See, it's not that complicated---Obama's new plan for working women set to provide economic security

One hour ago, I got a tweet from Barack Obama:

"In New York, NY.  At an event with Senator Clinton and Caroline Kennedy. . ."

I love saying that: Obama tweeted me. I especially love it today because he's in good with me based on his "Plan for Economic Security for America's Working Women." (You can read the entire plan by clicking to open this PDF. I strongly urge you to take the five minutes to read the plan, especially after recent kvetching about "being mislead" due to lack of information or knowledge. Don't let me have that on you. K? Thx! But if clicking through to a PDF is too much trouble, click through the link at the end of this article and see a bullet point summary from the Obama campaign.)

Let's be honest: we're in this society together, whether some of us want to face the fact that we are part of a greater whole or not. A local candidate recently made a good point to me that we have a simple choice to make when deciding how to set economic policy and which programs to fund: you either create a tax drain or a tax payer. And she's a Democrat.

In my mind, it really is that basic. You can apply it to schools: fund them and create contributing members of society---preferably with well-rounded educations and critical thinking skills, but at the least, educated and degreed---or...keep with the current program and watch the drop out rate continue to climb and crime continue to escalate.

You can definitely apply it to working women and families: create a plan that supports people who need to work or deal with the cost in some other way.

Obama's plan is multi-pronged and supports working women by proposing solutions for health care, wages, childcare, life balance, retirement and education.

It's a lot more complete than the Marie Antoinette reminiscent McCain solution, "Let them get educated."

In contrast, Senator Obama stated, "I don't accept an America where a woman earns less than a man for the same work, or an America that makes women choose between their kids and their careers. It's unacceptable that women are denied jobs or promotions because they've got kids at home. It's unacceptable that 22 million working women don't have a single paid sick day. When I'm President, we'll take these critical issues head-on and help women and families thrive in a changing economy."

I find those things unacceptable, too. So while some people ponder who to vote for or whether to vote at all, consider what's at stake: a real economic solution for women or...cake.

As much as Julie Pippert loves cake, she doesn't prefer it as a meal. In that case, she likes a menu of substance. You can find some of her substance at Using My Words and Moms Speak Up.

Obama's Plan for Economic Security for America's Working Women

(In Brief)

• Tax cut for working women. Barack Obama will provide 71 million working women with a tax cut of up to $500—or $1000 per family—to help offset the impact of stagnant wages and skyrocketing costs.
  
• Balancing work and family. Obama will help address the challenge of balancing work and family by guaranteeing seven days of paid sick leave to the 22 million working women who currently have none. Obama will also expand child care tax credits, double funding for afterschool programs to serve 1 million more children, and will create a summer learning program to serve an additional 1 million young people.
  
  
• Health care for every American. As President, Obama will reduce health care costs by $2,500 for a typical family, while providing affordable health care for every American.
  
  
• A secure retirement guaranteed. Obama will strengthen retirement security for working women, who currently enter retirement with less than half the retirement savings of men. Obama's plan will automatically enroll workers in retirement accounts (with the option to opt-out) and make these accounts portable to help working parents save while balancing their family obligations.
  
  
• Equal Pay. Obama will fight for paycheck equity and to close the pay gap that leaves women earning only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. The pay gap is even more pronounced for minority working women—with Hispanic women earning only 53 cents and African American women only 62 cents for every dollar of male earnings. 
  
  
• Affordable college. Obama will put the cost of college in reach for by providing a $4,000 refundable tax credit available at the time of enrollment in exchange for community service.
  
  
• Raise the minimum wage. Obama will help low-wage working women move into the middle class by increasing the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2011, and indexing it to inflation—and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
  
  
• Support Women-Owned Small Businesses: Obama will help women-owned small businesses innovate, grow and create jobs by cutting their capital gains tax rate to zero, and implementing the Women Owned Business contracting program that has been abandoned by the Bush Administration.

A full fact sheet on Senator Obama's plan is available HERE.

Comments

[cynematic]

Ah yes, that swoony Obama-magic feeling comes back when he speaks of bread and butter issues.

I'm especially liking the retirement security accounts, 7 days paid sick leave, and women-owned business 0% capital gains tax rate. (Affordable health insurance is *always* a good thing.)

We women are often the first to go without when we put our families first, so it's nice to see automatic enrollment in the retirement account to help women pay themselves first (for once) so our futures can be more secure.

[Christina]

Thanks for this. I got into an argument over Obama (well, a discussion) with my 9-year-old daughter who wanted to know why I wasn't voting for a woman with so much political experience. She was ANGRY because influencing me is the only vote she gets. I love all her intelligent passion and the answers I had for her were lame. So now she and I are both looking for reasons. This is great fodder for that now ongoing conversation with my angry little activist.

[Daisy]

I'd like to see funding or tax credits for child care for my disabled child. I struggle to make arrangements for his after school care -- and he's 16.