Hillary Clinton and I are contemporaries.
I have no desire to return to the mythical “golden era” of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Our parents were terrified that we would contract polio. Children died from measles and other childhood diseases that today are almost eradicated. As a country we were embroiled in a “Cold War” with Russia and the eastern block and a real war in Vietnam. President John Kennedy, his brother Sen. Robert Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King were assassinated.
We had one of the worst constitutional crisis of our history because a president covered up the burglary of the offices of his opposition. Jim Crow laws prevented minorities from voting or even registering in many states. Non-violent protests were met with police dogs and water canons. Cities burned from riots protesting the unfairness.
I know from personal experience that during this “golden era” college-educated, debt-free, working women were denied credit because they were single. Young couples applying for a home loan were not allowed to include the wife’s full salary “because she might get pregnant.” Women were overlooked for promotion, despite glowing performance reviews and having more education than their male coworkers.
When women did succeed in those days, they were often referred to as “hard” or “cold” or “witch” or worse. But we kept on plugging to make things better for our families and for those who followed.
Hillary has been fighting for children and families for over 40 years. A partial list of accomplishments includes: Co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; served as director of Arkansas Legal Aid Clinic; was instrumental in passing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program; successfully helped increase research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma. She took a leading role in investigating the health issues facing 9/11 first responders. She has been an advocate for women’s rights globally.
Hillary also knows that words have consequences. It is not “political correctness” that prevents her from slandering or denigrating neighbors who are different or with whom she disagrees. It is American decency.
Dianne C. Pratt
Durango
