A Vote for Women

Gentle readers, tomorrow is a big day.

Tomorrow is your MatchGirl's birthday. And, as happens from time to time, it's election day.

All your MatchGirl wants for her birthday (unless you're related to me, then I want presents) is for you to go to your polling place and cast your vote.

It's a big deal.

There's a lot at stake.

And if you are a woman; or if you are someone who care about women; or if you think that women are equal to men in every way, shape and form; then there is only one way that you can vote tomorrow.

Late last month, I shared the reasons that I would be voting for President Obama.
I hope you will, too.

VOTE | Of Mitt and Women: Choose Your Candidate Wisely

Gentle readers, it's been a while since your MatchGirl has posted here.

Forgive me for that.

There are reasons, but they are not important.



What is vitally important is that you go out and vote on November 6th.

You may or may not know that November 6 is your MatchGirl's birthday. And this year, albeit a little late in the game, I have decided, in lieue of all the gifts and cocktails you were going to buy me (not you Boyfriend), that I would love it if people would donate a little bit, whatever you can spare, to support the President's re-election. If you're in, click here.

The image above shows suffragettes, women who had to work hard to get the right to vote. To get the smallest bit of recognition. For whom equality was a dream.

"No self respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her sex." 

Susan B. Anthony. 

Oh, dear readers, your MatchGirl could not agree more!

You know that your MatchGirl is an outspoken liberal, a supporter of the working class, someone who has seen hard times, who grew up in a family that made less than the average family on the block, a defender of women's equality. You know how important I think it is to get out and vote.

So you might be surprised that your MatchGirl is not going to tell you how to vote.
No. That's not my place.
I hope you'll vote the way that I will, (and donate to the cause) but more importantly, I hope you will look at everything that is at stake - truly at stake - and vote with your heart.
It's a big deal.

A few things to keep in mind as you make your way to the polls on November 6th:

Four of our Supreme Court Justices are over 70 years old. And while Supreme Court Justices often stay on the bench till well into their 80s, there is a definite possibility that the next elected president of the United States could shape the face of the coming court.

What does that mean?
It means that women's rights could be set back. Not just when it comes to making their own health care choices, though the Romney/Ryan ticket has vowed to overturn Roe v Wade, and both have gone on record at various times to say that they don't believe choice should ever be an option (still Ryan's postion, though now Romney has the nomination, he's pulled back a teensy bit).

Let's keep going.

It also means no fair pay act for women. Because Mitt Romney does not believe that women are equal. Beyond needing binders full of them.

Let's talk unemployment and the economy. Sure, Mitt Romney knows how to buy and sell companies. He knows how to make some cash. He knows how to outsource jobs to China. But while Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt didn't have astronomical job growth, as he tries to spin and as he promises that e'll bring to the country. Sure, he had some growth and left MA a little better, perhaps, than he found it. But he didn't win a second term. There's a good post on the Boston Globe website laying out the facts in a pretty even way.

The Salt Lake City Tribune, a fairly progressive paper in a lees-progressive state, came out recently with an endorsement of President Obama. A lot of people were floored (of course, a lot of people also think that Mitt Romney is from Utah because of his Religion - he's from Michigan) by this endorsement.

And so, dear readers, I'll leave you with their closing remarks:

In considering which candidate to endorse, The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago [with the Olympics]. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romney’s domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust.

Therefore, our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term. Romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first.

I'm with the Salt Lake City Tribune. The reasons that I've laid out above? Those are just some of the reasons that I will be casting my ballot for President Obama and Vice President Biden on November 6. I won't tell you how to vote, but I hope you'll see fit to vote the same way.

Health and Wellness for Freelancers & Independent Workers

Gentle readers, your MatchGirl is happy to announce that registration is now open for the next Work It Brooklyn event. Read below to learn more!


We’ve all been there, working away for hours, focused on only the task at hand - maybe staring at a computer screen as we write, maybe it’s hours bent over jewelry wire, or time spent standing in front of a canvas. And then we look up and realize it’s 4PM and all we’ve eaten all day was that bagel with our morning coffee. That we’ve been in the same position for hours.

Friends, this is no way for a creative entrepreneur to live!

Whether you freelance, working from home or coffee shops for multiple clients, or are starting your own business, like so many of the members of Work It Brooklyn, you’re spending a lot of time focused on the business you’re trying to grow. But how much time are you spending focused on yourself?

Our next event, April 18th from 7 to 9PM and graciously hosted by our friends at Human At Ease,  is centered on how to stay healthy and well while you are focused on growing your business, and the best way to make all the parts of your life balance while you are doing this.

We’ll have a discussion, led by our own Aja Marsh, of North Brooklyn Runners, and with panelists including  Dishan Elise, a certified personal trainer and the founder/owner of Human At Ease and Kim Ann Curtin, a life coach who is founder and CEO of The Wall Street Coach.

Whether you’re working on starting your own business, freelancing from the cramped confines of your studio apartment, or a member of our community with a focus on food, health and wellness, this event will provide answers to achieving a better, healthier, life balance.

Don’t worry - we’ll also have our signature speed-networking, too!

Want to join us? Register here.


A few words about our amazing host!
Human at Ease is a fitness and wellness studio whose goal and desire in strengthening the “whole” person is to facilitate an overall sense of well-being & fulfillment, and to improve overall quality of life using one or more of our various offerings. Their objective is for the community to recognize Human@Ease’s name for what it is--a haven for strength & serenity. A place where we can all learn to “Love Ourselves”. At Human@Ease we all share in a common vision of positive human change.

