RSS Feed The debates begin this Friday and we will see where the candidates stand on foreign policy and national security. Jim Lehre of PBS will be the moderator of the debates & at this debate, candidates can direct questions to each other. Jim will give a question that goes to both of them and they will be given two minutes to reply. Unlike past debates, there will be 5 minutes following each question that are wide open for them to speak to each other or to the moderator. Now, Friday nights are usually high school football nights, so use your TIVO-these are too important to miss. Don't take talking heads opinions on how the debate ended—you need to determine who is the best candidate for you and your family.
Let's see if these words come up during any of the conversation: family friendly workplaces or small business growth.
This month continues to be hectic and heavy traveling. I went from Washington, D.C.'s congressional briefing to Orange County, California. While In California, I met with the Orange County News, did a radio show on the Frank Peters Small Business Show and spent almost three hours talking with Entrepreneur Magazine and Women Entrepreneur.Com. All these interviews covered the family friendly policies agenda and the current state of the economy for small business.
Tomorrow, I will head to Dallas for the Atlas Economic Research Foundation International Conference and NCPA's 25th Anniversary Celebration. Luckily on this trip, I am able to take my husband, Earl. We recently celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary at the Grand Canyon. It will be exciting to celebrate the NCPA's great work over the last 25 years. Their free market, economic freedom agenda has provided years of progress for this country.
Good, bad, or indifferent? I had the opportunity to talk about Congressman Hoyer’s (D) Four Day Work Week proposal last week while I was in Washington, D.C. I sure don’t want to throw cold water on federal government workers having a three day week-end; however, can they supply the services to American citizens in a 10 hour day, four day week? Will it withstand the time economically and what kind of hardships will it bear for 10 hour days at child care facilities? Check out the link to view the ABC News 8 broadcast Sept. 8, 2008:
http://cfc.news8.net/videoondemand.cfm?id=22363
I returned home from Washington, D.C. Thursday afternoon. Exhausted but exhilarated about the work we are doing for the Family Policy Center! Follow-up begins immediately!
While I was in DC, I did three or four radio interviews (brain can't remember at this point) and a TV interview. All of the interviews were focused on what the Family Policy Center is doing on family friendly policies and helping small businesses with less government intervention. On Wednesday morning just prior to the congressional briefing, I did an interview on the National Small Biz Advocate Show with Jim Blasingame. Jim is a long time friend of mine and great supporter of my work with the NCPA. I was able to share about the NCPA Family Center initiative, as well as discuss small business as it relates to the Presidential candidates.
Some other highlights from my DC trip: We had a wonderful dinner at Filomena in Georgetown. It was a terrific "get acquainted" dinner with about 10 women from California to Florida to New York and Texas! The following morning we had breakfast and walked to the Capitol for the congressional briefing. The briefing room was packed with congressional staffers and women from around the country and in fact the world. Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers spoke about her Family Friendly legislation; Bonnie Erbé host of To the Contrary, spoke about her efforts over the past 30 years working on family friendly workplaces. There were lots of questions, some suggestions, and much follow up work to do.
After the briefing, Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers hosted a lunch the Members Dining Hall for the NCPA supporters and several international women business leaders. After lunch, I left for an interview with a Fox producer and the rest of our delegation attended meetings with Congresswoman Kay Granger, Rep. Pete Sessions. & Rep. Sam Graves. There was a tour of the Capitol later that afternoon that some of the NCPA supporters experienced.
Lou Anne Jensen and Marti Carlin and I had dinner at Union Station Wednesday evening and started discussing the memories of 9/11. Thursday morning found us leaving EARLY for the airport as dozens of roads and highways were closing for the Pentagon Memorial 9/11 dedication.
Whew, all that in just a little over 24 hour period of time. I would love to hear about your thoughts on the DC briefing and events surrounding, so, post a comment on the blog-let's hear it from you!
As I left the Hill early this morning for home, I kept thinking about 7 years ago and the fact we have been out of harm's way since 2001. I was told last night that the DC area was dedicating the Pentagon Memorial in remembrance of Sept. 11th and roads would be closed, making it difficult to get out of the district. So I left hotel at 6:45 and got to airport at 7 for my 10 am flight back home to OKC. My trip from hotel to airport was uneventful because the leadership in this country has kept us safe. I could see the memorial dedication services set to begin in the distance as I traveled across the Potomac River. God Bless America!
