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Monday, Oct. 31, 2016
Northern Star
815-753-5606 | @NIUNorthernStar | NorthernStar.info/Opinion
Perspective
‘Pink tax’ advances inequality
Students should not vote for Donald Trump
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Brooklynn Harper Columnist
Editorial board Editor in Chief and Publisher: Leah Nicolini Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-0105
Lawmakers in Illinois are beginning to take steps toward ending gender-related inequalities, but inequality for women remains. Higher prices on products for women is a clear injustice.
Managing Editor: Nick Bosshart Editor@NorthernStar.info News Editor: Madison Kacer Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9643
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Nick Borodin Chemistry-secondary education major
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A tax on tampons and pads is disgusting. That’s extra money that women may or may not have but have to pay because they do have a monthly cycle.”
Hanna Markezich | Northern Star
The Star opposes Trump Northern Star Editorial Board
In the past few months, many newspaper editorial boards have chosen to endorse a candidate for the U.S. president; the Northern Star editorial board decided not to do that. However, the Northern Star editorial board chooses to reject Republican candidate Donald Trump as a viable option for presidency. The Republican Party failed miserably in presenting the American people with an acceptable candidate. Instead, America’s Grand Old Party has presented us with a reckless and unqualified billionaire businessman. Underqualified The Washington Post reported Sept. 13 that 62 percent of Americans believe Trump is not qualified to serve as president. If Trump were to be elected, he would become the first president to do so without holding a political office or high military rank. The top item on his resume, chief executive officer, does not transfer directly to what is required of a leader of the U.S. Trump’s experience in the business realm meets only one standard a president needs: financial experience. Other than financial experience, a president needs to understand how to speak with other world leaders, manage the largest military in the world and be the voice of a nation. Trump has contended that his financial experience will help him solve the nation’s rising deficit. Even though this may be true, he lacks experience in many other important areas such as foreign affairs, national security and education.
Poor temperament There has been much deliberation about Trump’s temperament which was on display in the three presidential debates. During the debates, Trump spoke impulsively with continuous interruptions of the moderators and his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. In the final moments of the most recent Oct. 19 debate, Trump said “such a nasty woman,” into his microphone as Clinton answered a question about raising taxes. “Nobody has more respect for women more than I do,” Trump said earlier in the debate. This inconsistency has happened many times throughout Trump’s campaign. Trump mocked women who had come forward to announce he had sexually assaulted them in the past at a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, which was five days before the Oct. 14 debate, according to a Huffington Post article. “Believe me, she would not be my first choice; that I can tell you,” he said of one of the women. Better candidates are running Three other candidates are on the 2016 presidential ballot: Clinton, first in the polls and nominee of the Democratic Party, Gary Johnson, nominee of the Libertarian Party, and Jill Stein, nominee of the Green Party. These three presidential candidates on the ballot have political experience. Clinton most recently served as U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. Johnson served as governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. Stein has served on a number of medical boards since 1998 and ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and 2010.
Northern Star poll
Go to NorthernStar.info to select who you are voting for. Our poll shows: Hillary Clinton: 150 votes Donald Trump: 117 votes Third-party candidate: 58 votes Not voting: 33 votes These nominees have the experience to lead people and make levelheaded decisions—experience Trump does not have. Although Clinton leads the popular vote at 49.5 percent, Trump only trails by about 6 percentage points at 43.6 percent, according to fivethirtyeight.com. The Northern Star editorial board refuses to believe in the old adage that voting for a third-party candidate is a waste of a vote, especially in an election in which public opinion of the two main party candidates is so low. In a year that presidential campaigns have focused more on the entertainment side, there are still a lot of voters on the fence about who to vote for. “I can’t remember an election with less discussion of substantive issues,” said Matthew Streb, political science professor. An endorsement for a candidate other than Trump is not necessary, as it is not our job to tell people who to vote for. However, we feel it is our responsibility to discourage all voters from voting for Trump.
Voting Polls are open in DeKalb County until Nov. 8. Go to page 2 to see voting locations and times.
Senate Bill 2746, passed Aug. 14, created a ban on the taxation of menstrual products such as pads and tampons beginning Jan. 1, according to the Illinois General Assembly’s website. This is one small step of many which should be taken to truly equalize men and women. “A tax on tampons and pads is disgusting,” said Nick Borodin, chemistry-secondary education major. “That’s extra money that women may or may not have but have to pay because they do have a monthly cycle. They need [feminine products] to take care of that and to keep themselves and their clothes clean.” A 2015 study conducted by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs analyzed 35 consumer product categories for differences in the pricing of gender-based products and showed that prices for female consumers were higher than for male consumers in all but five of these categories. The study also showed care products cost 8 percent more for women than men. This phenomenon of higher prices for items directed toward only women is known as the “pink tax.” This study demonstrates an ugly gender bias, whether intentional or accidental, does exist. “Products for women that are associated with things we assume only women do, such as shaving legs versus shaving faces, are seen as a luxury,” said Kristen Myers, director of the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality. “They’re seen as less serious, and it’s assumed that [women] are willing to spend more money, which is true to a point. But, it’s simply a marketing technique. We’ve overemphasized differences between men and women for lot of these products, which don’t need to be marked. A man’s razor works no worse or better than a woman’s razor. As a society, we’re emphasizing gender and making you pay for it.” We are the only ones who can bring about the “pink taxes” demise. SB2746 chips away at the problem, and more policy is what we must keep pushing for.