Equal Pay for Equal Work

 Geek Wannabe, General  Comments Off on Equal Pay for Equal Work
Jan 292009
 

It’s not just a good idea, it’s the law!

Today President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law.

From Obama’s speech:

“Equal pay is by no means just a women’s issue — it’s a family issue. It’s about parents who find themselves with less money for tuition and child care; couples who wind up with less to retire on; households where one breadwinner is paid less than she deserves; that’s the difference between affording the mortgage — or not; between keeping the heat on, or paying the doctor bills — or not. And in this economy, when so many folks are already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can afford is losing part of each month’s paycheck to simple and plain discrimination.

So signing this bill today is to send a clear message: that making our economy work means making sure it works for everybody; that there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces; and that it’s not just unfair and illegal, it’s bad for business to pay somebody less because of their gender or their age or their race or their ethnicity, religion or disability; and that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory, or footnote in a casebook. It’s about how our laws affect the daily lives and the daily realities of people: their ability to make a living and care for their families and achieve their goals.”

I heart this man.

 Posted by at 9:43 pm

Fit Shortage

 Geek Wannabe, General, I Love My Car  Comments Off on Fit Shortage
Jan 262009
 

Last week the Alpha Geek got a letter from a local Honda dealership.

“They want to buy one or both of our Fits.”

I laughed. “Why, is there a Fit shortage?”

Apparently there is. The little buggers are selling as fast as Honda can get them on the lots, and those of us who buy them are hanging on to them. Even though the Fit has been sold in the States since 2006 (the Alpha Geek got one of those), there aren’t a lot of used ones available.

“They’re offering top dollar,” added my husband. “And a deal on any other 2009 model they have.”

I sidled protectively up to my car. “They can’t have mine!”

He nodded. “I’m tempted to go there and challenge them to show me any other car on their lot that’s as useful as the Fit.”

Hands off, Fit poachers!

Jan 232009
 

We’re now the proud, if somewhat unanticipated, owners of a new furnace/air conditioner. We had to sell a few organs (don’t worry, it wasn’t anyone we know) but the HVAC company was able to cart one out here and get it installed today.

The sales rep who talked to us neglected to tell the service guys that our old furnace was mounted on three-foot-high stilts. They started their day manhandling our 600+ lb. furnace off its perch. Then they had to get the new one mounted. (Now you know where the organs came from. Some of them were slightly ruptured.)

It’s been a long, chilly day, but the temperature in our house has now passed 60°F for the first time in two days. I’ve been bugging the Alpha Geek to crank it up to 80.

 Posted by at 10:25 pm
Bear