McCain Unveils New Job Program for Women
I can’t say that I’m a big fan of more social programs, but speaking in New Orleans today John McCain announced what I believe will be a cornerstone of his plan for economic recovery.
When asked about the wage disparity between male and female workers after voting against some ridiculous “Fair Pay Act” (Didn’t we vote that down as part of the ERA in 1977?) McCain answered ““They need the education and training, particularly since more and more women are heads of their households, as much or more than anybody else,” McCain said, “It’s a vicious cycle that’s affecting women, particularly in a part of the country like this, where mining is the mainstay; traditionally, women have not gone into that line of work, to say the least.”
If this is the cornerstone of a new jobs program and its not to expensive I don’t dislike it. We need more energy in this country and anybody whose seen North Country can attest, women have been working as miners for over 35 years, but many shy away from the profession probably because of black lung disease and mine collapses.
Sign me up!
Riding on a lizard in 30-inch coal / That cable a-sparkling as the little wheels roll / Dear God have mercy on a miner’s soul / Down on my poor knees in 30-inch coal”
Screw that desk job! I shoulda been a coal miner.
zenyenta
April 24, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Blood on the tracks, blood in the mine,
Brothers and sisters what a terrible time.
Ole 97 went in the wrong hole,
Now my number 60 has blood on the coal,
Blood on the coal, blood on the coal.
thatsrightnate
April 24, 2008 at 7:33 pm
An Irishman named Murphy said “I’ll stop that iron horse!”
And he stood to thwart it’s passage,
And it crushed him dead of course.
And I hope he hears the irony when e’re this tale is told,
The train that took his life was burning good
Kentucky coal
zenyenta
April 25, 2008 at 8:40 am
Send Sen. McCain Your Resume!…
We woke up this morning to an article which made us think the calendar had been switched back 50 years while we were sleeping. On Wednesday, the Senate failed to pass the Fair Pay Act. What was almost worse than that defeat were the ……
auditionis.info
April 27, 2008 at 2:59 pm
The photo you are using in your blog – female coal miner – is my property and is copyright protected. Please remove it now, or I will pursue legal action.
Ted Clutter – ArtComPhoto
Ted Clutter
May 11, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Hey Ted,
I have removed the photo as you wished and I apologize for any misunderstanding. To be honest, I don’t even remember if I got the photo off your site or anothers. I have to admit that I am a little shaken by your decision to go into that coal mine with that woman and not feel compelled to help her. I believe that a gentleman does not leave the heavy lifting or in this case mining to the women.
Yours in America,
Nate Peele
thatsrightnate
May 12, 2008 at 6:02 am
“That woman” was an employee of the mining company. She did not enter the mine with me on my tour for photographs. Coal mining, like other industries, has taken equal opportunity seriously. Modern coal mining in the United States claims among the highest paid blue collar jobs. The photo was made in western Virginia, where folks are very proud of their coal mining heritage, and quite happy to work in the mines, which are now highly mechanized. On several tours I later helped arrange for Pennsylvania politicians, the first thing they said when emerging above-ground was, “I didn’t see a shovel anywhere.” And believe it or not, coal mining is not as dangerous (deaths per 1,000 employees) as agriculture or construction. Thanks for respecting my copyright. No harm done. Good luck to you, Ted
Ted Clutter
May 12, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Sorry for the problem in the first place Ted. I was unaware that it was copyrighted or even a professional photo. I think I looked up woman coal miner and assumed it was a historical photo. I do believe that John McCain is right and we need to get more women into this industry, but I still find it hard to stand by and watch a woman do hard physical labor. Cooking or cleaning is fine, but physical work I want to help.
thatsrightnate
May 12, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Then why don’t you ever want to help the women of our family do the dishes after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?
Steve
May 13, 2008 at 3:59 am
Being a female coal miner is a respectable job with even better wages. I should know because I am one myself. Don’t feel sorry for us if we want to do hard physical labor. By the way your concept of coal mining may be a bit distorted by pictures of long ago picks and shovels. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a hard physical job but it has came a long way and is very modernized now. Coal mining is what helped me take care of my children and keep my home as well as food on the table when my ex-husband didn’t even care enough about his children to pay child support. We need more good women!!!!!
Rhonda
July 5, 2008 at 11:05 pm
right on, rhonda!!!!!
thatswrongnate
July 5, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Thanks for your post Rhonda. I too think that women need to be self-reliant and not look for a man to take care of them. I think the more women we can get into the mines the better off we’ll be.
thatsrightnate
July 6, 2008 at 8:43 am
That is exactly the point I was trying to make. Women need to be more self reliant. Mining isn’t exactly the job for any woman, but I think many would be surprised to learn that they could do it as well. You can surprise yourself when you have to do something, as I did for my kids.
