TRESSIE MCMILLAM COTTOM: CITIZENS NO MORE: I grew up choosing where and how I work because Roe v. Wade gave me many of the same basic rights of personhood as men, for example. Millions of women have, to different degrees, been able to do the same. With Roe v. Wade toppled, we do not have the same rights in all labor markets. In a global market, an empowered worker is one who can migrate. With Dobbs, women cannot assume that we can safely work in Idaho the same way that we can in Oregon or Washington. I cannot negotiate wages or time off with an employer with the same risk profile as those who cannot become pregnant. An employer who offers lower pay in a state with abortion care indirectly benefits from women’s inability to take our labor on the open market across the nation. Thanks to a rogue court, women’s lives are now more determined by the accidents of our birth than they were a week ago. By the same token, if a woman wants to migrate from a Gilead state to an abortion-friendly one, she's going to have to compete with many other women seeking to do the same, like some warped game of musical chairs. Until I read this editorial, I had not considered this economic angle. Which is another reason why elevating women's voices is so important.
https://www.wral.com/citizens-no-more/20351416/

NOW IT'S THE VOTERS' TURN ON THE STATUS OF ABORTION: Those in power in North Carolina’s legislature pledge to do the opposite of what the people they represent want. State Senate Leader Phil Berger said the legislature will take “immediate action” to further restrict the state’s current abortion laws. Those current laws include requirements that patients undergo an ultrasound examination and receive information designed to discourage abortions and a 72-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion. House Speaker Tim Moore explicitly promised further abortion restrictions. “Pro-life protections to be a top priority of the legislature when we return to our normal legislative session in January,” Moore said. It is no exaggeration to say that “Roe is on the ballot.” North Carolina voters will elect members of the state legislature, U.S. House of Representatives and a U.S. senator along with key judges on the state Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. We need to make sure that when January rolls around, BergerMoore simply won't have any viable options to further restrict abortions in North Carolina. That means paying close attention to the 170 General Assembly seats in play, as well as the appellate court seats being fought over. I have not forgotten the Federal races; I just wanted to make sure readers don't forget how critical our state races are. Now more than ever.
https://www.wral.com/editorial-now-it-s-voters-turn-on-the-status-of-abortion/20346881/

OIL COMPANIES SHOULD PAY WINDFALL PROFITS TAX: A month ago it was reported that ExxonMobil’s net profit more than doubled to $5.5 billion from a year earlier – and that was after taking a $3.4 billion charge from closing down its operations in Russia. Shell reports its highest profits ever and Chevron’s quarterly profit was the biggest in nearly a decade. What are these companies doing with the windfall of cash – that has come largely as a result of Russia’s unconscionable aggression in Ukraine? Why is there corporate silence instead of loud cheers of “drill baby drill?” Because oil and gas company execs are more interested in pumping up their own wealth – and that of their investors – than making sure American families can afford to get to and from their jobs, drop their kids at school, pick up groceries and take care of the other basic needs of daily life. These companies are buying back their stock and sending cash to shareholders. In other words, they are sending cash to themselves, while artificially inflating the value of their stocks. And they are artificially inflating the price of crude by not increasing production to meet demand. Their behavior needs to be modified.
https://www.wral.com/editorial-oil-companies-should-pay-windfall-profits-tax/20323516/