A New Wave

The woman who tried to stop the financial meltdown

2009-04-03T00:15:00-07:00

One woman in particular saw the problems posed by these instruments and their lack of regulation and took on three of the best-known (now infamous?) names in the financial sector: Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin and Arthur Levitt. Her name is Brooksley Born.

Sadder than sad

2009-03-19T02:17:14-07:00

Actress Natasha Richardson, 45, died Wednesday after suffering a severe head injury earlier in the week at Mont Tremblant ski resort in Montreal, Quebec. While most of the media identify her more "popular" film roles ("Parent Trap", "Maid in Manhattan"), I remember her for the character of Offred in Margaret Atwood's novel-turned-film (Harold Pinter wrote the 1990 screenplay), "The Handmaid's Tale". I'm sure others will remember her from their favorite...

AIG bonuses as diversion

2009-03-18T21:00:00-07:00

Seriously, $165 million is .001 percent of the TARP money AIG has received. Sure I understand the anger over giving taxpayer bonuses to executives that sank the company, but shouldn't we and Congress stay focused on the bigger issues: Where did the big chunk of TARP money go? Why were companies that had already received taxpayer funds allowed to collect additional money, funneled through AIG, at what amounts to dollar-for-dollar reimbursement, for their mismanagement and failures?

Doing Right By Women and Girls

2009-03-14T03:45:00-07:00

President Obama understands that this council doesn't exist in a vacuum separate and apart from the policies and programs developed and implemented throughout the federal government and that if women are ever to be on the same footing with their male peers a coordinated and interconnected effort is required at all levels of government.

1920-2008: Women's Rights Then and Now

2008-08-26T20:30:00-07:00

Imagine the thrill and the deep sense of satisfaction among women on August 26, 1920 when Congress ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the legal right to vote and thus extending voting rights guaranteed to all "men" in the 15th Amendment. By way of perspective, my maternal grandmother was 15 years old; my paternal grandmother was 30 years old; and my mother was 1-year old. My maternal grandmother, no doubt, danced in the streets or something equally exhilarating, since she was a feminist in every way that counted. She was my introduction to feminism and created a powerful image for me of what was possible: an independent woman who did what made her happy rather than what made her husband happy; a woman who frequently spoke truth to power, in spite of her 5-foot, 4-inch frame, and for whom nothing seemed impossible.

The non-vetting of Hillary Clinton

2008-08-25T18:00:00-07:00

By not vetting Clinton, the Obama campaign looks small and insecure. Obama looks like a sore winner with a serious grudge. It comes across as personal and it looks bad on Obama's part. Not vetting her also makes him look a whole lot like the typical white guys women have had to go under, around, over, and through to claw out our successes. Not a good way to sell "change" to second wave feminists.

Bush Administration continues to undermine abortion rights

2008-08-21T22:00:00-07:00

The ways in which Bush & Co are shredding or completely reformulating federal laws --- as they leave office --- boggles the mind. That they pay no heed to U.S. Senators and that they use their last months in office to weaken long-established laws and to embolden ideologues leaves little doubt that they won't leave office with a whimper. The latest effort (which met with stiff Senate opposition several weeks ago) is a revised HHS regulation that will limit women's access to reproductive health care services, including information and access to contraceptives and abortions:

Tim Kaine on Obama's Short List! Really?

2008-07-29T05:00:00-07:00

Choosing Kaine would be a huge mistake, especially in the eyes of pro-choice Democrats. It would also anger and alienate Hillary Clinton's supporters further, not only because Obama chose someone other than Hillary, but because he chose somebody who is fundamentally antithetical to Hillary on a signature Democratic issue: abortion/choice.

Temporary Fixes for Housing Crisis

2008-07-28T21:00:00-07:00

Although he hasn't yet signed the housing bill passed by the Senate this weekend, President Bush removed his objections to the measure and is scheduled to sign it soon. It's a big band-aid for an even-bigger problem, but it does offer some relief to some homeowners and to local communities where foreclosures have hit hardest. The bill also authorizes new oversight for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,and pumps additional funding into FHA:

Bernie Mac's lowball, emotionally-stunted humor

2008-07-13T23:45:00-07:00

On a scale of 1 to 10 - 1 being "really, really outrageous and twisted" misogyny, Bernie Mac's attempts at humor on Friday (at an Obama fundraiser) rank about 3 on my misogyny meter. But Joan Walsh is less incensed than I am: