better.”
If the pipeline can’t fill in half a century, how long will it take? Corporate America, particularly in the boardrooms where the big decisions are made, is still very much an old boys’ club.
Years of prodding by individual female shareholders, women’s groups, and other advocates have shown us that begging and moral suasion aren’t enough. According to a recent Financial Times article, in 10 years the proportion of women board members on Fortune 500 companies has barely crept up from 12 to 15 percent, and 60 of those corporations have no women on their boards at all. Even in California, a state that is generally viewed as progressive, female directors in the largest companies hold a paltry 10 percent of the seats.
It’s time for shareholders to take the reins and vote out the old boys’ club. If you think only men are up to the job of running companies, think again. Credible research has shown that firms with the highest proportion of women on their boards significantly outperform the lowest in terms of sales, equity, and return on capital. And were women in the majority when the shysters in the financial sector led our economy off the cliff? Hardly.
Naysayers and apologists for the status quo will ask, “Well, if you don’t like the way a company is being run, why not just sell the stock and move on?” Certainly that’s an option, but if you don’t let the company know why you sold your shares, it changes nothing. It’s far better to advocate from the inside, as a stakeholder as well as a stockholder. You have a stronger claim on company policy if you’re even a small part of the ownership.
But the biggest shareholders have the most clout. These are mutual funds holding 401(k) money, huge retirement plan administrators like TIAA-CREF serving educators, and public pots of money such as state reserves and permanent funds. Darn near all of them are investing money that largely comes from women’s work. Women are now not only the majority of the U.S. population, but also half the U.S. workforce — and therefore half the taxpayers. We dominate fields like teaching and nursing and will soon comprise a majority of union members. The money female workers pour into these retirement funds is huge, and the folks that control the votes ought to pay attention to who is represented on the investment end. All these entities should have policies against supporting all-male boards.
It’s time for a new strategy, and I’m happy to report that one company has recently stepped up to the challenge. Joe Keefe, president and CEO of Pax World Funds, has advised companies in which the fund holds stock that Pax will vote against any all-male slate of directors. He has also written a letter to large institutional shareholders calling on them to do the same. It’s part of the firm’s push for gender equality as an investment concept, which includes the only mutual fund in America whose focus is on investing in companies that are global leaders in advancing gender equality.
Just a few large investors following this lead could make all the difference — for the bottom line, for fairness, and for the rights of the majority — women. Only then will we stop trusting in that elusive “pipeline.”

Martha Burk is a political psychologist, women’s issues expert, and director of the Corporate Accountability Project for the National Council of Women’s Organizations (NCWO).

The Tyler Professional Fire Fighters Association (TPFFA) “Turned Tyler Pink” on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010 when they welcomed the Pink Heals Tour back to the downtown square as part of the second annual event to raise awareness of women’s cancer.
The Pink Heals Tour features pink fire trucks that travel across the country to raise awareness of women’s cancer. Each truck is signed by thousands of people who have been affected by cancer.
“The inspirational messages written on the trucks about the ravages of this disease and the spirit of those who are fighting it is something everyone should see,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass, a breast cancer survivor. “This event was an opportunity for the entire community to come out and honor those who have been affected by cancer. We were particularly excited to welcome “Tonya” (a Tyler Fire truck given to the Pink Heals Tour in 2009) back to Tyler, showing off her new pink paint and messages from cancer survivors from around the U.S.”
Area public safety officers, businesses, schools and citizens were urged to wear pink on this date to show that “Tyler cares enough to wear pink”.
The Tyler Firefighters’ sale of the pink shirts began in 2008 when the wife of a fellow firefighter was struck with cancer. To raise funds to help the family, the department raised $12,000 by selling pink shirts. In 2009, the effort grew significantly with an event held on the Downtown Square that attracted more than 500 people who wore pink in support of women who are fighting cancer.
Funds raised this year as part of the shirt sales and the Turn Tyler Pink event are being donated to local cancer organizations and to assist firefighters and their families battling cancer. Tyler fire fighters raised $20,885 Buy Cialis Online Without Prescription that will be disseminated to:
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure;
The American Cancer Society;
East Texas Medical Center Foundation;
Trinity Mother Frances Health System Cancer Foundation;
Fit Steps for Life;
Total HealthCare Center;
Northeast Texas Public Health District;
Tyler Fire Fighter CARE Fund;
Lone Star Pink Heals; and,
Fire Fighter Cancer Support Network.

The Tyler Parks and Recreation Department Buy Viagra Online will host a women’s self-defense clinic from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 19 at the Glass Recreation Center, located at 501 W. 32nd. Cost for the clinic is $25 per person. For more information or to register, call the Glass Recreation Center at 903-595-7271.

The Tyler Parks and Recreation cialis Buy Drugs soft tabs cheap Department will host a women’s self defense clinic from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 24 at the Glass Recreation Center, located at 501 W. 32^nd St.

This clinic, for women 14 and older, will teach participants tips and techniques to help defend themselves in dangerous situations. Instructor Alex Jones, who holds a second degree black belt in Go’ Ju-Ryu Karate will teach students how to think on their feet, avoid dangerous situations and the proper responses to danger.

Cost for the clinic is $25 per person. For more information or to register, please call the Glass Recreation Center at (903) 595-7271.