ONE of the fastest growing areas of research in politics is gender. Forget finding differences among Republicans and Democrats. Or Southerners vs. Northerners. Those are few and far between.
Instead, researchers have discovered the differences are in the variable "gender" - males vs. females.
It's a throwback to the old "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" days. Though this isn't a "weaker sex" validation. It is more a highlighting of the actual differences between the sexes and, in that space, illuminating how in government and politics women are coming out on top in some public polling.
Women politicians skew more trustworthy, honest, moral and true. Male elected officials are more likely to be corrupt, more likely to be expending energy trying to one up the other guy through a backroom deal or a secret alliance.
Male politicians are more driven by competition; females by a sense of cooperation. Males by glory; females by a sense of accomplishment. Males like to win; females like to do the right thing.
The research is so strong that I'm convinced women make better lawmakers.
They work together well, they gain consensus and they have a commonality that is driven by a cooperative nature that works well under the dome.
They proved it in a fascinating case study recently, the defeat of the co-called Burkle Bill in Sacramento by "The Women of the State Assembly."
The bill would have given billionaire supermarket magnate and large Democratic campaign contributor Ron Burkle a special dispensation. You can have your divorce, yet keep your financial records secret. Divorce court documents (now public), under SB 1015 would be redacted - i.e., how much money a man is worth would be hidden from public view, as would other important financial data.
This was supposed to be a small bill moved by Democrats Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nu ez, D-Los Angeles as a favor to The Man and more of the same reality for The Collective (party). It would've kept the Democrat Good Ship Lollipop in campaign candy.
But this Titanic hit an iceberg.
The women of the Legislature - yes, the same Legislature as the men and the same party - saw a problem. The bill would hurt poor and middle class women getting divorced. They would have greater difficulty receiving a rightful settlement.
Women also saw the bigger picture, that the law is an affront to open government and the public's right to know. We are fighting in Iraq for a democracy, yet we're voting on bills in California that would reverse decades-old public record laws.
Where were the principles of those legislators shepherding such a vile bill?
They were willing to sell their souls for re-election or higher office. But the women could not ignore their collective conscience - nor their feminist leanings. They felt in their hearts that this was wrong, and they spoke out.
"The bill would have prevented the sunshine necessary from shining on some of these divorce proceedings when there is a great deal of wealth on one side," explained Assemblywoman Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park. "In this case, the men would have the great advantage.
"I felt this would hurt women who do not have resources," she told me during a phone interview this week.
Thinking this was a serious blow to women's rights, they called a meeting in the Capitol. Chu told me the women banded together. They discussed the bill, and they began to object to it on many grounds.
First, there was Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, who headed the judiciary committee. Lady Justice saw it tipping the democratic scales. "To me, it's a policy issue. Do we want to engage in secrecy or open access to courts," she was quoted telling the Sacramento Bee.
When I asked Chu to give me the temperature of the women's caucus on this bill or any future incarnation, she said without hesitating: "The bill is tainted. I would say that many of us are even stronger in their positions."
Hear them roar.
Steve Scauzillo is the Opinion Pages Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group.
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Yeah, yeah sure, sure. Isn't the feminist line that there is no difference between men and women? This article is gonna tick the feminists off.
How come it's ok to say women are better than man at everything but..... Cooking cleaning nurturing ?
Seems rather strange that the most important part of adulthood, for both sexes, raising a child, is the one thing femenists don't claim superiority.
And sadly the days of female moral superiority are coming to an end too. Yes in the name of sameness women are now free to sleep around, wear #69 shirts to softball games, get drunk, burp, fart. wear next to nothing and just generally act as crude and obnoxious as men. Oh the days are coming when mothers will proudly exclaim to there daughters: "See! Mommy's on tv! That's me on the Girls Gone Wild video. I flashed the camera because I was drunk and silly. Besides nobody complains if a man does it."
Oh but of course feminism is hard to explain to a sick 3 year old who gets dropped off at day care so mommy can prove she's the same as daddy.
Well sorry to hijack your post Purl Gurl. Oh one more thing... is Hillary following her heart with her stance on Iraq? I don't think so.
Planet Amazon would run 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off--by the time the mail got delivered again, you'd just be caught up on the in-box when -- "OK, ladies, back to the Moon Huts!"
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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Yeah but me and Tex got you beat Purl. We can write our name in the snow with yellow......uh lemonade like substance. Oh plus that same yellow substance works good for killing weeds.
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And the northern lights commenced to glow And she said, with a tear in her eye Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow
quote:Originally posted by Johnwayne: Yeah but me and Tex got you beat Purl. We can write our name in the snow with yellow......uh lemonade like substance. Oh plus that same yellow substance works good for killing weeds.
remember the joke? the old hillbillies, talking about "snow-writing"?
"Your boy's name is outside my cabin this morning!"
"So? We did the same thang..."
"It's in my daughter's handwriting!"
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In order to counter the false allegation from another poster that the Munchkin Man is a racist and a sexist, the Munchkin Man shall prove right here and now that he is neither one.
The truth of the matter is that there are two modern women today who the Munchkin Man believes would make outstanding world leaders.
In fact, the Munchkin Man considers both of these fine ladies to be supremely qualified to become a future President of the United States.
The Munchkin Man would not hesitate to vote for either one of them.
Back in 1985 we attended the Snow Valley 50th anniversary celebration. Lots of the famous.
Have pictures of us with Brooke Shields and Clint Eastwood out snow skiing. Eastwood is a double black diamond skiier. He is good! I could not match him, even fell behind.
I will work on this. Only fifty-thousand slides to look through.
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Just like so many people were goning to go to Canada if Bush was reelected...
Just like so many Minnesotans said they plan to oust all incumbants from office after the 2005 governemnt shutdown beacause they couldn't agree on the budget...
Just like so many people are going to "seriously " get to the gym two times a week this year!
Munch...have fun in Australia.
Purl, you know full well that women fight just as dirty as men do. If they didn't have men in office to outdo they'd turn on eachother same as men. 'Catfight' ain't a legendary phrase for nothin!!!
BF
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