COMMENTARY | Pesky little facts once again get in the way of President Barack Obama’s attempt to make a valid point. The latest attempt to create the illusion that Republicans are engaging in a war on women involves some rather creative statistics twisting. According to the Washington Post (WP) Fact Checker report, some women may make a little less than their testosterone-filled peers, but the difference amounts to approximately a nickel per hour in many cases. The supposed gender earnings gap depends largely on what set of statistics are referenced.
The debate of the Paycheck Fairness Act involves a measurable amount of smoke and mirrors tactics by liberals. If women were truly disenfranchised in the workplace to the degree Obama would like us to believe, the ACLU would be wearing out ink pens drafting discrimination lawsuits. Obama stated women earn only 77 cents for ever dollar earned by men, according to speech excerpts published on the Washington Post. Obama further stated that Hispanic and African American women earn even less than their white female peers.
The WP clearly details the different employment tracking agencies and the disparity of payment figures reported for both genders and multiple races. Obama chose to highlight only the statistics which best suited his stance and neglected to mention that other equally reputable statistics even existed. According to the WP Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski ‘s press release”trumpeting” Obama’s 77 cent statistic included a reference link which showed an overall figure of 81 cents. A slight difference to be sure, but the lack of attention to the facts is becoming all too common in the Obama administration. If politicians are going to frame their arguments around statistics voters are entitled to complete honesty.
The Fact Checker report also notes that the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures are based on weekly wages and include performance bonuses. Perhaps liberal objections to rewarding performance played a role in the lack of full disclosure about employment earnings statistics. Teachers who do not work in the summer show a lower annual wage due to the lack of hours worked, creating skewed earnings results. The WP concluded the same results that intelligent Americans already knew; that there is virtually no pay gap for employees with college degrees.
Educated women who perform their jobs well will earn as much as men and can pay for their own contraceptives too.
