Working women should know that every single Republican U.S. senator voted against women getting the same pay as a man doing the same job (Paycheck Fairness Act). Sen. Olympia Snowe and other opponents of the bill said it would place too much of a burden on business.

My question: What about the burden on women?

Also, on the topic of women’s issues, Mitt Romney’s vice presidential running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, appears to be a young, personable “regular guy.” Actually, he opposes birth control and wants to take away the option of an abortion, even when a child or woman is raped or her life is in danger from the pregnancy. Ryan co-sponsored the Sanctity of Life Act, which says fertilized eggs are human beings.

Both Romney and Ryan want to cut taxes for the wealthy and change Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid drastically. Ryan would like to privatize Social Security to benefit Wall Street and to give Medicare/Medicaid block grants to the states, which then could cut programs completely.

According to a posting on Faith Works by Casey Schoeneberger titled “Catholic Leaders to Rep. Paul Ryan: Stop Distorting Church Teaching to Justify Immoral Budget,” a group of about 60 Catholic leaders said of the Ryan plan: “A budget that turns its back on the hungry, the elderly and the sick, while giving more tax breaks to the wealthiest few, can’t be justified in Christian terms.”

Ellen Field, New Gloucester