Author Topic: Barack Obama (Blogging in Huffinton Post): Congress Needs to Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act  (Read 1538 times)

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Offline Rapunzel

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Barack Obama (Blogging in Huffinton Post): Congress Needs to Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act

Posted: 11/03/2013 10:00 pm


Here in the United States, we're united by a fundamental principle: we're all created equal and every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law. We believe that no matter who you are, if you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve the chance to follow your dreams and pursue your happiness. That's America's promise.

That's why, for instance, Americans can't be fired from their jobs just because of the color of their skin or for being Christian or Jewish or a woman or an individual with a disability. That kind of discrimination has no place in our nation. And yet, right now, in 2013, in many states a person can be fired simply for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

As a result, millions of LGBT Americans go to work every day fearing that, without any warning, they could lose their jobs -- not because of anything they've done, but simply because of who they are.

It's offensive. It's wrong. And it needs to stop, because in the United States of America, who you are and who you love should never be a fireable offense.

That's why Congress needs to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, also known as ENDA, which would provide strong federal protections against discrimination, making it explicitly illegal to fire someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This bill has strong bipartisan support and the support of a vast majority of Americans. It ought to be the law of the land.

Americans ought to be judged by one thing only in their workplaces: their ability to get their jobs done. Does it make a difference if the firefighter who rescues you is gay -- or the accountant who does your taxes, or the mechanic who fixes your car? If someone works hard every day, does everything he or she is asked, is responsible and trustworthy and a good colleague, that's all that should matter.

Business agrees. The majority of Fortune 500 companies and small businesses already have nondiscrimination policies that protect LGBT employees. These companies know that it's both the right thing to do and makes good economic sense. They want to attract and retain the best workers, and discrimination makes it harder to do that.

So too with our nation. If we want to create more jobs and economic growth and keep our country competitive in the global economy, we need everyone working hard, contributing their ideas, and putting their abilities to use doing what they do best. We need to harness the creativity and talents of every American.

So I urge the Senate to vote yes on ENDA and the House of Representatives to do the same. Several Republican Senators have already voiced their support, as have a number of Republicans in the House. If more members of Congress step up, we can put an end to this form of discrimination once and for all.

Passing ENDA would build on the progress we've made in recent years. We stood up against hate crimes with the Matthew Shepard Act and lifted the entry ban for travelers with HIV. We ended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" so our brave servicemen and women can serve openly the country they love, no matter who they love. We prohibited discrimination in housing and hospitals that receive federal funding, and we passed the Violence Against Women Act, which includes protections for LGBT Americans.

My Administration had stopped defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and earlier this year the U.S. Supreme Court struck down that discriminatory law. Now we're implementing that ruling, giving married couples access to the federal benefits they were long denied. And across the nation, as more and more states recognize marriage equality, we're seeing loving couples -- some who have been together for decades -- finally join their hands in marriage.

America is at a turning point. We're not only becoming more accepting and loving as a people, we're becoming more just as a nation. But we still have a way to go before our laws are equal to our Founding ideals. As I said in my second inaugural address, our nation's journey toward equality isn't complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

In America of all places, people should be judged on the merits: on the contributions they make in their workplaces and communities, and on what Martin Luther King Jr. called "the content of their character." That's what ENDA helps us do. When Congress passes it, I will sign it into law, and our nation will be fairer and stronger for generations to come.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Rapunzel

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So glad he doesn't have something else to worry about - guess he wants to make sure he can get a job when he leaves office.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

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Offline Atomic Cow

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This is just another attempt to force religious organizations to hire homosexuals.
"...And these atomic bombs which science burst upon the world that night were strange, even to the men who used them."  H. G. Wells, The World Set Free, 1914

"The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections." -Lord Acton

Offline EC

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Listen, dillweed - I will hire who I want, when I want. If they can't cope with the job, they are gone. If they can handle the job, they are here until they want to go it alone or until they die. That is how it is. Work and loyalty work both ways. I ain't paying them to have sex on my dime, so really don't give crap one about their orientation.

Now, get down off your high horse. I don't like looking up your nose all the time. And you might want to patch your own roof before complaining about a missing shingle on mine - you still are not paying your women staffers at the same rate you pay those with testicles. Unless, of course, the male staffers in the White House have "extra" duties.
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Offline aligncare

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Ouch! That left a mark. But, with so many covering his puny little body, none of his acolytes will notice it.

Online mountaineer

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We believe that no matter who you are, if you work hard and play by the rules
That is his new favorite phrase. Too bad he doesn't mean it. He doesn't want Americans to work hard, he wants them to become welfare-guzzling slaves of the state. He doesn't want Americans to play by the rules (least of all his administration), or else he wouldn't be handing out free stuff to illegal immigrants.

Offline aligncare

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That is his new favorite phrase. Too bad he doesn't mean it. He doesn't want Americans to work hard, he wants them to become welfare-guzzling slaves of the state. He doesn't want Americans to play by the rules (least of all his administration), or else he wouldn't be handing out free stuff to illegal immigrants.

It's all Newspeak – every word that comes out of his mouth.