View the memorial by clicking on this link: http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2008/0708_memorial/index.html
MARK DAVIS SHOW INTERVIEW 09.01 MCCAIN’S VP PICK- “BEST NEWS FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES”
On Sept. 1st I spoke with Mark Davis on WBAP News/talk 820 during his show. Click the link below and listen as I share about McCain's VP pick, Gov. Sarah Palin, and why it's the "best news for American families!
WHO IS MARK DAVIS? He's the host of the most popular local talk show in Dallas/Ft. Worth that has recently launched national syndication. Mark Davis took the Metroplex by storm in March, 1994 when he arrived at WBAP. After eight years as a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Mark joined the op-ed page of the Dallas Morning News in 2004. He is a regular guest discussing current events on KDFW Fox 4's "Good Day," and is invited often to discuss news events on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC.
Below is a statement I released through NCPA, as a Distinguished Fellow, on the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as Republican Vice Presidential nominee.
"John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as vice president is the best news for American families to come out of Washington in a long time. As a working mother, Gov. Palin obviously knows the challenges of balancing career with family. And because of that, I'm confident she will support family-friendly policies that emphasize workplace reforms that reflect the way Americans live and work in the 21st century."
Monday, September 1, 2008
NEESE: Past time for comp time
Terry Neese
COMMENTARY:
American workers are being challenged. The economy is taking its toll with increased layoffs and increased hours and work for those who have jobs.
The government´s ability to help workers is limited, but it can do one thing - get out of the way!
Unfortunately, for many, our labor laws - originally crafted to protect the family and the work ethic - now obstruct both persistence and energy. Our ability to meet workers´ needs in the face of an ever-diverse work force unfortunately has changed dramatically in the decades since most of our labor laws were written in the 1930s.
Between 1950 and 2000, the labor force participation rate of women between 25 and 55 years of age more than doubled. Today, more than 75 percent of these women are in the labor market. Fewer than 12 percent of mothers with children under age 6 were in the labor force in 1950. Now, more than 60 percent are working. Read the rest of this entry »
Pearlstein featured this article in the Washington Post yesterday. I have some thoughts to share & will include in my next blog entry with my letter to the editor of Post. Please share comments on this article.
Our Inequality of Outcomes
By Steven Pearlstein
Wednesday, August 27, 2008; D01
Hey, good news on the income front: The Census Bureau reported yesterday that median earnings for full-time male workers rose by $1,653 last year, to $45,113, after adjusting for inflation.
Another year like that, and maybe the typical male worker will finally catch up to where he was in 1973.
Truth is, despite the squishy nature of income data, things haven't been so great for the middle and working class for some time. Every now and again you get a good year like last year, when wages and household incomes increased. That's usually at the tail end of an economic expansion.
But over the past 35 years, the typical American household has managed to eke out only a 15 percent increase in its pretax income. During that same period, the productivity of the American worker — the value of the goods and services produced per hour worked — has increased by 90 percent.
So where did all that money go? Read the rest of this entry »
I came accross this article in the NY Times relflecting on the women's events at the convention. Please read and share with me your comments.
By ELEANOR RANDOLPH, DENVER
Eighty-eight years after American women fought their way into the voting booth, some latter-day activists here are having trouble adjusting.
They saw Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as their reward, a final acknowledgement that it was worth all the bras burned and lawsuits filed and marches on an all-male Washington. But Mrs. Clinton failed to win what may be her only shot at the Democratic nomination, and these women are trying to get used to the fact that a new generation is taking center stage here: one represented by Michelle Obama.
On Monday night and throughout Tuesday's series of women's events, Mrs. Obama displayed the kind of grace and female strength that political consultants love and many Americans yearn for in a first lady.
Her convention speech touched all the necessary bases: we come from modest stock; we worked hard; we earned fancy degrees, yes, but then we went back to help the community and raise a family - a really adorable family. Read the rest of this entry »