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Aug
17
Nothing makes me angrier than this kind of story in the Wall Street Journal (the content, not the reporting). Key points include:
1. The problem (don’t even try to argue to me that men do just a fine job representing me on the issues – any issue; some men do, some men don’t; I still want more women in office as a general rule):
Women will surrender two of the nine governorships they now hold and face stiff competition over a third. All three women up for re-election in the Senate can expect withering opposition, including Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu, whose seat is considered the Democrats’ most vulnerable.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report lists 14 women among the 75 most vulnerable House members, including eight women who won office with less than 51% of the vote in 2006. And although women hold a quarter of all seats in state legislatures, “we’ve hit a plateau,” says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics, a public-policy institute at New Jersey’s Rutgers University.
2. If you want to really drive me insane, just keep repeating these statistics to me:
While women will cast about 53% of the votes in November 2008, based on the past two presidential elections, their share of elective offices seems to have leveled off at about one in six at the federal level, and one in four in the state capitals.
…
The mixed outlook for 2008 contrasts with the increasingly pivotal role of women voters, who outnumbered men voters by 8.8 million in 2004. Women’s votes historically have trended Democratic, but the Republican Party aggressively targeted them with issues such as education in 2000 and homeland security in 2004.
3. Why efforts like bringing The White House Project’s training to Ohio is one of my top priorities right now:
The main reason for the apparent slowdown: Women remain less likely to run for public office than men. They first need to be recruited and assured of their qualifications, research shows. “Women tend to run because they’re concerned about an issue; they don’t wake up thinking they want to be governor the way men do,” says Jeanne Shaheen, a former three-term governor of New Hampshire who is now the director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.
Women are also still less likely than men to enter highly competitive races, and more likely to enter a race only if they know they will face a woman rather than a man, says Jennifer Lawless, a Brown University political scientist. Her research also shows that when a woman does decide to run, she is as likely to win office as a man.
4. Take a look at this chart from the WSJ article:
See how the percentage of women elected to state offices is declining? Recall how the states are increasingly wanting to limit abortion options? Yeah, uh-huh (sure, sure there are groups like Moms for Ohio PAC who are just dandy with men repping them; whatever – they are all over the map with the people they endorse and why – they don’t represent this Mom who is for Ohio).
5. What you can do:
Nominate a woman through the Women’s Campaign Fund She Should Run process (non-partisan* see comment below from Lisa – I thought they ID the org. as seeking women who are pro-Choice, but of course that doesn’t necessarily mean you must be a Democrat; I’m seeking even clearer clarification; UPDATE: got the clarification – indeed, the desire is for pro-Choice women but party affiliation is irrelevant; read more here)
Visit and support The White House Project (non-partisan).
Visit and support EMILY’s List (Democratic).
Check out your county party, whichever one you follow, and find out what they do for women who want to run.
Check out the League of Women Voters.
Start a blog.
Add to this list.
Just do something, and do it soon and often.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:27 pm August 17th, 2007 in Politics | 10 Comments
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Aug
17
How did anyone ever deem working in this kind of place an acceptable risk?
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I continue to wait for an answer, but even more insistently so after reading the most recent account of just how unstable the Utah mine at Crandall Canyon is:
“These events seem to be related to ongoing settling of the rock mass following the main event,” [University of Utah spokesman Lee] Siegel said Friday morning. “I don’t think I’m going too far to say that this mountain is collapsing in slow motion.”
Think it’s a safe bet that not even Robert Murray is happy to be Robert Murray right now?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:51 pm August 17th, 2007 in Politics | 17 Comments
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Aug
17
China bans negative news, we may need to ban Olympic participation, among other activity
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This is why China, as a partner in anything, is unacceptable. I don’t care about Google, Microsoft or any other entity.
If these types of restrictions are not lifted between now and the Olympics, the United States should boycott that event.
Without resorting to a reference to the untapped billions that our capitalist country sees in China, can someone tell me why we speak out against Hugo Chavez’s power grabs and not China’s strangleholds?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:38 pm August 17th, 2007 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Aug
17
Learn how much Iraq is costing your congressional district
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Learn more here.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:22 pm August 17th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
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Aug
17
Pension rep on divesting: "I do not like to be held hostage by the Legislature for political reasons"
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The Canton Repository has the story here. The Columbus Dispatch titled its version, “Pension funds may skip divesting Iran, Sudan links.”
To back up, under the threat of possible passage of HB151, a bill that would require five of Ohio’s pensions to divest of investments with ties to Iran and Sudan, House Speaker Jon Husted (R-Kettering) brokered a deal that tabled the bill so long as the pensions worked to divest.
The Repository reports that the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) board met yesterday and it was very contentious. According to the article, the board has other ideas:
A plan presented by Stephen A. Mitchell, deputy executive director of investments, does not obligate STRS to a set any goal or deadline for getting rid of investments. In fact, it states STRS will not divest from and could invest in companies with links to the two countries “unless a comparable substitute of equal risk and return is available.” And it limits divestment to its international portfolios on equities and fixed income.
If the system is mandated to divest, Mitchell said, STRS would lose between $70 million and $100 million, which could affect retirees’ benefits. He said representatives of the five systems are meeting to develop similar approaches to Husted’s request.
“We are not going to compromise the board’s fiduciary responsibility,” he said.
Would that plan satisfy Husted, and state house rep, Josh Mandel (R- Lyndhurst), the chief co-sponsor of the bill? From the article:
“It does appear the pension systems are taking positive steps toward what is in the letter,” said Karen Tabor, a spokesperson for Husted. “We expect them to keep their word.”
