An Unruly Woman

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported this evening on a Minnesota District court judge’s ruling that could lead to a $2 billion fine for Wal-mart.

More than 50,000 current and former employees filed a class action suit alleging they were forced to work without breaks and not paid for all the hours they worked. My favorite part is Wal-mart’s response, which passes the buck onto store managers. Here’s my question: If that many Wal-mart managers were breaking the same rules, doesn’t that make a de facto company policy?

This problem must have existed in many stores to have affected so many employees. So if Wal-mart is concerned enough about employees being paid appropriately to have developed a policy about it, why did it take a class action lawsuit to correct the situation? Shouldn’t Wal-mart have been monitoring the policy out of concern for its employees?

Or did all those store managers get together and decide to lie to the higher ups?

Always lots of questions with Wal-mart. Never many answers.

–Joni Hubred-Golden
Michigan Woman Blogger

I watch Dr. Phil because a) I’ve got a thing for bald men and b) he didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. Today, his guests were a pregnant teen-ager and her mother, who remained blissfully unaware of her daughter’s condition until an assistant principal called to say the child was four months along.

Flash back almost a year ago, when 18-year-old Teri Rhodes went on trial for the murder of her newborn child. Rhodes got all the way through a full-term pregnancy without anyone around her knowing. How does this happen?

The bewildered mother Dr. Phil interviewed said her daughter didn’t suffer from morning sickness and wasn’t wearing baggy clothes. But what she said next blew me off the couch.

“Kaylee had health classes. She had even received a certificate for highest score in sexual education.”

Here is a 14-year-old child who sat through health classes, through sex education and STILL got pregnant. I bet the teacher even covered birth control. Can you imagine?

Of course you can. Medically accurate sex education belongs in our schools, but any parent who substitutes public education for involvement in this area runs the risk of early grandparenthood. Sex education should reinforce information a child has already been given at home. And when sex education stands alone, absent training in values, installation of a moral compass and construction of a solid self-image, it cannot succeed.

–Joni Hubred-Golden
Michigan Woman Blogger

Now that the dust has settled a little, I’ve done a lot of thinking about Hillary Clinton. I couldn’t have voted for her in the primary, but had she been the Democratic candidate, I would have. At this point, it’s the path, not the personality.

What troubles me most has been the assignment of blame for her loss. The way I see it, Senator Clinton’s campaign had not just one, but two negative forces to overcome. The most obvious faction, represented by the guys with the placards that read “Hey, Hillary, go home and make me a sandwich,” revealed the way blatant sexism erupted during her campaign. It was everywhere. People, even prominent media personalities on national platforms, felt perfectly at ease slinging vulgar comments about her - and most went unchecked.

But the campaign also faced a more insidious challenge. The victimization of Hillary Clinton did just as much damage as the sexism. She ran a powerful campaign, raised millions of dollars, led millions of supporters from the head of the pack. And still, there were those who complained she was a victim of sexism. I’ve watched the woman, and Senator Clinton is nobody’s victim. She knew what was coming - and still jumped into the fray.

Each one of us comes into this world to travel a path and losing in the 2008 Presidential primary was a part of Senator Clinton’s path. But the vast expanse of accomplishment behind her symbolizes lasting, meaningful victory.

I loved Clinton’s last speech more than any other she gave during the campaign. “Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it.” Think about that for a moment. Every little girl in America can now say, with confidence, “I could be President.” Every mother in America now knows she can succeed at the highest professional level and still raise a healthy, happy and successful child. Every woman in America knows we do not have to be damaged by sexism; we can overcome it.

Hillary Clinton has blazed a trail, all the way to the top. An entire generation of American women are following, right behind her. And there are no victims here.

–Joni Hubred-Golden
Michigan Woman Blogger

As someone who pays attention to politics, I have always admired Tim Russert. His passion, his energy and genuine love for the work showed in every moment he sat in front of the camera. I admired his ability to make interviewing on camera look effortless, when in fact, it is a delicate and difficult business - particularly with subjects prone to dodging and weaving through the truth.

We have lost someone who could make election numbers clear, using a heap of common sense and a small white board. And we have lost him when we needed him most.

Joni Hubred-Golden
Michigan Woman Blogger