[Vision2020] A Wonderful Day

Fri Jan 30 10:42:22 PST 2009

Courtesy of the White House Blog (That's right; the WHITE HOUSE BLOG), 
with video, at

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/AWonderfulDay/

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A Wonderful Day

It's about justice. It's about who we are. And on this "wonderful day," 
we're getting a step closer to both of those things.

That was President Obama's message as he signed his first piece of 
legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which will make it 
easier for people to get the pay they deserve -- regardless of their 
gender, race, or age.

"Ultimately, equal pay isn't just an economic issue for millions of 
Americans and their families, it's a question of who we are -- and whether 
we're truly living up to our fundamental ideals," President Obama 
said. "Whether we'll do our part, as generations before us, to ensure 
those words put on paper some 200 years ago really mean something -- to 
breathe new life into them with a more enlightened understanding that is 
appropriate for our time.

Surrounded by leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of 
State Hillary Clinton, and with the new law's namesake, Lilly Ledbetter, 
at his side, President Obama signed into law a powerful tool to fight 
discrimination.

The law is now up on our website, where you can review its full text and 
and submit your thoughts, comments, and ideas.

We asked Mrs. Ledbetter to speak a bit about what the new law means to 
her. Watch the video below -- or scroll down for the text of remarks by 
the President, the First Lady, and Mrs. Ledbetter.

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REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
UPON SIGNING THE LILLY LEDBETTER BILL
East Room
January 29, 2009

THE PRESIDENT: All right. Everybody please have a seat. Well, this is a 
wonderful day. (Applause.) First of all, it is fitting that the very first 
bill that I sign -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act -- 
(applause) -- that it is upholding one of this nation's founding 
principles: that we are all created equal, and each deserve a chance to 
pursue our own version of happiness.

It's also fitting that we're joined today by the woman after whom this 
bill is named -- someone who Michelle and I have had the privilege to get 
to know ourselves. And it is fitting that we are joined this morning by 
the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. 
(Applause.) It's appropriate that this is the first bill we do together. 
We could not have done it without her. Madam Speaker, thank you for your 
extraordinary work. And to all the sponsors and members of Congress and 
leadership who helped to make this day possible.

Lilly Ledbetter did not set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. 
She was just a good hard worker who did her job -- and she did it well -- 
for nearly two decades before discovering that for years, she was paid 
less than her male colleagues for doing the very same work. Over the 
course of her career, she lost more than $200,000 in salary, and even more 
in pension and Social Security benefits -- losses that she still feels 
today.

Now, Lilly could have accepted her lot and moved on. She could have 
decided that it wasn't worth the hassle and the harassment that would 
inevitably come with speaking up for what she deserved. But instead, she 
decided that there was a principle at stake, something worth fighting for. 
So she set out on a journey that would take more than ten years, take her 
all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, and lead to this 
day and this bill which will help others get the justice that she was 
denied.

Because while this bill bears her name, Lilly knows that this story isn't 
just about her. It's the story of women across this country still earning 
just 78 cents for every dollar men earn -- women of color even less -- 
which means that today, in the year 2009, countless women are still losing 
thousands of dollars in salary, income and retirement savings over the 
course of a lifetime.

Equal pay is by no means just a women's issue -- it's a family issue. It's 
about parents who find themselves with less money for tuition and child 
care; couples who wind up with less to retire on; households where one 
breadwinner is paid less than she deserves; that's the difference between 
affording the mortgage -- or not; between keeping the heat on, or paying 
the doctor bills -- or not. And in this economy, when so many folks are 
already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing 
they can afford is losing part of each month's paycheck to simple and 
plain discrimination.

So signing this bill today is to send a clear message: that making our 
economy work means making sure it works for everybody; that there are no 
second-class citizens in our workplaces; and that it's not just unfair and 
illegal, it's bad for business to pay somebody less because of their 
gender or their age or their race or their ethnicity, religion or 
disability; and that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory, or 
footnote in a casebook. It's about how our laws affect the daily lives and 
the daily realities of people: their ability to make a living and care for 
their families and achieve their goals.

Ultimately, equal pay isn't just an economic issue for millions of 
Americans and their families, it's a question of who we are -- and whether 
we're truly living up to our fundamental ideals; whether we'll do our 
part, as generations before us, to ensure those words put on paper some 
200 years ago really mean something -- to breathe new life into them with 
a more enlightened understanding that is appropriate for our time.

That is what Lilly Ledbetter challenged us to do. And today, I sign this 
bill not just in her honor, but in the honor of those who came before -- 
women like my grandmother, who worked in a bank all her life, and even 
after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up and giving her best 
every day, without complaint, because she wanted something better for me 
and my sister.