That June 7 letter committed the executive directors to work with their boards “to expeditiously develop an investment policy consistent with the boards’ fiduciary duties” with the intent of divesting 50 percent of “active, direct holdings in certain non-U.S. publicly traded companies doing business in Iran and Sudan … as of Dec. 31.”
The board knows that the legislature will be the ultimate decider as to whether they’ve met the promises of the agreement with Husted, and thus the article reports this:
“If we take no action, we risk a mandatory policy,” said STRS Executive Director Damon Asbury said. “If we develop a plan, then we control it, but the Legislature could come back. There’s no sure-fire win.”
“It’s a gamble either way,” said Mark H. Meuser, a board member from Franklin County.
“I do not like to be held hostage by the Legislature for some political reason,” said Craig C. Brooks, who was appointed to the board by the state treasurer.
Even less receptive was board member Dennis Leone, according to the Repository:
Board member Dennis Leone, who represents retirees, argued vociferously that the board shouldn’t adopt any plan and shouldn’t allow staff members to explore divestment, because both use financial resources and time for a political issue and divert them from the system’s responsibilities to its members. And he repeatedly asked Asbury and others why the board wasn’t given more information and rushed to develop a voluntary plan. At one point, Steven Puckett, who represents the Ohio superintendent of schools, accused Leone of badgering Mitchell with his questions.
The board members decided to wait another month to vote on the voluntary plan until after they hear evaluations of it from their legal counsel and investment consultant.
What would you do if you were the board?
From the Dispatch’s piece, we get the money quote related to Mandel’s return to Iraq:
Husted expects that the pension systems will have half of their money out of companies that do business with Iran and Sudan by year’s end, spokeswoman Karen Tabor said.
“The fact of the matter is, honorable people keep their word,” she said. “We expect the pension systems to keep their word. Rep. Mandel is keeping his word to the American people by going back to Iraq for a second time.”
Hey ya big time.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:22 am August 17th, 2007 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Aug
17
Remains of the Day, 8-16-07
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1. From Slate, we learn that, “…fewer than 2 percent of factually flawed articles are corrected at dailies,” according to a forthcoming study by Prof. Scott R. Maier, associate professor at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. H/t NewsTrust.
2. Two from Poynter Online:
-the most useful skills for being an online journalist
3. For Bill Callahan‘s previous posts about this topic (or a variation on the same theme): how to deal with landlords, Akron-style.
4. Two from Creative Ink:
-documenting women’s role in journalism; yes, it’s dumb that we even have to, but you know how your husbands don’t believe you when you tell them there’s a problem with such and such and they need to see it for themselves? Same sort of principle of documenting that something exists with the project (I know, unbelievable generalization – it’s for convenience, promise – I know it’s not true of 100% all men).
-you can’t spell “boy” without “oy.”
5. ODYS gets a unique accolade. I’m not familiar with the award program so I need to research, to see how legit it is, which means, what’s it measure and who awards it. But, on its own, I’m glad to hear that ODYS is thought to be doing well by someone somewhere.
6. Go Shoot Your Legislators! Oops, wait, that’s go shoot WITH your legislators. 8/18. Darn, I’ll be in synagogue.
7. GOP battles for Jewish votes.
8. Lots of good items in the news from The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
9. I apologize to Kyle et al. for not posting about their milestone sooner, but congrats on your success. You absolutely deserve it.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:58 am August 17th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
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Aug
17
TIME magazine cover story: Failing Our Genuises
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Don’t I know it.
Here’s the link to the main story, here’s the link to TIME.
I’ll probably buy the issue and then write about it. You can go here for my four-part Q & A with the Ohio Association of Gifted Children’s Executive Director, Ann Sheldon.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:42 am August 17th, 2007 in Politics | Comments Off
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Aug
17
MAZEL TOV! Josh Mandel engaged
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I hear that the official word is out and my state rep. Josh Mandel is engaged to a granddaughter in the Ratner family. Although I have the name, on the very slight chance that I’m wrong, and this isn’t about to be in the Cleveland Jewish News tomorrow or anytime soon, I will withhold her name. They are to be wed in Israel.
Josh – never a dull moment. Mazel tov several times over. I hope you’ll pardon me for not emailing the campaign first. The source is a good one, albeit confidential, and, as you know from prior conversations with myself and my better half, we hope only the happiest for you in marriage, Baruch Ha Shem.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:13 am August 17th, 2007 in Politics | 3 Comments
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Aug
17
Plunderbund was first on this topic two days ago.
Then, today, I heard this story on NPR’s Morning Edition. That story referenced this article in Wired magazine, “See Who’s Editing Wikipedia – Diebold, the CIA, a Campaign.”
About Ohio’s very own love-child, Diebold:
Voting-machine company Diebold provides a good example of the latter ["deleting whole "swaths" of information"], with someone at the company’s IP address apparently deleting long paragraphs detailing the security industry’s concerns over the integrity of their voting machines, and information about the company’s CEO’s fund-raising for President Bush.
The text, deleted in November 2005, was quickly restored by another Wikipedia contributor, who advised the anonymous editor, “Please stop removing content from Wikipedia. It is considered vandalism.”
A Diebold Election Systems spokesman said he’d look into the matter but could not comment by press time.
I am shocked, simply. utterly. Shocked. by this behavior.
VSAS: 8
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:28 am August 17th, 2007 in Politics | 1 Comment
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