FEMINISTS' STIMULUS SELFISHNESS

The Stimulus Package was sold with promises of millions of "shovel ready" jobs.  Americans envisioned men who had lost jobs in the construction industry getting work repairing roads, bridges, and the electrical grid. Even the skeptical were glad, at least, that long-needed highways and schools would be built.  But not the feminist groups.  They demanded that half the stimulus jobs be given to women.  Most of the recession's job losses were in the manufacturing and construction industries, three quarters in jobs held by men.  But feminists worked hard to see that stimulus dollars were funneled into female-dominated fields and declared that one third of the spending for manufacturing and construction must be designated to train women for jobs which men normally occupy.

Conservative leader Phyllis Schlafy pointed out, in a column on Townhall.com, that all the feminist groups got involved.  Their leaders called a meeting with President Obama's economic advisors to demand female-friendly jobs. Mrs. Schlafly writes, "As one tactic to intimidate Obama administration officials, the feminists successfully insisted that participants in the meeting be seated in a circle without a table between them-a format that enabled the feminists to be confrontational."  And they were. In fact, to counterbalance the jobs being created to improve the nation's infrastructure, they insisted social service, health-care, childcare and librarians jobs be funded to enhance what they termed "human infrastructure."  When they moved on to Congress with their demands, one Pelosi staffer joked about using the term "apron ready" as the female equivalent term for 'shovel ready' jobs.  The feminists didn't think that was funny.

The feminist groups actually got what they were after. Obama Administration  stats show that, up to the time when the stimulus was being debated, women held 20 percent of the jobs lost in the recession, but would gain 43 percent of the stimulus-created jobs. We expected armies of hardhats going out to fix the infrastructure.  Instead the AP reported: "'shovel ready' jobs take a back seat to spending on health care, welfare."

How can supposedly smart women be so frivoulously selfish?  Their so-called "rights"  trumped economic common sense and deprived jobless men, often heads of families, of needed employment.

In another recent Townhall piece, "What Women Want, " Sara Tappan writes that according to the new president of NOW, Terry O'Neill, women have a "constitutional right" to birth control. To a radical feminist this is the highest right. In a speech, Ms.O'Neill said (quote) "Conscience clauses, where pharmacists refuse birth control sales because it's against their conscience, must go." This includes Plan B, the morning after pill, which in some cases triggers abortion. Religious pharmacists even female need not apply.

Sarah Palin calls herself a feminist. But she does not follow these leaders.  Other patriotic feminists are pro-life and seek opportunities for women so they can contribute to the good of the whole country.  Perhaps we should reclaim feminism.