In presidential candidate Rick Santorum's ideal world:
- There would be no use of contraception. Not for young people, not for married people putting off having a child for financial reasons, not for women who benefit medically by taking the pill ... nobody.
- No women would be allowed in combat situations in the military, but they're capable of "flying small planes."
- Women achieving success outside of the traditional homemaker role would be considered having fallen prey to a "radical feminist" doctrine.
In Santorum's bizarre world, "father knows best" isn't an old TV show, but rather a new idea of what America should be.
Gee, we wonder why Santorum, in his disastrous re-election campaign for the Senate in 2006, garnered only 39 percent of female votes while losing by 18 points overall.
In a 2006 televised interview, Santorum said he has voted for contraception, "although I don't think it works. ... I think it's harmful to our society to have a society that says that sex outside of marriage is something that should be encouraged or tolerated."
Tolerated?
Tolerated by whom? Who's to decide whether it's OK to have pre-marital sex or post-marital sex or non-marital sex, Mr. Santorum? You?
He has defined contraception as "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be."
Oh really? Who decides how things "are supposed to be"?
Apparently in Santorum's ideal world, disadvantaged women should not aspire to get an education.
"The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill, unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong," he said.
The only criterion in the workplace should be whether a woman can do a job, not whether she has a paucity of testosterone.
Santorum frets that men in combat situations would not be able to function at top efficiency because their chivalrous nature would make them overly protective of their female compatriots.
"I do have concerns about women in frontline combat," he said. "I think that can be a very compromising situation, where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interests of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved."
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell _ albeit a Mitt Romney supporter _ said his daughter in the service has faced combat situations and is doing just fine, thank you.
"She did a great job, was in some risky situations," McDonnell said, "and yet endured and led, and I'm proud of her."
Rick Santorum's ideal world doesn't make us proud, it just makes us scared.
Opinion
Santorum's world scary for women
- Opinion
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In Memoriam
This message appears each Memorial Day weekend in The Daily Star.
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Letters to the Editor: May 26, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 25, 2012
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Facebook’s fizzle was no surprise
Facebook’s IPO last week was supposed to be a moment of triumph for the social network, but the event quickly devolved into an ugly tale of duplicity, hubris and greed, as the stock lost 18 percent of its value in the first two days of trading.
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Letters to the Editor: May 24, 2012
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Heegan must show vision for Chamber
In selecting Barbara Ann Heegan as its executive director last week, the Otsego County Chamber would seem to have chosen a safe rather than a bold path for its immediate future.
- Wednesday, May 23, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 23, 2012
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Can't have a third party without a candidate
What if they gave a party ... and nobody came?
- Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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Cheers
To Bike to Work Day, Cooperstown Quiz Team, Arts Field Day, the SUNY Delhi Centennial.
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Letters to the Editor: May 22, 2012
- Monday, May 21, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 21, 2012
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The world does move
To look at a newspaper from 1912, 1937, 1962 or 1987, it can seem as though positively everything has changed.
- Saturday, May 19, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 19, 2012
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Graduates, take acquired skills, set sail on job voyage
This weekend, many colleges and universities -- including SUNY Delhi and SUNY Oneonta -- will bestow degrees of various levels and types upon their students.
- Friday, May 18, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 18, 2012
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'Whale' failure shows how little has changed
One positive development resulting from JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading blunder is increased scrutiny of the regulations put in place since 2008 to prevent a repeat of that year's financial collapse.
- Thursday, May 17, 2012
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Taxes spoke louder than sentiment in voting
It has become a virtually immutable fact of modern-day industry and politics. Given the choice between financial interest and sentiment, money always wins.
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Letters to the Editor: May 17, 2012
- Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 16, 2012
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Gas companies need to play nice with residents
"You need to assure me that you are going to talk to the towns." This was Rep. Chris Gibson's plea to the gas companies that are seeking to lay natural gas pipelines through the local area.
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In Memoriam
