Zatera Ul

According to this column in the latest Minnesota Women’s Press, Minnesota women are headed back to the Dark Ages. Those evil “neocons” in the Legislature decided to eliminate the Legislative Commission on the Economic Status of Women. I don’t have a strong opinion on the value of the LCESW, although I think that the data it gathers is probably worth having. They seem to have done quite a bit with a staff of only two or three people. What interests me is the writer’s position: women are still struggling to climb out of the Dark Ages, and the only hope is government action spurred on by the LCESW. (Contrast this with the woman of Proverbs 31, who was economically active, successful, and respected in a patriarchal society, through her own hard work.) The column ends with a call to “not [go] gently back to the days of barefoot, pregnant, and one man away from welfare.” I would like to think that most women are more capable of economic survival than that. It does, however, point out how important your choice of man is. As one of John’s friends says, “The choice of whom to marry is the most important economic decision you will ever make.”

Ms. Magazine feminists are in a cold sweat, worrying that Bush’s Supreme Court nominations could tip the Court far enough right to overturn the “right to privacy,” leading to the end of abortion, contraception, and everything. Really, if it were that easy, Karl Rove would have done it by now. Half the fun of being a conservative is listening to liberals who vastly overestimate your power. (Hint to panicky feminists: natural family planning/fertility awareness is empowering, effective, cheap, and very private.)

Poor feminists, never run out of things to holler about.