Equal Rights Amendment

[Carmen813]

I really liked when The West Wing covered the ERA.

 

[Carmen813]

Allow a new army of lawyers to devote their lives to suing everyone over any "injustice" no matter how trivial in nature.

Look at all the abuses the Americans with Disabilities Act caused. Well intentioned, but loaded with lots of unintended consequences.

Are those unintended consequences greater than the ADA's benefits?

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Why don't we just have an amendment that says this:

All Americans have equal rights. This shall not be abridged in the cases of voting, marriage, running for office, etc.

Seems pretty simple, no?

 

[CanOWorms]

Why don't we just have an amendment that says this:

All Americans have equal rights. This shall not be abridged in the cases of voting, marriage, running for office, etc.

Seems pretty simple, no?

Nothing is ever that simple. People will argue what is a right, what does abridged mean, what does etc. mean?

 

[Carmen813]

Does the 14th amendment already cover this?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Damn right. Look at all the fuss over the first ten amendments. Needless lawsuits over free speech, assembly, etc. Well intended, but loaded with lots of unintended consequences.

Oh, and in case it escaped anyone:

/SARCASM

You really need to get this Constitution thing down. Women have the same rights under the Constitution already since it doesn't exclude them. That does not mean that women and men are magically the same, but I wouldn't expect you to know that

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Does the 14th amendment already cover this?

Yeah, but don't confuse him. He's on a roll.

 

[Siddhartha]

You can thank idiots from the bible belt & Ronald Reagan for killing it.

red= Ratified
yellow= Ratified, then rescinded
green = Not ratified, but approved by one house of state legislature
blue = Not ratified

They feared unisex bathrooms and other moronic red herrings.

Another one was "What about the children!!!"

 

[Craig234]

I am tired of bullshit requirements on one project I am working on that we must purchase x percent of items from "minority owned" businesses, even if that supplier is not the cheapest / most reliable.

Hell, I know a guy who runs a PC sales / repair business and made his wife the owner, so they could take advantage of the benefits of "minority owned" businesses, despite the fact she knows nothing of PCs or business and is owner in name only.

He's a thief, and the law is written and/or enforced poorly.

Too bad what you're tired of. I'll make you far worse off, and then you can whine.

 

[Craig234]

You really need to get this Constitution thing down. Women have the same rights under the Constitution already since it doesn't exclude them. That does not mean that women and men are magically the same, but I wouldn't expect you to know that

That explains why women got the right to vote when the 14th passed. Or why laws discriminating against gays were nullfied after the 14th passed.

 

[jhu]

Escalate the protection of people from discrimination bases on sex in the law to constitutional protection.

So, if laws were passed, or found to have been passed, that have such discrimination, they could be overturned based on the constitution.

It would correct an omission based on discrimination against women at the time the constitution was ratified.

This is different than 'equal pay for equal work' legislation, something Democrats strengthened in the current Congress.

I can't think of much this would actually change in today's laws, since we seem to have largely adopted the principle in practice. But it would protect for the future.

I'd like to see it include sexual orientation and identity if we do it, too.

There will come a time when artificial intelligences will want the same thing. That should about cover everything.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

That explains why women got the right to vote when the 14th passed. Or why laws discriminating against gays were nullfied after the 14th passed.

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The "magic wand" amendment you propose does not deal with history and culture. If the 14th doesn't address it then neither would the showpiece amendment you suggest. Of course you could argue that women aren't "persons" in any formal sense, but that would get a good laugh in court.

What this would be is a new industry. Instead of "were you injured in an accident" we'd hear "are you female?"

 

[jhu]

Are those unintended consequences greater than the ADA's benefits?

It is if you're the poor business owner who gets struck with a lawsuit because the handle bar in the bathroom is a centimeter too high:

Many times the violations businesses are being sued for are as small as a handle bar in the bathroom being centimeters too high or low.

 

[piasabird]

The founders did not want women to have the vote so it must be wrong for women to vote.

Maybe only landowners should vote.

 

[Carmen813]

It is if you're the poor business owner who gets struck with a lawsuit because the handle bar in the bathroom is a centimeter too high:

That is less a problem with the law than it's a problem with lawyers. None the less, if that is the case in these states, it should be addressed.

 

[Craig234]

The "magic wand" amendment you propose does not deal with history and culture. If the 14th doesn't address it then neither would the showpiece amendment you suggest. Of course you could argue that women aren't "persons" in any formal sense, but that would get a good laugh in court.

What this would be is a new industry. Instead of "were you injured in an accident" we'd hear "are you female?"

No, you ignored the information showing you were wrong, and just repeated the error.

That is not what would happen, and you have not supported your claim.

 

[shortylickens]

Wooooosh!


But seriously, We did have two female FET's come to our PB, once. A Cpl got into a screaming match with the Sgt in charge, who if it was a male would have killed him. She accused him of going thru canals on purpose, and making it hard on them. They threw their rifles across canals, you never do that. They left the next day, and we never had females again. We lived with nothing. No tent, no AC, no anything for a long time. We walked around next to naked, just our underwear on. Bathes together, slept close together, talked about everything. Things I dont talk about with people Ive known for 20 years. Of course a favorite topic was sex. What position you like, how you like to beat off, dry or lubed, sexual conquests, comparing dick sizes, etc. That wouldnt happen with a female, and not with a gay person being present either.

You had two field effect transistors in your peanut butter?