This past election season, Senator Hillary Clinton proved that a woman can run for president. She astonished thousands of people -- men and women -- who never believed that a woman could get so close to becoming Commander in Chief in their lifetimes.

Although Senator Clinton broke through the glass ceiling, women across the country are still struggling for equality. When you look at the numbers, the inequalities that exist between men and women are staggering. Women earn 80% of what their male counterparts earn right out of school, and in 2007, women were paid 77 cents for every dollar that men were paid. This wage gap costs the average female full-time employee between $700,000 and $2 million over the course of her career. And it's not just wages where women are falling behind -- the numbers on healthcare, education, poverty and reproductive freedom tell the same story.

The facts about sick employees at work are, well, sickening. Three in ten employees say they have contracted the flu virus from a co-worker and average lost productivity to businesses (per employee per year) when employees show up to work despite suffering from a respiratory infection is $133.84. Add that to the fact that the flu virus can stay alive on inanimate surfaces like a door handle or office desk for up to eight hours, and it's not surprising that Americans are getting sick from going to work.

This post was written by Corinne Ramey and cross-posted from the DMIblog.

No matter who you're voting for, you have to admit that Barack Obama has good taste in TV. He told the Las Vegas Sun that his favorite TV show was The Wire, the HBO police drama set in inner-city Baltimore that just completed its fifth and final season. Obama even told the Sun that his favorite character is Omar Little, a "charismatic, sawed-off shotgun toting, Honey Nut Cheerios-eating, gay stickup artist." Some have compared Omar to a modern day Robin Hood because he kills drug dealers and then gives the drugs to the users that have been exploited by the dealers. “That’s not an endorsement. He’s not my favorite person, but he’s a fascinating character,” Obama said.

The Drum Major Institute's Marketplace of Ideas event this morning featured Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and his reforms to turn vacant buildings into affordable housing. Menino, who is now serving his fourth mayoral term, has reformed Boston's housing market in some pretty amazing ways. During the past decade, abandoned residential properties declined 77% as abandoned buildings were turned into viable housing.

The panel discussion featured Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Pratt Community Development Center Director Brad Lander, and Executive Director of the Parodneck Foundation Carlton Collier. DMI Executive Director Andrea Batista Schlesinger moderated the panel.

I suggest you cancel your previous engagements, rsvp and go the the DMI forum next Monday Morning. Election victories may go mostly to the moneyed, unless stringent reforms are effected. They'll even feed you a little. See you there.

"Getting Special Interest Money Out of State Elections" with Activist Dennis Burke

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2007 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

As an activist and former director of Arizona Common Cause, Dennis Burke helped lead the1998 effort to pass the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Act by ballot proposition. The Act provides voluntary public financing to candidates for state-level elected office who agree to run without private campaign contributions. The system is funded by surcharges on civil and criminal fines and a voluntary tax check-off. Arizona’s Clean Elections system is credited with increasing the number of women and people of color running for state office, boosting voter turnout in communities of color, and reducing the influence of special interest campaign money.

DENNIS BURKE
Former Director, Arizona Common Cause

A panel discussion on clean elections will feature:

HON. LIZ KRUEGER
New York State Senate

More info; rsvp phone & email after the jump