Women's Enterprise Network Live Show Transcription 20081011

Women's Enterprise Network October 11, 2008
Cleveland Heights Library, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
2008 Presidential Campaign Issues: Growing the Economic Viability

of Women"
Part 1: A Pre-Election Discussion
Links to broadcast:
http://www.livestream.com/womansenterprisenetwork/video?clipId=flv
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Gloria Ferris: Hi, this is Gloria Ferris and I’m here today at the
Cleveland Heights Library on Lee Road with four members of the
Women’s Enterprise Network, and I’ll let them introduce themselves
as well as we have a guest to meet, Tim Ferris is going to be
speaking with us and in fact he is our token male, we have flipped the
paradigm and instead of the one woman in the room, we are going to
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have a one man in the room. Our subject today is, if you were in a
room with Senator Obama and Senator McCain, what issues would
you want to discuss with them that we should all be thinking about?
So, without further adieu, I’m going to turn it over to Susan Altshuler.
She will introduce herself and tell us why she is here today.
Susan Altshuler: Hi, my name is Susan Altshuler and I’m a member

of the Women’s Enterprise Network and of the I-Open team. Good
morning. I think the subject today is very important because…this
election, I think is very important, for women especially, because of
health care issues, equal pay for equal women [work], equal
opportunity for jobs, and also for the economy, because we are all
affected by the economy, and especially women because a lot of
times because they make a lot less than their male counterparts, and
we, a lot of us have families to raise, and I think that the economy is
going to be a huge issue going forward. And, I would like to ask
Senator Obama and Senator McCain, what they would do about the
economy and how are they going to bring back jobs to this country
and how are women, especially single women, going to raise their
children and be able to provide for them?
Gloria Ferris: Thanks, Susan. Mary Beth?
MaryBeth Matthews: Hi, I’m MaryBeth Matthews and I’m also a

member of the Women’s Enterprise Network. I am a teacher and I
teach at the Cleveland Municipal School District. Why am I here
today? Because, gee, I’m always here. But of course for the topic,
that is very relevant. My focus is on jobs. I would like to hear more
specifics from the candidates and what they are doing to get jobs.
Gloria Ferris: Alice?
Alice Merkel: Hi, I’m Alice Merkel, a Chagrin Falls High School
student, I’m a Junior, and I’m also a part of the Women’s Enterprise
Network. And, I’m here for the conversation because even as a
student, we constantly are dealing, talking about, gossiping if you will,
about the Election and how it’s going to affect the downswhirling
economy. I want to hear them actually come out and say, you know,
“We have messed up and we’re going to fix it one way or another.”
Tim Ferris: Hi, there, I’m Tim Ferris and I’m married to Gloria and I’ve
been a fan since the first day, since the first recording of the
Women’s Enterprise Network. And the reason I’m here today is
because someday when women take over the world, not that they
don’t control it already, I want there to be somewhere a record that I
was on the women’s side at the early stage. That’s why I’m here
today. What I’d like to do, is just make sure everybody reads the Oct
16 (2008) Rollin Stone that has a marvelous piece of journalism in it
about Senator Obama; a great piece of investigative journalism.
Gloria Ferris: Okay, well, I guess my reason for being here is that I
was one of the ones who chose the topic. I believe that when we see
the candidates, you can tell that they are reacting to polls and to what
they see as expediency to either turn down the another candidate or
just throw out things, that, on healthcare, you know, “I’ll give a five
thousand dollar health care tax credit” that’s the ticket, and everybody
will want that because that will help them with their health care. But,
we don’t hear a lot of substantiation, and I also think that Town Hall
meetings are a joke. They never listen to the people who come, the
people who come are allowed to ask a question, and then they give
this two minute answer that “…somebody rebuts it…”I disagree with
you”…”you didn’t vote that way in Congress”…
Tim Ferris: Wait, Gloria, for example, and pardon me for

interrupting…
Gloria Ferris: Yes?
Tim Ferris: Are you saying this is pre-arranged, that people are pre-
selected, pre-screened?

