Senate Blocks Pay Equity Bill, 53-44

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4495064/senate-blocks-pay-equity-bill-53-44

Angus King voted against it, too.  Wow.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

[inks]ing bull[inks]

[Marokai Backbeat]

I will never not be outraged when something fails with a majority voting for it. Our system is a f**king joke.

[Zioneer]

http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4495064/senate-blocks-pay-equity-bill-53-44

Angus King voted against it, too.  Wow.

Wait, I thought King was a progressive-ish type?

[Peter the Lefty]

http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4495064/senate-blocks-pay-equity-bill-53-44

Angus King voted against it, too.  Wow.

Wait, I thought King was a progressive-ish type?

"Muh burden on business."

[Lief 🗽]

The Republican War on Women continues.

[Mr. Illini]

Why did Reid vote No?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Why did Reid vote No?

That's a procedural thing.  It makes it easier to bring the legislation back to the floor, for some reason.

[publicunofficial]

Why did Reid vote No?

Whenever the Democrats lose a vote, Reid switches his vote from Yes to No. Under Senate rules, this allows him to bring up the bill for a vote later.

[SWE]

http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4495064/senate-blocks-pay-equity-bill-53-44

Angus King voted against it, too.  Wow.

Wait, I thought King was a progressive-ish type?

Nope

[Bojack Horseman]

Angus King is a traitor

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Angus King is a traitor

Remember, he's not a real Democrat to begin with.

The term 'moderate hero' was coined with reference to someone else (Mark Warner, maybe? I wasn't here for it but I think I heard that that was the case), but it could just as easily have been coined with reference to Angus King.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Angus King is a traitor

The term 'moderate hero' was coined with reference to someone else (Mark Warner, maybe? I wasn't here for it but I think I heard that that was the case), but it could just as easily have been coined with reference to Angus King.

There is a huge difference between Mark Warneresque moderate heroism and Angus King's literal independent centrism.

Angus King is a traitor

He was not on your side to begin with. He has said that he will caucus with whoever the majority is, due to his indepedent status.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

This bill would basically mean businesses would be guilty of discrimination unless they could prove they were innocent.  It should never have gotten 53 votes.   

You want to lower the pay gap, invest in more single-sex math and science education for girls.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Since this wouldn't have passed in the House anyway, bringing this to a vote a third time in the Senate is almost as pathetic as the repeated House attempts to repeal Obamacare.

In any case, this is a flawed bill.  Not because I fear that it will be misimplemented in the way shua fears it will be, tho if it were to be it would be a major problem.  However, as intended, the major provision of this bill is reasonable, tho I think it won't accomplish as much proponents think it will.  However, some of its subsidiary portions, especially sections 5 and 7, are rather execrable provisions for such a short bill.  Section 5 establishes yet another boondoggle of an "education" program to hand out grants to teach girls and women negotiation skills.  These sorts of pork programs rarely accomplish anything meaningful except hand out money.  Section 7 is even more useless as all it does is establish the "Secretary of Labor’s National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace".  I suppose it would make whoever gets it feel good, but it won't do anything to actually improve pay equity.

[publicunofficial]

This bill would basically mean businesses would be guilty of discrimination unless they could prove they were innocent.  It should never have gotten 53 votes.   

You want to lower the pay gap, invest in more single-sex math and science education for girls.

Weird as it is to say it, I'm with Shua on this one. The bill has it's heart in the right place, but it's methodology is stupid. King's the only one who had the balls to vote it down.

[7,052,770]

This bill would basically mean businesses would be guilty of discrimination unless they could prove they were innocent.  It should never have gotten 53 votes.   

You want to lower the pay gap, invest in more single-sex math and science education for girls.

Or they could, ya know, not discriminate and then they wouldn't have any problems...

[Joe Republic]

That GOP outreach to women is still going well, I see.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Angus King is a traitor

The term 'moderate hero' was coined with reference to someone else (Mark Warner, maybe? I wasn't here for it but I think I heard that that was the case), but it could just as easily have been coined with reference to Angus King.

There is a huge difference between Mark Warneresque moderate heroism and Angus King's literal independent centrism.

King may have more of an excuse and be somewhat more genuine, sure, but it would be naive to argue that his status as an independent doesn't, among other things, enable him to triangulate til the cows come home. It's a different type of moderate heroism but it's still moderate heroism, essentially the Olympia Snowe schtick continued from a different angle. If you're looking for a principled moderate in the Senate these days, your best bets would probably be found a lot further west.

[The Free North]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Well those critics are right. Women get paid less because they tend to work lower paying jobs than men. Not really up for debate, don't see why some on the left keep trying to pretend otherwise.

If we want to have a discussion about why women work lower paying jobs, thats fine, but for some in Washington to pretend that 'equal work' short changes women .23 cents is absurd.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

As shua and others have said, it is a poorly designed mess of feel good, political point scoring garbage. The real travesty is that it got so many aye votes.

[DC Al Fine]

Angus King is a traitor

Dafuq?

This bill would basically mean businesses would be guilty of discrimination unless they could prove they were innocent.  It should never have gotten 53 votes.   

You want to lower the pay gap, invest in more single-sex math and science education for girls.

Or they could, ya know, not discriminate and then they wouldn't have any problems...

I take it you're a PATRIOT Act supporter?

Because you could you know, not do any terrorist stuff and there wouldn't be any problems...

[Torie]

What does the act purport to do? Change the burden of proof, so that you are guilty until proven innocent?  Does that strike anyone as fair?  Anything else it purported to do, assuming it did the burden shift as alleged above?  Sometimes, just because a Bill has a nice sounding name, with cute puppies on its cover, doesn't mean that what is inside is the cat's meow.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

What does the act purport to do?

"The bill seeks to give female workers new tools to combat pay discrimination by allowing workers to compare salaries without threat of employer retaliation, requiring companies to explain pay disparities and permitting those who claim discrimination to seek monetary damages."

[Torie]

What does the act purport to do?

"The bill seeks to give female workers new tools to combat pay discrimination by allowing workers to compare salaries without threat of employer retaliation, requiring companies to explain pay disparities and permitting those who claim discrimination to seek monetary damages."

Those who claim discrimination can seek monetary damages now, no?  Do you want everyone in the company to know what you are making?  I doubt an employer has any right to take action against anyone who discloses their salary to someone else as it is. Oh well, I don't have time to look into this thing deeper at the moment. Thanks for the note.