Click here to download the MP3

Click here to download the MP3

The new campaign slogan for the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women certainly gets right to the point. And if anyone is unconvinced of their assertion, then I wish you could have attended Women’s Day at the Capital on Tuesday.  Invited speakers and the public submitted testimony on Tuesday and called attention to many issues like health care, domestic violence and protection, education, employment, women in politics, and childcare.  Two high school students from the Young Women’s Leadership Program essay contest also read their winning essays which focused on breaking the cycle of domestic violence and the need for more women in leadership positions.

Women’s Day was really more just like the morning which was noted by two young women sitting behind me who discussed why there wasn’t a day full of activities.  Ironically, these two left a bit before noon but I internally hoped that was because they were heading over to Trinity College for their program on reproductive health “I had an illegal abortion: telling my story” at 12:15pm.  These women also noted the lack of diversity in the room.  True, most of the women there were white, well dressed and in 40+ age category.  There were several men in attendance.  The attorney general, a male photographer, the father of one essay contest winner, and two men who sat at the center table.  They didn’t have the appropriate name cards so I couldn’t find out who they were.  The morning must have been a bit boring for them because one left about an hour into the testimony and the other looked like he was sleeping.  After studying him for a few moments I noticed that it wasn’t because he was sleeping that he was so still, it was because he was typing on his phone…possibly updating his twitter page as a call for action on these women’s issues?

When one woman noted that the medical field has historically been dominated by females as midwives and mothers and it wasn’t until you could get paid $300k a year that men started taking over, the room erupted with laughter.  It wasn’t all jokes though, and Executive Director Teresa Younger took that very seriously.  I internally applauded Younger when she shushed two female political leaders talking during the testimony of Dr. Stefanie Chambers, which focused on the effect the recession had on women.

Younger has every right to be tense about this day.  For the second year, Governor Rell is calling for the elimination of the (Permanent) Commission on the Status of Women (which has been around for 37 years) in the state’s proposed budget.  Younger fought back last year and managed to save the commission but with a 65% cut in budget which eliminated half of the staff.  Community organizers presenting testimony also talked about the need to have the commission.  Several years ago a women’s clinic in New London faced closure due to funding. The PCSW stepped in to provide support and saved the clinic.

Enjoy this sprinkling of statistics from the morning!

- White women make .77 cents on the dollar compared to male counterparts while African American women make .70 cents and Latina women make .62 cents.

- 56% of medical bankruptcy filers are women.

- 1 in 7 women put off their annual obgyn appointment because of cost.

- Our current state childcare licenses can only care for 40% of children under the age of 5.

- Less than 4% of women serving on state commissions and boards are women of color.

- 80% of philanthropy is given by women, but only 10% of that reaches girls.

- 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, which is the 2^nd leading cause of death for women behind lung cancer.  The risk of getting the cancer is lower in African American women but are 35% more likely to die from the disease then white women because of financial barriers.

- Women spend 68% more on health care then men because of reproductive health.

Any interested individuals may testify by submitting oral and/or written or electronic testimony. For oral testimony, sign-up will begin at 9:00 a.m in the same room as the hearing. Oral testimony should be no longer than 3 minutes. Please refer to the Connecticut General Assembly website for testimony formats (http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/Content/YourVoice.asp).

Please note the first hour of the hearing is reserved for invited speakers.

For written testimony, submit 25 copies on the hearing date or mail it (18-20 Trinity Street, Hartford, CT 06106) or email it to PCSW (pcsw@cga.ct.gov) by Friday, February 5, 2009.

Women’s Day at the Capitol (formerly known at Making Women Visible Day) is an educational opportunity for the public and PCSW to present testimony regarding issues that affect women in Connecticut to legislators.  The Young Women’s Leadership Program high school essay contest winners will also read their essays.

Click here to download the MP3

Click here to download the MP3

This much needed service needs to go forward or else Hartford’s business leaders will have much bigger problems. Like one commenter noted over at the Courant,… How bad for business would it be with dead bodies frozen on the streets of Hartford because they were denied shelter due to profit concerns? Some of the other concerns raised were the “increase in pan-handling, vandalism, and public urination”, to name a few. Also at issue is that there could be some sex offenders among the homeless population (p.s. they exist in ALL communities), which seemed to be the crux of the BID’s opposition, only second to profit margins.

The members of the BID need to understand that all of these perceived threats that they cite will still exist no matter how much they want it swept under the rug. If they really want to solve these problems, maybe they should look at the root causes of poverty and homelessness. That aside, the real bottom line is that people’s lives are at stake. This should be a no-brainer. With all of the cuts to social services and other shelters cutting back or closing down, Hartford’s most forgotten and pushed aside need it most. Nevermind that with more people losing their jobs and housing these days, any one of us could be next in line at a soup kitchen or shelter’s door. As we head into the holiday season, I can’t help but think that you can’t get more Dickensian than this.

Brian Baker from South Park Inn, a shelter in Hartford, Natalie Matthews and Sara Zucker from the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness discuss CT’s current homeless situation, in a time when the economy is making getting by a lot more difficult.

Click here to download the MP3

(Change.org End Homelessness blog)

The 20 year veteran Police didn’t elect to use a Taser, they didn’t use a night stick, they didn’t retreat to a safe distance. They did what they were trained to do = use deadly force / shoot to kill with a gun. (more…)