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Health & Fitness

KQRS on the value of women

Tom Bernard of the KQRS morning show commented on a story about my candidacy for U.S congress, published in the Pioneer press on August 12. His review was not very flattering to say the least. He didn't talk about politics either. He criticized women. Quite naturally, he defines women by their appearance. Then of course he defines women by their parts, noting that if a Transgender woman has corrective surgery than she would have what he expects from a woman. This is the politics of prejudice and most people would not even notice it. Making fun of a transgender woman seems perfectly natural.

I’m running for Congress in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District largely as a result of this kind of politics of prejudice. 35% of single women in my district with children under 5 are below the poverty line. Women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men for the same work. 7 out of 10 minimum wage jobs are held by women. This type of economic disparity is largely responsible for the overwhelming level of abuse experienced by women in our culture. It’s not for lack of hard work. 26% of America’s children are in single parent homes. 79% of custodial single mothers are gainfully employed. 50% of them work full time. Of course some women earn more but there are not a lot of jobs for swimsuit models and most of us don’t qualify. 

Candidates are not talking about these disparities. They can ignore economic injustice when voters are willing to sell our congressional seats to the highest bidder. A candidate simply needs a few wealthy interests to create an effective media campaign. We choose candidates for their fund raising ability not their policy positions or negotiation skills. Tom Bernard fancies himself as a world class sprinter. It’s a guy thing. We can forgive Tom for wanting to sensationalize his talk show but we need to expect a lot more from the people who claim to represent us.

Here is the KQRS audio link
http://www.92kqrs.com/common/page.php?pt=KQ+Morning+Show+08%2F12+-+Part+3&id=19373&is_corp=0

Here is the pioneer press story.
http://www.twincities.com/dakotacounty/ci_23841229/eagan-candidate-congress-doesnt-want-her-gender-identity

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