Madame Speaker

Let me join the hundreds who have already written about yesterday’s monumental day. That’s right. Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House. She took that gavel and cracked the marble ceiling. I think what’s important to note is that she just cracked the marble ceiling, it’s not broken down with a view of the sky. Madame Speaker did get a little carried away in her speech yesterday and declared that the marble ceiling is broken down for all of our daughters and granddaughers to soak in a view of the stars. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Madame.

Need I get into how we are the only industrialized country in the world without a federal maternity leave policy? How about how prevalent discrimination towards mothers and pregnant women is in today’s workplace. And no, not just blue collar work. Most definitely also in white collar jobs. We’ve all seen it. Where is the national healthcare? How about federally funded child care so that women can go back to work and can afford good child care for their beloved children. I could go on and on and on and on.

So – while the marble ceiling is still very much in tact…..Madame Pelosi did put a crack in it….and only time will tell how deep that crack is. Until then, let’s enjoy watching our first female Speaker, a mother of five and grandmother of I don’t know how many.

2 Responses to Madame Speaker
  1. Sam
    January 7, 2007 | 5:10 am

    Why is the ceiling still intact? None of us is angry. We’re not fighting for equal rights, we’re not fighting to end the war, we’re not fighting to stop environmental homicide. We’re too damn “happy”, to “busy” to get the things done that need fixing. Like the people who fought before us weren’t busy. Ceilings, barriers and wars for women and men continue because we let them exist or get so tired/content/bored/ignorant we just wish them away as someone else’s problem. Are our kids going to ask us what did you do to protest the war or demand equality? I know my answer and I’m already ashamed of it.

  2. Kitty Time
    January 8, 2007 | 4:44 pm

    Good posting Sam. You are right. Kitty time’s answer for why she isn’t doing much about it is lame but well, it is what it is. Whenever I think about quitting and storming the halls of the Hill, lobbying for important things like federally funded maternity leave or childcare, I remember that my own baby needs the healthcare benefits and money I make….and so…..I keep on doing what I’m doing.
    Lame.
    But life.

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