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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 8/16/12

Ryan's War on Women

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Message Brent Budowsky

-- from The Hill


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Here is one ad I propose for Democrats:

"My name is Lilly Ledbetter. I passionately support pay equity for women. Paul Ryan voted against me. I will be voting against him. President Obama and Democrats are fighting for pay equity for all women. I will be voting for them."

Along with Social Security and Medicare, pay equity for women will be a paramount issue in November. Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan is nationalizing public opinion about the extremist, influence-peddling brand of crony capitalism of today's Republicans. They have abandoned the GOP's heritage and will be pinned to the mat by Paul Ryan's record, which belies Mitt Romney's endless equivocations.

There is a new wind behind the sails of Democrats. Sweeping Republican hostility to the interests of women could be decisive.

Fact : Paul Ryan opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to prevent wage discrimination against women. He opposed the Paycheck Fairness Act to advance fair pay for women. He opposed efforts to protect women against discrimination.

Fact : Paul Ryan opposed efforts to provide women fair compensation when discrimination was proven. He opposed requiring those who pay women less to give a business justification for this.

Mitt Romney agrees with Ryan. So do most House and Senate Republicans, who drive the Senate to dysfunction by abusing the chamber's rules, again, to oppose fair pay for women.

Virtually every woman in America, from the wealthiest to the poorest, is hurt by this Ryan-supported Republican war against women's interests. They support those who cheat women on pay. They would turn Medicare into welfare for insurers, treat Social Security as a profit opportunity for banks and attack healthcare for poor women and their children.

Ryan even supported banks retroactively raising credit card interest rates and finance charges.

When five conservative men of the Supreme Court ruled against women seeking fair pay, Paul Ryan stood with them and against the women. So did most Republicans in Washington. This relentless and multi-front Republican war against the interests of mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, single women, married women, working women, jobless women, wealthy women, poor women, middle-class women, hungry women and entrepreneurial women is unprecedented in the history of American politics.

Paul Ryan's votes prove the point. Will the latest new Romney defend or denounce the record of the old Ryan? And why does Ryan spend so much time fawning over rightist billionaires and super-wealthy influence-peddlers while he carries their water in Congress?

Romney is a vulture capitalist of our times. Ryan is the Washington water-carrier for the vultures of our times, even while they cheat women on pay and lobby to turn Social Security and Medicare into windfall profits for banks and insurers.

Why do you think Bill Clinton is honored when Democrats meet while George W. Bush is hidden when Republicans meet?

We Americans love our Social Security, a triumph of a Democratic president supported, until now, by generations of Republicans. Who benefits from the Romney-Ryan drive to privatize Social Security? Banks. Who loses? Seniors. Many of whom are women. Romney and Ryan claim they will not hurt today's seniors, only tomorrow's! But what if they win?

We Americans love our Medicare, a triumph of Democratic presidents strongly supported, until now, by generations of Republicans. Who benefits from the Romney-Ryan attack against Medicare? Insurers. Who loses? Seniors. Many of whom are women. Romney and Ryan claim they will hurt tomorrow's seniors, not today's. And what if they win?

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Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen and Bill Alexander, then chief deputy majority whip of the House. He holds an LL.M. degree in international financial law from the London School of Economics. He can be read on The Hillà ‚¬ „ s (more...)
 
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Ryan's War on Women

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