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<p class=MsoNormal>Women stepped out of the kitchen and into the voting booth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Courtesy of Politico at:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><a
href="http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=82013607-18FE-70B2-A89758C9DBA67122">http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=82013607-18FE-70B2-A89758C9DBA67122</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>---------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Celebrating women's suffrage<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>By: Alice Germond<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>August 18, 2010 04:31 AM EDT <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>In 1848, a group of fearless women gathered in Seneca Falls,
N.Y., where they declared women’s fundamental equality with men, and set
out to secure our voting rights. In August 1920, after nearly 70 years and
several generations of work, the suffragists faced a final difficult battle in
Tennessee. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>They had already won passage of the 19th Amendment in
Congress and secured ratification of that amendment by 35 states;
Tennessee’s ratification, if they could succeed, would give them the
crucial number required to add the amendment to the Constitution and guarantee
American women the right to vote. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>In the Tennessee House, the vote was close. In fact, it was
tied, deadlocked. Then, on the third round of voting, the youngest state
legislator changed his mind. He had just received a letter from his mother,
urging him to do the right thing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>And so, on Aug. 18, 1920 — 90 years ago today —
women won the right to vote and make our voices heard in government. In the
nine decades since, women have made great strides in America. A higher
percentage of us vote than men and a majority of us vote Democratic.
Approximately three-fourths of the women in the U.S. Senate, House, and state
legislatures are Democrats, as well. And, as we all know, the speaker of the
House, third in line to the presidency, is Nancy Pelosi. Our college attendance
is equal to men and we are now presidents of great universities, we have joined
the work force in record numbers, and we work as doctors, soldiers, and
plumbers as well as teachers, nurses and owners of our own small businesses
— and so do our husbands and brothers. We have closed many of the gaps
between women and men. But there is still a long way to go to secure full
equality — and that is why President Obama and the Democratic Party fight
to level the playing field for women. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Although women continue to earn less than men — just
78 cents on the dollar, on average — President Barack Obama took
immediate action to close that gap. The very first bill the president signed
after taking office was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which protects women
against pay discrimination and helps to ensure women receive equal pay for
equal work. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>In addition, President Obama has championed flexible work
policies like paid sick leave, because he believes women should not have to
choose between keeping their jobs and caring for loved ones. Through a White
House Forum on Workplace Flexibility and through the creation of a White House
Council on Women and Girls, the president is working to better identify and
address the challenges faced by women in the workplace. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>At the same time, the president and his Democratic partners
in the Congress have enacted broad-based legislation that is not only helping
America overall, but is also giving particular benefits to women.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The Recovery Act, which has saved or created more than 2.5
million jobs across America, also contains provisions that are specifically
targeted to help working women and families. For example, the act authorizes
billions of dollars in new funding for Head Start and other child care programs
and calls for unemployment insurance reforms that encourage states to cover
part-time workers and individuals who have recently reentered the work force,
categories which include millions of women. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Similarly, the Affordable Care Act is an historic leap
forward — for every American, but particularly for women. Under the
Affordable Care Act, insurance companies will be prevented from imposing
lifetime limits on coverage for women. They will no longer be able to drop
coverage for women when they get sick, or pregnant. They will no longer be able
to charge women exorbitant out-of-pocket deductibles or co-payments. And they
will no longer be able to charge women more simply because of their gender. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>These are but a few examples of how we continue the fight
for equality in our country. On this 90th Anniversary of the ratification of
the 19th Amendment, it is important to give thanks for how far we have come,
and to continue to move forward together. So I hope you’ll join me in
offering your support for the president and Democrats in Congress as they to
work to open new doors of opportunity for women and men alike. And, I hope you
will open your hearts to the plight of so many of our sisters around the world
who do not share the freedoms we enjoy because of the hard work of our
foremothers, those heroic suffragists, almost a century ago.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>---------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Seeya round town, Moscow.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Tom Hansen<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Moscow, Idaho<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>“The right of citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account
of sex.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>- The 19<sup>th</sup> Amendment to the Constitution of the
United States of America ratified on August 18, 1920<o:p></o:p></p>
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