Welcome to Gaia! ::

Heh, my history teacher told me today to "be careful saying the Obama acted quickly on health care". So I replied, "I think Obama acted way to quickly on the health care. And no one likes it."

Why would a teacher even say that? We're all entitled to our opinions, aren't we? This is the U.S. after all. If a group of Anti-American protestors can get away with "Thank God for dead soldiers" then I definitely think I can get away with saying Obama acted too quickly on his health care idea.

I admit I like teh idea of universal healthcare in America, as a Canadian I enjoy teh benefits of being able to go to any doctor at almost any time of day. Heck, when I used to be allergic to peanuts, my epipens that would have normally been 1000 bucks were down to 1 thanks to my health insurance. But the problem is that now the insurance companies will now jack up insurance prices, since they can't turn anyone down. This isn't a problem in Canada, as part of our slightly higher taxes (about 5% more spent on taxes per year than america) goes right into healthcare and helps hold it up for us.
As for 'Thank god for dead soldiers', I'm assuming you're referring to teh Westbro Baptist church?

Here's a few simple sources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwogDPh-Sow&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-28246928/the-gender-pay-gap-is-a-complete-myth/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa3pKN3XUKM

I live right above Michigan in Ontario, in the Detroit area and I admit we've been feeling the effects of America's downturn. If things go bad in Michigan, many of us who work in America but live in Canada (which is quite a few people, and even then a lot of jobs in the area are directly affected by America) will have major problems. Heck, I've seen entire streets of closed and boarded up houses and stores IN MY OWN COUNTRY because they were heavily based on Americans coming over to take advantage of the difference between the Canadian and American dollar.

I myself, a mildly conservative person, have found Romney to be terrifying. Even my HIGHLY conservative Father thinks the Republicans in America are outright nuts. Then again, in Canada, the Liberal and Conservative parties are much less 'polar' and have been watered down severely. I swear the Republicans in America just want to watch the country BURN with their 'Christian Values' that they would know would disgust Jesus had they bothered to read the Bible. I'm for helping out larger companies because large companies add more jobs and help standardize some things for safety, but outright bailouts? Don't they even notice the middle class is what the focus should be on right now, seeing as those are the people that are being affected?

You say the gender pay gap is a myth?
You are a dude aren't you?
If you are a chick, I assume you have only worked in restaurants or offices... but I do admit assumptions are pretty flimsy...

There is a reason you aren't supposed to discuss your pay with other employees. There are even stipulations in many employee hand-books that state immediate and automatic termination if you are caught discussing you pay with other employees who are not your superior.

If you work in any field other than fast food or clerical, you should try figuring out what women make versus men. I guarantee you will find men are averaging more, because I haven't found anyplace that has equal footing for men and women that isn't a restaurant or an office (or temp service).

My husband and I have worked at the same places with the same job descriptions on a few different occasions, and I have never made as much as him doing the same work, and meeting the same goals.

At one particular factory that we worked at, I started before he did and worked for a year on a break press. My quality output was better than anyone, and I always met, and surpassed my production goals, much more consistently than the other 2 men on night shift. When my husband got hired onto dayshift, they started him at a higher wage than I had even worked up to, and that was with the $1.25 extra included on my pay for working nights. When I confronted my PR about it, I got an excuse that in heavy industry men are more capable of meeting higher demands. I had to prove that my quality was above anyone else in the department on any shifts and that my production standards met and surpassed that of all but 2 people across all shifts before they would give me a match in my husband's pay (why should I have to prove it, they worked those numbers themselves in the office after every shift)... My husband got a raise after his probation was up, and then he was making more than me again. When I confronted them again about it, they said women had a tendency to cause drama, and attitude was the reason I wasn't getting a raise (I had actually just been given an award for best attitude the quarter before, it was a slap in the face)...

I couldn't sue. It's my word against theirs. When I did talk to a lawyer, he said that I didn't have much of a chance winning because there was no other women doing what I was doing to prove it was a discrimination against women.

According to most news based on the recent findings, there is a 12% gap between men and women in the same occupations within the same companies. The studies also take into consideration education and lifestyle choices within those occupations as well.

There is one news association that reports that the gender gap is insignificant enough to ignore.

There is another news association that reports that the finding are irrelevant and that surely the study didn't take time to follow scientific method. SO... The gap is a myth and a conspiracy (I hate Fox)...

The only study that these news organizations quote to refute the pay gap is the census study which shows women make less as a whole because they choose lesser paying professions. They do not take into account the studies that look at men and women within the same profession in the same companies which are the studies that are recent news. stare