Safety Nets

Ah, gentle readers. Let's talk about safety nets. I imagine quite a few of you out there are taking advantage of one or another right now. Is unemployment insurance a safety net? Do you become poor living on unemployment insurance for long enough, while you struggle to find a new position?

The federal poverty line is $10,800 a year for a single person, $22,000 for a family of four.

Wow.

Can you imagine living on that? Let alone in New York City, where everything from food to rent costs more than most other places in the US?

About a week ago, GOP Presidential hopeful (and my former Governor) Mitt Romney said, "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it." He went on to speak about how he's concerned mostly with the middle class in America, who is struggling. He didn't say that a lot of them are teetering precipitously close to that line of being amongst the very poor.

In your MatchGirl's opinion, gentle readers, Mitt just doesn't get it. While he was governor of Massachusetts (though not voted for by me), it seemed like he might. He rolled out "Obamacare"(otherwise known as health care reform) before Obamacare was even a term. Or, you know, about a year into Obama's career as the Junior Senator from Illinois. Your MatchGirl still has a lot of friends in Massachusetts and the reform itself has mixed reviews, but, overall...  isn't it better to be able to go to the doctor, to take your kids, than to either not be able to or to break the bank doing so? Your MatchGirl thinks maybe.

But back to those safety nets.

Your MatchGirl wonders if there is not something more that can be done.
What good is a safety net, after all, if there is no way to climb out of it?

Sure, the majority of the country isn't at the poverty level. Yet. But that number is growing.

We need more than nets to catch people - that brings to mind fish gasping for air to this seacoast girl's mind. We need a way to make the American dream more than a dream for more Americans

In my opinion, dear readers, this starts with education reform. Big and hard changes that will scare the people who think the only way to measure intelligence is by having a kid fill in little bubbles on a scan card. That there is only one way that kids can learn. I've written about it before. And I'll keep talking about it.

Because America is falling behind - it's falling behind not only the Asian countries that the candidates keep calling out as our biggest threats, but smaller countries, like Finland. Because we don't look at the problem long term.

We look at everything in terms of electability.
In terms of a manufacturing sector that does not exist in the way it did for our grandparents (or parents).
In terms of the good old days where you could provide, well, for a family on a high school degree and where you could be guaranteed a good job with a college degree.
Guess what - we live in a different world. And we need to adapt to it if we're going to survive.

America, dear Mitt, doesn't need safety nets (nor, Mr. Gingrich, does it need trampolines - you just fall back down, you know)

It needs a ladder.

What Democracy Looks Like

Gentle readers, your MatchGirl, as you know, is not afraid to take a political stance on this blog.

She's not afraid of ruffling feathers. And she's not afraid of asking you all to take a stand.

Your MatchGirl was unemployed for a year and a half. At the height of the recession. And during that time, she worked her butt off. Did she take jobs that paid $8 an hour? No. I was lucky that I was able to collect back on my unemployment insurance and get some benefits. And I knew that if I fell into a job making $8 an hour, there would be no time to look for a job to put me in the right direction. But the reason I was unemployed at all was because the banks fucked up. And the small business I worked at couldn't keep going. I was a casualty. And I rose from the ashes of that company - to push myself into a better place. To help you all get to a better place.

But the world, the one we walk in and out of every day, is not becoming a better place. Not for ordinary people.

I hope that you will all take the time, just 10 minutes, to watch this video, embedded below, by my friend Mike Gill.

When your MatchGirl first saw it, tears came to my eyes. To see the veterans, older men, who served a country they loved and who have watched it fall apart, lock arms, and insist on being the first line of defense against the oncoming police... It's powerful stuff.



"What Democracy Looks Like: The View From Occupy Boston"
from Michael Gill on Vimeo.

Your MatchGirl is a liberal person. You all know that.
I think it's fine for you to have different views than I do. I think as long as you're informed, dear readers, on the full picture, with all the facts, and not just collecting soundbites and parroting them to your friends or to those who disagree with you, that we can agree to sit on our opposite sides.
Your MatchGirl is against war. I have friends who are veterans and not only do I respect them, I am in awe of them. I could not do what they have done. I couldn't carry that passion. I also have family members who are veterans - my dad, of Vietnam, and my Grampa, of WWII - and who are still in the military - my cousin Angus joined the Marines in 1992 and still serves, including as a medic in Afghanistan.

I know people who work on Wall Street.

I know the 1% and I am amongst the 99%.

Your MatchGirl is not occupying Wall Street.
But I have friends at both Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston. And I'm proud of them.
They are not "lazy hipsters" nor are they "trust fund kids". They are people in their late 30s and 40s, who have worked hard, who have chased their dreams, who are finding their voice. And who are asking for a better life - for themselves and for those who will come after us.

In "An Open Letter to that 53% Guy," Max Urdago writes:

We can have a reasonable standard for what level of work qualifies you for the American Dream, and work to build a society that realizes that dream, or we can chew each other to the bone in a nightmare of merciless competition and mutual contempt.

I suggest you all check out his letter.

Because whether you want to Occupy (Wherever) or you think it's all a crock of shit, Max makes some great points.

It's all about fixing the country. And fighting to keep it a great place to live and work and raise a family.

It's all about the American Dream being about more than working 70 hours a week for just over minimum wage and not even being able to get your teeth fixed or have a regular doctor's visit.

If we really want America to be great again, we need to remember what made it great in the first place.

Revolution. Equality. And Democracy.

In 1492 ...

Just a thought...