The push to defund public schools and reroute taxpayer money to charters and private institutions is actually a very clever strategy by the Right Wing, which has always had a great deal of disdain for a system that forces them to pay taxes toward some other kid's non-religious, science-based education.
If all schools become privatized in the U.S., the poor wouldn't be given vouchers for 'school choice.' They would have no choices.
What I never seem to understand about feminist-bashing conservative women is their inability to see how ironic it is that they attend political rallies, share their opinions, and cast their ballots when the America they're nostalgic about wouldn't allow them to do any of those things.
It's sobering to realize that there's a huge chunk of the U.S. voting population that doesn't think of sexual assault as something horrendous enough to disqualify a presidential candidate.
If the U.S. is the richest country in the world, why is it also the most unequal?
I know I'd be a good mom.
The abuse on Twitter has become so commonplace and accepted that people have literally made careers out of it.
What concerned me the most about Twitter wasn't just the violent vitriol I was exposed to regularly. I was more worried about what it was doing to me as a person and how it was changing my overall perception of humanity.
Political speeches might represent the ideas of the politician at hand, but often times, it's not written in their own words.
Colleges prefer to enroll wealthy students because they know it's more likely that they'll pay for full tuition without needing financial aid. They're also more likely to have parents who will donate large sums of money to the school. When the privileged students graduate, they're expected to join the alumni association and also donate cash.
Little by little, the U.S. has allowed questionable domestic policies to chip away at the only hope poor students have at a better future. The Right Wing loves to distract voters from these realities by making it seem as though the poor remain so because they lack the work ethic necessary to 'pull themselves up by their bootstraps.'
If the federal government is so concerned with why people are deciding against having kids, maybe they should consider how little support and protection the middle class gets when it comes to being parents. Paid leave would be a good start, and increasing wages would also help.
Maybe this isn't a common thought that goes through one's mind when considering children, but I think about the ramifications of climate change and how the extreme weather conditions will only get worse as we keep drilling for oil and fracking for natural gas. Do I want to bring a little human into that mix?
As much as I dislike Trump, I have to admit that his campaign took off because he seemed real and unscripted to a lot of voters. He wasn't rehearsed, senatorial, or buttoned up. That resonated with people who are distrustful of today's politicians.
Young people overwhelmingly supported Bernie because he wasn't the standard politician. He let his hands flail around as he passionately spoke about the issues that sincerely matter to him. He was real.
My disdain for Trump is clear and warranted.
I've never relied on one job and usually have a few different gigs going.
I used to believe that you have to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way in order to succeed in life. Now I realize that the rarely-talked-about secret to success (and sanity) is recognizing when it makes more sense to say no.
I will honor and respect my husband, but I'll also call him out when he's being doofus. I hope he does the same with me.
If a magazine proudly labels itself 'The Economist,' you would expect that publication to understand the economic burdens of today's youth. But when a tone-deaf writer at the magazine tweets an article asking 'Why aren't millennials buying diamonds,' it pretty much sums up how oblivious some can be in matters they're supposed to be experts in.
