http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog Empowering the Women of Illinois to Influence Change Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:07:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The unprecedented ($700 billion+) government bailout of the U.S. financial markets has forced many American voters to ask themselves a tough question: What really is role of government in the American economy? In response, the American people have been sending their government some mixed messages. Nearly 70 percent of Americans opposed ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=44 With the election less than 60 days away, there is a tremendous hype surrounding all things political. The media is providing non-stop coverage of the candidates, the candidates are making continuous appeals via TV, telephone and internet ads, and even businesses are capitalizing on the craze by targeting consumers with ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=43 Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made history once again when John McCain announced Friday afternoon that he had chosen Governor Palin as his running mate, making her the first Republican female vice presidential candidate in history. Two years ago, Palin, a mother of five and former mayor, was elected as the ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=42 With the election less than three months away, Republican candidates running for the Illinois House of Representatives have announced an Agenda for Action to reform Illinois state government. Candidates from across the state have been promoting this new agenda in a series of town hall meetings over the past month. The ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=41 State Representatives Rosemary Mulligan and Ruth Munson are proposing legislation to inject some accountability into the State grant process and ensure that our tax dollars are well spent. According to the Chicago Tribune: “The legislation follows a July 20 Tribune investigation that exposed how the state squandered taxpayer money on after-school ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=40 In recent weeks, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have ramped up efforts to target America’s largest voting demographic: women. At a townhall meeting in Fairfax, Virgina, Senator Obama introduced his "Plan for Economic Security for America's Working Women." Highlights of Senator Obama’s plan include: - Increasing federal minimum wage ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=39 Last year, the Independent Women’s Forum, a non-partisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., issued a call to action to elected officials to “help alleviate the unease in the current healthcare system and prevent a further increase in the number of Americans without health insurance.” Though some time has passed ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=38 As I’m sure many of you have seen on the news, towns in Illinois and throughout the Midwest have been hit or are preparing to be hit by devastating flood waters. According to the Chicago Tribune , the American Red Cross Domestic Relief Fund has nearly been exhausted due to ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=37 Over the past several years, the Women’s Campaign Federation has been conducting an ongoing research project examining the financial contributions of women to political candidates and committees (or lack there of). They recently published the latest version of the study called, “Vote with Your Purse: Harnessing the Power of Women's ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=36 Every year, thousands of pieces of legislation come before the Illinois General Assembly. It is no easy task to sift through all the bills and determine which might impact your family. That’s why I have identified three bills from this legislative session that every Illinois mom should know about: SB ... http://www.womensvoicesillinois.com/blog/?p=35