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Jewish World Review /Oct. 2, 1998/12 Tishrei, 5759
Larry Elder
Clinton -- friend of the working woman
A COALITION OF 15 FEMINIST and civil rights groups recently descended on Capitol Hill. The
issue? Why, the protection of our beleaguered president, of course. Leave him alone!
Stop the impeachment process! Bill Clinton's been good for women!
Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women, said, "On balance,
women have had an ally in the White House. If this reactionary campaign succeeds, the
unfinished agenda of women on equality, in Social Security, pay equity, child care,
anti-poverty remedies, minimum wage, Medicare, real campaign-finance reform ... will
continue to languish in Congress."
My, my. What about the preservation of baseball as we know it? Post-Bill Clinton, will
we still get good cable reception? When we pick up the phone, will we still get a dial
tone? At one time, what was good for General Motors was good for the country.
According to the gang of 15, whatever's good for Clinton is good for the country. For,
without Clinton, we face mass starvation, riots in the streets and a run on fresh New
York steaks. Stop the madness!
Let's examine some of NOW's points.
Day care. Most parents arrange day care through an informal network of friends and
family. Most simply don't trust private day care given its uneven quality and expense.
Government measures to "improve the quality" of outside care will add to its expense
and decrease availability. Cutting taxes will free up more family and friends for day
care availability.
Minimum wage. Nobel laureate Milton Friedman called minimum-wage laws perhaps
the most "anti-black" laws on the statute books. He notes, as have many researchers,
that minimum-wage hikes destroy entry-level work for the most needy -- teens,
minorities and female secondary wage earners.
HMO reform. Let's back up for a minute and discuss the HMO phenomenon. The
government already pays for 50 percent of our health care.
Before the Medicare Act of 1965, the length of a hospital stay had increased just
threefold in the previous 20 years. After Medicare, however, a typical stay in a hospital
bed increased eightfold over the next 20 years -- easily outpacing inflation.
Lawmakers then sought to stem the dramatically over-budget price tag of Medicare.
They imposed guidelines. But many doctors and hospitals found the guidelines too
stingy and either ordered unnecessary and duplicate tests and procedures or shifted
costs onto the private sector to recoup the difference. This only increased costs.
Enter the HMO. Many solo or small practitioners, like small hamburger/hot-dog stand
operators, take more time and provide more service. HMOs enhance profits by
imposing uniform standards and procedures, and by streamlining overhead, such as
personnel costs and billing procedures. The result: more efficient but less personalized
service. But remember, the impetus behind HMOs remains reining in medical costs, a
situation made worse than through government intervention.
Fairness in pay. Please. Women and men who do the same work, with the same
qualifications and experience, make the same money. President Clinton points out that
women make 75 cents on the dollar, as if women did exactly the same work for their
75 cents. If so, companies (run by greedy capitalists, right?) would simply hire the less
expensive women and fire the more expensive men, pocketing the difference. Why
doesn't this happen?
The government assumes private-sector indifference to the wants and needs of its
employees. But in the real world, to attract and retain good workers, employers must
institute policies and create an atmosphere to keep workers happy. For some
employers, this means an on-site day-care center. For others, it means allowing good
ol' Rosie six months off, with pay and benefits, to care for her ailing mother. After all,
the company does not want to lose her. Does the government need to tell the employer
to do that which is in his own best interest?
On equality. Presumably, NOW means Clinton's, uh, demonstrated respect and
concern for women. Really. According to the independent counsel's report, the
president called Monica Lewinsky a "stalker." The president's aide, James Carville,
said of Paula Jones, that if you drag a $100 through a trailer park, you never know
what trash you get.
And, in his grand jury testimony, the president called Kathleen Willey -- who said he
groped her -- a liar, which meant he was also calling her a perjurer. He also called
Gennifer Flowers a liar, only to later admit before the grand jury a sexual relationship
with her. And he allegedly placed his longtime secretary, Betty Currie, in harm's way by
involving her in the retrieval of gifts the president had given to Monica Lewinsky, gifts
under subpoena.
And, according to the Linda Tripp tapes, Monica Lewinsky allegedly asked the
president why he refused to settle in the Paula Jones case, he replied, I can't, there
would be "hundreds."
William Jefferson Clinton. Friend of the working woman. Go
9/28/98: George Washington vs. the Grand Jury
9/18/98: It's the perjury, stupid
9/14/98: The "Larry List" of the most fascinating women in politics
9/07/98: Why blacks shouldn't support Clinton
8/27/98:The Brown bomber strikes Justice Thomas
8/21/98:So very clintonesque
8/17/98: Gary Coleman, hate criminal?
8/07/98: How much mea culpa?
7/24/98: ATM Al?
7/24/98: Advising the advisors
7/17/98: Camille Cosby's carelessness
7/9/98: Moses mugged
7/2/98: Al Campanis -- forever a racist?
6/25/98: And you thought "coke" was worse than smokes
6/19/98: Is Jasper ‘America'?
6/12/98: Guess who's not coming to dinner
6/5/98: What now, NOW?
5/29/98:What's next, ‘burger busters'?
5/21/98: 'Stuff' happens
5/18/98: This just in
5/11/98: Stepping up
4/30/98: Who's faking whom?
4/23/98:PRESIDENTIAL HOOP DREAMS
4/16/98:To spank or not to spank
4/10/98:TWA: TEACHING WHILE ASIAN