John Kerry really nails it with this part of his speech given in Milwaukee - best I’ve heard from him yet (I caught part of it on NPR I think). He calls it “A Fresh Start for Working Women” - I’d call it “When you’ve barely got time to sleep - who’s got time to dream?” The phrase captures the essence.
“Everywhere I go, I meet women working two jobs, three jobs, just to get by. And that’s only counting the jobs they’re paid for. After they punch out at work, many punch right back in at home for their next shift as care-giver, meal-cooker, financial-planner, house-cleaner - and all the other jobs they do to help support our families.
They work hard every day - and every night - but still, each new day brings a new set of worries.
You worry when you hear your son cough in the middle of the night, or when he goes out to play in the morning -because you just can’t afford an illness or an accident. And you worry when your parents can’t afford their medicine, and you can’t afford to help.
You and your husband worry at the kitchen table after the kids have gone to bed, when this month’s paychecks don’t cover last month’s bills. And you worry that even if you’ve had your job for months or for years - you can’t be sure you’ll have it tomorrow or next month.
And as you tuck your daughter in at night, you worry because you want her to go to college and have all the opportunities in the world - but you don’t know how you’ll ever manage to afford it.
Today, for far too many women, the American Dream seems a million miles away, because when you’ve barely got time to sleep - who’s got time to dream?
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