Elections ask the fundamental question: what do you care about? And the message from this election is clear.
Money wins.
The majority of voters in America demonstrated that they care more about paying less for a box of cereal than they do about women dying. They don’t care about politicians and evangelicals thinking they know more than doctors. They don’t care about women being stripped of their agency and bodily autonomy. They don’t care about women. Even the majority of women don’t care about women.
I didn’t need this election to tell me that. Women don’t have equal rights in the United States. The Equal Rights Amendment was passed in 1972, only fully ratified in 2020, and still isn’t a part of our Constitution. I’ll give you one guess as to which President blocked it. And there’s no rioting in the streets.
The real kicker here is that MONEY DOESN’T EVEN EXIST. It hasn’t been backed by the gold standard since 1971. It’s just metal, paper, and numbers on a screen that’s only backed by collective belief. And that belief is powered by survival instinct. It puts power and control into the hands of those who have it and takes it away from those who don’t. It’s why free markets and trickle-down economics don’t work. They make the rich richer and the young, the old, the poor, and the sick even more vulnerable. Survival of the fittest. Good luck.
Most people believe their way through life rather than acknowledge the hard truths of what money (as power and control) actually creates in their own backyards. War. Climate change. Sex trafficking. Kids in cages. Women dying because doctors aren’t legally allowed to treat them. The rich don’t have to think about those things. Their money gives them a get out of jail free card – which means they will never experience the consequences or bear responsibility for their choices. We do.
From my perspective, this election has never been about Republicans and Democrats. It’s always been about the 1% owning the news, fueling fear, and dividing our country to gain even more wealth, power, and control for themselves. They think they know more about the purpose of our lives than we do. Human beings are resources to be used as workers, consumers, and soldiers – and let’s not forget baby-makers because America is famous for burning resources out of existence. And people don’t want to be unplugged from The Matrix. They make fear of the unknown bigger and more powerful than themselves.
For decades, the legal system has been manipulated to give corporations more power and control over individuals. Little by little, they are being unshackled from limitations related to political spending, the corporate tax rate, and pesky regulations related to public health and safety. And without limitations, they can charge whatever they want for that box of cereal. And they have. Since the Pandemic, unchecked corporate price gouging has been impacting the American wallet far more than inflation, but no one wants to believe it. The Republican party has always been a tool for big business. And now, without any checks or balances, all bets are off. This election is the most expensive box of cereal ever purchased and the cost will be in lives.
Women are vulnerable. Without equality and equity, we have always been at a strategic disadvantage. Before 1974, we couldn’t get a credit card in our own name. And when a man co-signed for us, it increased his credit score, not ours. We weren’t allowed to have one. Even today, women have a lower lifetime earning potential than men. Take the gender pay gap, for example. Extrapolate it over a 45-year career, without any retroactive adjustments, women earn just under $1.5 million dollars that they will never receive, can’t save, invest or accrue compound interest over time. That’s a lot of money women are leaving on the table. Why give women equal pay though, when we work just as hard without it? In our earn and deserve judgment culture, blame and shame keeps us on the hamster wheel.
And did you know that marriage is just a legal contract tying you and your husband together financially? Once married, all the money you earn will also be his. It doesn’t matter who earned it or whose name is on the bank account. Historically, marriage made women property. And even though that isn’t the case anymore, it is still used for control. And in this day and age, it’s sold to women as love. Isn’t it crazy how love and control can get so confused? The only place where women are treated equally in this country is divorce court. So, if you out-earn your husband by working a lot harder for the same buck, it will all be equalized in court. A sweet deal for him and a punishment for you.
We can’t assume the few rights we have gained over the last 50 years are inviolate. No one thought our national abortion rights could be taken away and look how easy it was. It’s a slippery slope and we know where this is going. We can’t change the country, the government, or big business. We can’t change people’s minds. We can create our own FINANCIAL FREEDOM though. When we make FINANCIAL FREEDOM our agenda, we create more opportunities for ourselves. We make more money and we protect it with sole access to our cash, credit, and bank accounts. We fight for our independence and leave anyone or anything that doesn’t value us. And we support all those other women, who feel just as betrayed as we do right now, to do the same.
And we have to DO IT NOW before it’s too late.
So, if you want that raise, promotion, or new job – do it now.
Establish yourself as a leader – do it now.
Start or scale a business – do it now.
Get divorced – do it now. (You know this one is already on the chopping block, right?)
If you are reeling from this election like me, it means we are in the minority. We don’t have to be or act small though. Living through this means we have to make ourselves so big, everything else (including this election) is small in comparison. We have to silence the inner critics, get out of fight-flight-freeze-fawn, and DO IT NOW. We need to find one another, connect, create alliances, and support one another. Working together is how we are individually and collectively empowered. And when I say support, I don’t mean superficial words and a pat on the back. We need to walk our talk by showing up for each other and connecting each other with opportunity.
So, if you care about what I’ve written, don’t just read it and move on. Please like, share, and comment. (Do you realize how much that means to small business owners?) Be a part of this conversation. This is your invitation. My door is open.
I want women to win.
That’s what I care about.
Originally published on LinkedIn on 11/7/2024.
