Equal Time With Martha Burk

It’s September, and school’s in in most of the U.S. Readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmetic as usual, but in some places a new topic will be added to the curriculum: the Bible, with all its gore and mayhem. Parents -- even some Christian ones -- are pushing back.

Abortion access has always been viewed as a woman’s problem. Men rarely talked about it, and it didn’t seem high on their political priorities. Not any more – since Trump proudly took credit for overturning Roe v. Wade with his anti-woman, anti-choice Supreme Court picks, men are paying attention – particularly in red states with the most restrictive abortion policies.  

The first (and probably only) Prez candidate debate is this week. Will both parties go by the rules? More importantly, will we learn anything we don't already know?

Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September a day off for workers. Labor unions had campaigned for years to gain recognition of both the contributions and the mistreatment of workers. History is littered dirty tricks to keep unions out with bullets and billy clubs. Now it’s more genteel, but some so called "good guy companies" are still quietly (and illegally) union busting. 

Women have made steady gains in many areas since they got the right to vote in August of 1920, but there is still work to do. When elected officials refuse to back pro-woman policies, today's females should borrow a page from the suffragists and use their votes to hold them accountable.

We all know about taxes – income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, use taxes, entertainment taxes – it seems like the list is endless. But there’s one tax that’s a new one on me, even though I’ve been paying it for most of my life.  If you’re a female, chances are you’ve been paying it too.

School varies by state and even towns and districts. Some kids get what they need, others get less or nothing -- what gives?

Most people think Vice Presidents don't matter -- just window dressing for low level events. But history shows they could become number one at any minute: Let's look at the best & the worst.

Sports on TV has long been guy heavy. But a new kind of sports bra for both genders may just be the uplift the fans need.

Presidential history was made when President Biden gracefully ended his candidacy for a second term.  He put country over self and very possibly saved our democracy. The crowds are loving his prosecutor replacement. His convicted felon opponent is less than thrilled.

Besides record heat and fireworks on the 4th, July is known for something else: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. The day in 2024 when Black women’s wages caught up to what white men made by the end 2023: one hundred and ninety one extra days work, to be exact.

When the U.S. space program was launched, women were tested for astronaut duty -- and passed.  But male astronauts candidates and NASA big-wigs objected, and the women's program was shut down.  So we literally put a man on the moon.  That giant step should have been for womankind too.

Political conventions always lay out a party's vision for the future if their folks get in power. This year's Republican plan is a doozy for the majority of voters: women.

After President Biden's recent meltdown during a debate with Donald Trump, various factions are calling for him to drop out of the presidential race. He says no -- here's a great solution.

If you remember your junior high history lessons, you know that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, famously declaring that  “all men are created equal.”  All of the signers were male.  Nevertheless, a woman’s name appeared on the official document.  

June 24th marks the  anniversary of the infamous Dobbs  Supreme Court decision, trashing women’s right to abortion guaranteed since Roe v. Wade in 1973. Let's inventory  the  damage to women’s rights, emboldening states to jump on the anti-woman, anti-abortion, anti-choice bandwagon.

The New York Times Kid Section recently showcased the candidates' answers to kid friendly questions. Listen to their direct quotes and pick your leader for the next four years.

Back in the day Mom stayed home with kids, housework, and runny noses. Dad went to work, plopped down in the evening with the newspaper or TV and did little else. No more -- it's a new world out there for fathers.

June 6 marks the anniversary of D-Day, the day in 1944 when Allied forces in World War II invaded France from offshore. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Thousands never made it out of the water, making the landing on Normandy one of the deadliest days of the war. In an all-out push, 150,000 sailors – and one stowaway  -- hit the beaches.

Official history says the first Memorial Day celebration was held in Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868, where Union and Confederate soldiers from the Civil war are buried.  Nope. The earliest ceremony was years earlier, and the participants not the people you learned about in school.