Rhonda
July 14, 2008 at 12:46 am
I get what you’re saying. When I took over my dad’s self storage business I faced many obstacles, but I knew I had to succeed for myself and for my family.
thatsrightnate
July 14, 2008 at 6:51 am
I have a lot of respect for anyone, man or woman, who labors so hard to put food on the table.
As a woman, I would definitely prefer a job that did not require so much manual labor, but I would be willing to take on a job like this if I were to get paid the same amount as the men. It is ridiculous that we still make less then men for doing the same work. I have never relied on a man to take care of me, because when it comes down to it you can only count on yourself, and I should be paid equally for the work that I do.
Not everyone gets to go to Harvard, and if you cannot afford a good college, there is not much out there for a woman that pays well unless you are willing to be treated like a whore. I have heard a lot about coal mining jobs out in Wyoming that pay so well people are retiring early with loads of cash in their pockets. West Virginia sounds beautiful and getting paid well definitely is making me consider finding out more about the coal mining opportunities there. With all the factory closings and outsourcing of jobs overseas, perhaps coal mining will become a competitive job market in the near future. God knows we need more jobs that pay well enough to survive on.
I’ve worked with attorneys as a legal secretary my whole life doing most of the work without any of the credit, while being verbally abused by them and treated like their personal servant. They live in expensive houses and drive expensive cars and send their children to good colleges so they don’t ever have to work a crappy secretary job, while I bring home enough to barely afford my apartment and have a little left over to get by on.
If given a chance to do it, I would much rather risk my life working in a coal mine doing an honest day’s work for good pay than to ever have to work for another scumbag lawyer again.
Chantepeta
September 4, 2008 at 7:01 pm
As John McCain has said, if you want to get paid the same as a man, you need more education and training.
thatsrightnate
September 4, 2008 at 7:52 pm
McCain is a complete moron and so are you if you actually believe his garbage. Women who are lucky enough to be able to afford a better education and training still get paid less then men performing the same job duties. It’s not even worth my time trying to explain rational thoughts to irrational bigots.
chantepeta
September 10, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Would I like to get paid as much as a man for doing a similar job? Of course I would. But I live in the real world, and I know that employers have to figure that not only am I bad with numbers and psychotic every month, but that I’m eventually going to get married (god willing), and at that point of course I will have to stop working. I don’t see the economic incentive for employers to pay me as much as men who can be relied upon to stay at their job.
The so-called feminists who campaign for equal pay are really denying their femininity, which in my book is actually anti-woman.
Aramael
September 10, 2008 at 2:21 pm
God has made men and women different, and we all need to know our limitations. Women are not good with numbers, men are not good at housework. Making a man wash the dishes is fighting God’s will.
And Chantepeta, please don’t call Nate an irrational bigot. Nate is not irrational. He’s a man, for God’s sake!
Lola
September 10, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Thank you girls
thatsrightnate
September 10, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I’m sorry, but I live in 2008 and not in the 1950s. Clearly I’ve entered the wrong forum to discuss this issue. Women and Men are different and that is something sacred which should be honored. I am very much a woman. I cook, clean, wear sexy lingerie, and I love the outdoors. I’m also very good at math and I know how to handle myself in the corporate world without getting emotional. I can separate my personal life from my work life, and children and family always come before work. Allowing men to treat us like women in a respectable manner is something I encourage. I love being a woman and I honor myself as a woman, which is why I should be paid equally as a man for doing the same job.
All women are bad at math and no man knows how to clean or do dishes? Men know what’s best for us and we should just sit quietly with our handkerchiefs in our laps and a smile on our face. I’m speechless. I pray for your daughters that they learn to think for themselves.
chantepeta
September 11, 2008 at 6:02 pm
If you want to get paid the same as a man you must have more training. I believe McCain spells it out quite clearly.
thatsrightnate
September 11, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Chantepeta, apparently some women, besides not being very good at math, are also not very good at spotting irony…
Lola
September 11, 2008 at 8:28 pm
It is a money thing for sure. My grandfather was delighted that Dad didn’t follow him into the mines; my cousin, having left his leg in the mine, said that “even nowdays, to the company, you’re just another rat in the hole.” Ever seen any poor, wheezing, scarred, broken down company execs? The larger issue than gender may include treating everyone decently. People who have been fortunate enough to have some power over others are often poorly bred enough to lord it over their ‘underlings’.
Steve McNew
October 25, 2011 at 10:50 am