And I sign this bill for my daughters, and all those who will come after 
us, because I want them to grow up in a nation that values their 
contributions, where there are no limits to their dreams and they have 
opportunities their mothers and grandmothers never could have imagined.

In the end, that's why Lilly stayed the course. She knew it was too late 
for her -- that this bill wouldn't undo the years of injustice she faced 
or restore the earnings she was denied. But this grandmother from Alabama 
kept on fighting, because she was thinking about the next generation. It's 
what we've always done in America -- set our sights high for ourselves, 
but even higher for our children and our grandchildren.

And now it's up to us to continue this work. This bill is an important 
step -- a simple fix to ensure fundamental fairness for American workers --
 and I want to thank this remarkable and bipartisan group of legislators 
who worked so hard to get it passed. And I want to thank all the advocates 
who are in the audience who worked so hard to get it passed. This is only 
the beginning. I know that if we stay focused, as Lilly did -- and keep 
standing for what's right, as Lilly did -- we will close that pay gap and 
we will make sure that our daughters have the same rights, the same 
chances, and the same freedoms to pursue their dreams as our sons.

So thank you, Lilly Ledbetter. (Applause.)

(The bill is signed.) (Applause.)

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REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY 
AND MRS. LILLY LEDBETTER
AT RECEPTION AFTER BILL SIGNING
State Dining Room, The White House
January 29, 2009

MRS. OBAMA: So thank you for joining us today for this important event, 
and welcome to the White House. (Applause.) As I told guests, feel free, 
walk around, touch some stuff. (Laughter.) Just don't break anything. 
(Laughter.) It's what I try to tell my kids. (Laughter.)

I had the opportunity to meet Lilly during the campaign and to hear her 
story. First of all, she is one of my favorite people in the whole wide 
world. Anyone who meets Lilly can't help but be impressed by her 
commitment, her dedication, her focus. She knew unfairness when she saw 
it, and was willing to do something about it because it was the right 
thing to do -- plain and simple.

In traveling across the country over the past two years, Lilly's story and 
the broader issue of equal pay was a concern voiced over and over and over 
again. It was a top and critical priority for women of all racial and 
ethnic backgrounds -- older women, younger women, women with disabilities, 
and their families. This legislation is an important step forward, 
particularly at a time when so many families are facing economic 
insecurity and instability. It's also one cornerstone of a broader 
commitment to address the needs of working women who are looking to us to 
not only ensure that they're treated fairly, but also to ensure that there 
are policies in place that help women and men balance their work and 
family obligations without putting their jobs or their economic stability 
at risk.

And it is my honor to introduce this extraordinary woman whose hard work 
has brought us here today for this very special occasion, and who has been 
an inspiration to women and men all across this country. Ladies and 
gentlemen, Lilly Ledbetter. (Applause.)

MRS. LEDBETTER: Thank you. And thank you, Mrs. Obama.

I fell in love with those people campaigning with them. I have to tell you 
that. And that's not on my prepared speech -- (laughter) -- but I have to 
tell you I love she and the President. And I just believe in them and 
their work so very much.

But thank you very much. Words cannot begin to describe how honored and 
humbled I feel today. When I filed my claim against Goodyear with the EEOC 
10 years ago, never -- never -- did I imagine the path that it would lead 
me down. I have spent the past two years since the Supreme Court's 
decision in my case fighting for equal pay for this day. But to watch you 
sign a bill that bears my name, the bill that will help women and others 
fight pay discrimination in the workplace, is truly overwhelming.

Goodyear will never have to pay me what it cheated me out of. In fact, I 
will never see a cent from my case. But with the passage and President's 
signature today, I have an even richer reward. (Applause.) I know that my 
daughter and granddaughters, and your daughters and your granddaughters, 
will have a better deal. That's what makes this fight worth fighting. 
That's what made this fight one we had to win. And now with this win we 
will make a big difference in the real world.

On behalf of all the women in this country who will once again be able to 
fight pay discrimination, thank you. Thank you to all the senators and 
House members who fought for and supported this bill. Thank you to the 
many organizations and broad coalition that worked tirelessly for its 
passage. And thank you to the countless women around the country who 
rallied behind this legislation. It would never have happened without you.

With this bill in place, we now can move forward to where we all hope to 
be -- improving the law, not just restoring it. President Obama, I want 
him to know that we're very grateful for his support. And you can count on 
my continued commitment to fighting to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act -- 
(applause) -- and to make sure that women have equal pay for equal work, 
because that's what this country is all about.

And thank you very much. (Applause.)

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"For a lapsed Lutheran born-again Buddhist pan-Humanist Universalist 
Unitarian Wiccan Agnostic like myself there's really no reason ever to go 
to work."

- Roy Zimmerman

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