Paycheck Fairness Act a smoke screen

The Paycheck Fairness Act is another classic example of twisting misleading statistics in an effort to grow government.

Baruch College Professor of Economics June E. O'Neill had this to say about it: “The figure cited by proponents of this bill states that women earn 77 percent as much as men, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But this figure refers to the annual earnings of full-time, year round workers. It doesn't compare comparable men and women, and it doesn't reflect that full-time men work eight to 10 percent more hours per week than full-time women.

“It also doesn't reflect the fact that men typically accumulate more continuous work experience and, therefore, acquire higher productivity in the labor market. In fact, the gender gap shrinks to between 8 percent and 0 percent when the study incorporates measures such as work experience, career breaks and part-time work.

“There are two government agencies already in existence using your tax dollars to create equality in the workplace: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance.

“So proponents of this bill which is based on faulty statistics are essentially saying, “We have two unconstitutional government agencies already in existence that don't work. We want to create another one to fix a problem that doesn't exist.”

Wake up, America. Government grows through its agencies. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “He (King George) has erected a multitude of New Offices and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”

What has changed? Our government has erected many unconstitutional agencies for which they have no authority in the constitution.

Jeff Lonigro

St. Charles