Obama only talks good game on gender pay equity

[m42]

"Now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work," Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said Aug. 28 in his convention acceptance speech. He told the crowd in Denver: "I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons."

Obama's campaign website is even more specific. Under the heading "Fighting for Pay Equity," the women's issues page laments that, "Despite decades of progress, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. A recent study estimates it will take another 47 years for women to close the wage gap with men at Fortune 500 corporate offices. Barack Obama believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act..."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/378772_murdockonline12.html

[firetown]

Based on these calculations, Obama's 28 male staffers divided among themselves total payroll expenditures of $1,523,120. Thus, Obama's average male employee earned $54,397.

Obama's 30 female employees split $1,354,580 among themselves, or $45,152, on average.
No surprise there. Nothing that the guy says can be taken seriously.

[m42]

In all fairness, salary is usually commensurate with experience.

[firetown]

A recent study estimates it will take another 47 years for women to close the wage gap with men at Fortune 500 corporate offices. Barack Obama believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act..."
It does sound to me though that his solution is something very similar to affirmative action. Forcing a certain pay quota regardless of skills.

[m42]

It does sound to me though that his solution is something very similar to affirmative action. Forcing a certain pay quota regardless of skills.

It is affirmative action.

[firetown]

Which really wouldn't be a solution at all. It's just another quick fix. True equality is giving equal opportunities to all to acquire all the skills they can and then let the market decide.