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And then I read today in the Topeka Capital Journal a little about some of the people involved in the initiative. Here's the one that caught my eye, aka made my head explode.
Wade Horn, who redefined President George W. Bush's faith-based initiatives in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, preached a gospel that encouraged poor women to marry their way out of poverty.Wow. What a great message to be coming out of my state's Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services (SRS). Barely scraping by? Relying on food stamps and minimum wage jobs? Can't get out of a vicious debt cycle? Don't get job training or seek higher education. Just find a man to save you! (We'll just hope he's not an abusive SOB who will then use your inability to get a better-paying job as a means to aid in his control of you.)
Now, this guy is just one of many who met in a closed-door meeting to discuss this marriage initiative. Since the meeting was closed, we can't know if he spoke like this in the meeting or how others responded if he did. But I don't think it bodes well that this is one of the people the governor is hearing from. What a horrible, antiquated notion for us to return to: that women need marriage to save them. I would hate to think of my state promoting the idea that the best way for women to escape poverty and improve their economic standing is to get married and rely on a man. That would be a great message for my state to promote if they want to make it clear to Kansas women that they aren't worth as much as men (or without a man), that they can't take care of themselves, that bettering yourself means finding a good man to provide for you. Good grief.
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