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12 Women Explain What Women Want In 2015

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With a presidential campaign—and especially another Hillary Clinton run—looming, one might assume the women’s beat would be an obvious growth industry for the media. But The Washington Post recently announced it was canceling “She the People,” a three-year-old news platform covering the “intersection of women and politics and culture.”

The blog’s demise might be yet another example of readers grown weary of reading one-sided news from the front lines of the so-called “war on women.” Consider She the People’s January post, “What leading feminists want to accomplish this year,” which failed to include leading right-of-center feminist voices.

For former readers of the She the People blog, here are some policy proposals, suggestions, and agendas from 12 right-of-center women leaders on what they would like to accomplish in 2015.

Carly Fiorina: More Opportunities Everywhere

Fiorina

“My definition of feminism is when every woman has the opportunity to live the life she chooses—whether that is home schooling her children or running a company. I hope that we recognize and unlock the potential of all the women in this country, allowing them to be judged on merit and to live lives of dignity, purpose, and meaning. We must advocate for conservative policies that increase workplace flexibility and move away from the job-crushing policies of this administration that have left a record number of women in poverty.”

—Carly Fiorina, chairman of the Unlocking Potential Project, @carlyfiorina

April Ponnuru: An End to Policies that Increase Living Costs

Ponnuru

“I would like to see politicians get to work on a serious cost-of-living agenda. Most women are running just to stay in place, and they need relief from policies that increase the cost of college, health care, and raising kids. And I would like Washington to realize that women know how best to meet their own needs, and they deserve to keep more of their own money.”

—April Ponnuru, policy director at the YG Network, @aprilponnuru

Diana Furchtgott-Roth: Deregulation, for Small Business’s Sake

Furchtgott-Roth

“Many women own small businesses and need better jobs to move up in their careers. I hope Congress can move on tax reform, immigration reform, and reining in the [Environmental Protection Agency] and the [National Labor Relations Board] so companies can go on creating jobs. ‎Congress needs to be ready to pass healthcare reform in case SCOTUS overturns premium subsidies in the 36 federal exchanges.”

—Diana Furchtgott-Roth, senior fellow at The Manhattan Institute, @furchtgottroth

Carrie Lukas: An Honest Conversation about Tradeoffs

Lukas

“I hope this year we have an honest conversation with women about tradeoffs, rather than the usual political scare tactics and over-promises. I think women are waking up to the realization that government promises—whether it’s ‘free’ contraception, ‘free’ daycare or preschool, or new, required paid leave benefits—don’t pan out as they are supposed to, and none of what government offers is actually ‘free’ at all. Government’s one-size-fits-all solutions ignore that real women aren’t a monolith; we need a system that respects that and lets us make the decisions that make the most sense for us as individuals.”

—Carrie Lukas, managing director at the Independent Women’s Forum, @carrielukas

Lindsey Burke: Better School Choice Access

Lindsey Burke

“I hope 2015 becomes the year that a significant number of families have access to innovative school choice options like education savings accounts, and we begin to shift the conversation about what ‘public’ education means. I hope to help make the case that ‘public’ education means publicly funded, but that education can be delivered through a multitude of options: private schools, online learning, and private tutoring, to name a few.”

—Lindsey Burke, Will Skillman Fellow in Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, @lindseymburke

Cherylyn Harley LeBon: Action for Failing Public Schools

LeBon

“I hope that Congress, activists, and grassroots leaders recognize the needs of children of color in communities like Ferguson, and put forth an agenda to reform failing public schools to help improve the educational and employment opportunities for inner city children.”

—Cherylyn Harley LeBon, national co-chair of Project 21, @harleylebon

Carrie Severino: An ObamaCare Alternative and Courageous Judges

S

“I hope to see the Supreme Court enforce the Affordable Care Act as written in King v. Burwell, followed by Congress passing a workable alternative to the unpopular and dysfunctional law. I want to see presidential hopefuls recognize the importance of appointing judges who have a track record of fidelity to the text of the Constitution and the courage to hand down decisions that are legally correct, even when the decision is unpopular or doesn’t suit their own political preferences.”

—Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, @jcnseverino

Penny Nance: Protections for Society’s Weakest Members

Penny Nance Headshot

“In 2015 Concerned Women for America will continue to work to protect the weakest of society including unborn babies, senior citizens, and those with disabilities. We will advocate for Constitutional principles, Judeo-Christian ethics, and above all fight to protect freedom for generations to come. We are thankful for our First Amendment rights and plan to fully utilize them to promote Liberty.”

—Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America, @pynance

Marilinda Garcia: More Female Forays into Civic Activities

Garcia

“I hope it will be a year when more young women than ever step up and get involved in civic governance. Whether that means running for office, taking on leadership roles at school and at work, or getting more involved in their communities, it is all important and valuable.”

—Marilinda Garcia, former New Hampshire State Representative and 2014 New Hampshire Republican congressional nominee, @marilindagarcia

Ashley Thorne: Open Campus Discourse and High-Quality Classes

Thorne

“On college campuses this year, I’d like to see students and administrators show new openness to listen to others, rather than dis-inviting speakers they disagree with. I’d like to see colleges giving students the best education they can instead of worrying so much about being politically correct.”

—Ashley Thorne, executive director of the National Association of Scholars

Patrice Lee: Freedom for Entrepreneurs

patrice-lee

“This year, I’m working to help our generation of women fully realize the potential of the role entrepreneurship can play in their lives—from lifestyle and well-being to economic opportunity. Young women are increasingly aware of the ineffectiveness of top-down, inefficient government solutions, and I want to harness that knowledge and direct it towards grassroots advocacy to start putting our innovative ideas into action.”

—Patrice Lee, director of outreach at Generation Opportunity, @patricepinkfile

Hadley Heath Manning: Health Care Choices

Heath Manning

“Women are the primary consumers and decision-makers in health care, and they are acutely aware that this is a personal issue that affects each family, each patient, and each budget differently. What women really want out of our healthcare system is more choices, more customization, and more competition (which would lead to lower prices). That is the opposite direction of where ObamaCare is taking us, so my hope would be that our leaders realize this and can offer a better, more market-driven, patient-centered healthcare policy.”

—Hadley Heath Manning, director of health policy at the Independent Women’s Forum, @hadleyheath