Great leader versus gender equality

To the editor:

In your March 13 editorial, you focus upon the importance of leadership and personal responsibility in the upcoming presidential campaign. However, you did not address gender as being an important issue. I believe it is.

In The New York Times endorsement of Hillary Clinton on January 25, the editorial board said the idea of “firstness” is exhilarating, but that “firstness” (first woman president) is not a reason to choose the next president of the United States. I disagree. It is about “firstness,” and fairness. Gender discrimination is a historical and present-day form of gross inequality; by minimizing and denying it, we collectively collude with this injustice, making it acceptable, normal and expected.

For the first time in our history, our votes can correct this inequality, and that is exhilarating. What is troublesome and surprising to me is that some women with whom I have spoken are not focusing on the justice/equality issues but are only focused upon the strengths of each candidate, such as leadership ability, as if gender discrimination does not exist or is not that important.

Our democracy is based upon the concepts of equality and justice for all. Women are approximately one half of the human race and 50 percent of the U.S. population, yet our elective government does not equally represent women in our country. In the United States, the present number of female Senators is only 14 percent; the number of members in the House of Representatives is 15 percent; and the percentage of governors is 16 percent. The way to make our country and the world a potentially better place is for women to share the power and responsibility for the political policies affecting us all.

If you believe in gender equality, if you believe Hillary Clinton is as competent a candidate as the men seeking the presidency, if you believe that she will be more sensitive and committed to addressing the unique needs of women, then these are very compelling reasons to vote for the first woman President of the United States. We have a momentous and historical opportunity; let’s seize it.

Why I support Barack Obama

To the editor:

As a resident of Wayne County, every day I see the increasing gap between the wealthy few and the working middle-class. We see blue-collar jobs disappear, gas prices skyrocket, health insurance costs rise and inflation in the grocery stores, while wages continue to remain stagnant. Despite this, President Bush and Senator McCain are trying to make permanent the $87 billion tax cuts for the top one percent of the country’s wealthiest individuals.

I support Barack Obama for President of the United States because I believe that he is the best candidate to address these unprecedented and daunting challenges. We need to move in a fundamentally new direction that distances ourselves from the divisions of the past, and moves towards a new politics?one that engages the American people in their government and inspires them to make positive change within their communities. As an elected official on both the state and federal level, Obama has shown the judgment to lead. He is the only candidate that was against the war in Iraq from day one, and on his website, he has laid out comprehensive plans for health care, the economy, family farms, education and national security. Obama's campaign is not funded by any special interests or lobbyists; it is based upon a groundswell of support from small donors and volunteers from communities all around America, transcending race, gender, income and political affiliation.

If Obama is elected president, the progress we could make as a country, and a global community, will be felt for generations to come. He is a gifted speaker, an intelligent politician, a candidate who sparks the sort of enthusiasm in disenfranchised people—the young people, independents, and disillusioned Republicans—that we may never see again in our lifetime.