Gloria Ferris: Well, I don’t even think that’s the problem; the problem
is there’s no dialogue. I haven’t heard any yet….
MaryBeth: Nothing has changed…you know, when I happened to
submit a question, that was one of the questions they wanted to deal
with, they need to let me read my own question, it could be tweaked a
little bit you know, it’s an insult, I think, to those of us who would really
like to see, to see a dialogue interchange. But, if I can ask a question,
but not ask for clarification, or may be not deviate from the thing that’s
written on that slip of paper, then what’s the use, it’s, it’s…
Susan Altshuler: I don’t think you can get out of the conversation
what you’re really interested in hearing, and they don’t let them do
that and I don’t know if you could, because they have to be respectful
of each other when they are answering questions to give the other
time to answer it. I think one of the things in elections that are so bad
is that all they’re doing is putting each other down instead of talking
about the real issues and the American people don’t care about, I
think they really care about what’s happening to my money? What’s
happening to my job? How am I going to help my children? How am I
going to send my children to college? How am I going to pay my
bills? How am I going to make my car payment? I think those are, you
know that is right to the heart of what I think most American people
are thinking about right now. The economy is in a mess and this
should be our first priority – I mean health care is really important, but
if you don’t get the economy on track people can’t afford to even get
or even think about getting health care, or employers can’t provide it.
You know, we’re no farther ahead. We need to get at the crux of the
problem which is the economy is in a horrible state and of course the
administration that is in power now, of course its all their fault and you
know its not always all their fault but it trickles down. We need to
really pay attention to it and get serious about it instead of slinging
that “You didn’t do this and you didn’t do that.” I wish elections would
stop until we pass because we could get to the issues much better
and find out what they are really about.

Gloria Ferris: Well, you know, I think what we are really saying here –
I’m just kind of free associating – is that, instead of taking this
opportunity of “going on the stump” as they call it and going all
around the nation and actually engaging the people. They’re not
engaging us; they’re not asking what we think. I think that when I
lived in Washington, DC and they used to talk about inside the
beltway versus the rest of the country, and its very very true – they
live un an unreal kind of situation, and, much like Hollywood, kind of
an unreal situation, and they don’t really get out very often, and I
don’t really think they talk to people and even with Congress, Alice
brought up Congress and she’s saying Congress were the ones who
screwed this up, you were both members of Congress, how did that
happen? And I think that even there, there’s not a dialogue. It’s what
Susan said, “I’m right and my way is best.” And I think that if they
really truly wanted to change things they would have to acknowledge
that both of them have some good ideas. They have differences in
implementation, but that’s not what its about.
MaryBeth Matthews: But, you know what, yes that is what it’s about.
Implementation. Implementation, that’s what we need to hear. I don’t
need to hear somebody saying, “Yes we’re concerned, we need to
bring jobs back.” Well, yes, we do. Now, tell me how you are going to
do it? What’s your strategy? They seem to avoid all the specifics.
Yes, we need to revamp the health care system. Now, tell me how?
Because therein lies the difference.
Tim Ferris: We’ve been in a dialogue relationship for a couple of

years now and the one thing we know about true democracy and
leadership is that when a leader asks, the people know the solutions,
by the aggregate they know the perfect solution and we know this
from the “Wisdom of Crowds” by James Surowiecki. But, its works
and instead of these people out there telling us, we’re waiting for
them to tell us the national answer they should be asking questions,
because the true leader understands the more he or she cedes
control, the more power he or she has.
Alice Merkel: But, shouldn’t a leader accept responsibility for what
they’ve done wrong instead of saying you’ve done it, like Obama and
McCain are, its all his fault, his plan sucks, mine’s awesome, why
don’t they just accept responsibility – I messed up, we all messed up,
I should have said something and this is how I’m going to change it.
MaryBeth Matthews: Where do we go from here and what are our

next steps?
Gloria Ferris: Yes, exactly right, that is part of being a leader, you
accept. One of our friends was saying, accept all the blame, take
none of the credit. Because if you are a true leader, that’s what you’ll
do. I mean you’ll say, “Yeah, we messed up, we deregulated the
banks, we listened to the bankers – you know, who knew that they
were thinking about all of us collectively that they were just thinking
about one part of this. So say that, yeah, we made some missteps,
we found some ways we can change this, this is how we’re going to
do it. But they never tell us that.
Tim Ferris: McCain has been around since the 70’s [XXXX11:56] but
the fact of the matter is will he go ahead for atonement? Than Obama
has because he’s older and he’s been around. But does either one of
them say, “I was wrong. Mea culpa. My fault. My fault. I was wrong.”
Gloria Ferris: No, and I don’t think you need to take the world on your
shoulders. You have to accept what Alice is saying, that, I was part of
this.
Alice Merkel: And you know what, they’re so, they don’t say that,
because they want to get ahead, they want to win. But, if they did say
that and that’s the part that would actually help them.
Susan Altshuler: I would think so. I would think people would respect
them more for doing that.
MaryBeth Matthews: Well, absolutely respect. You always respect.
I’m sorry but even, even in the lowest level in my classroom. 95% of
my students are boys.
Gloria Ferris: I was going to say; here I would have thought that at a
vocational school
MaryBeth Matthews: There is some kind of instant
Tim Ferris: You are also a bigot…
MaryBeth Matthews: Anyway, back to the fabulous thought I’ve

almost lost track of…Some little incident will occur and, okay, for
example, kids tap on the desk and it makes me crazy…-er. And so I’ll
say, “Jim, enough of the tapping.” They will look at me and say, “Who
me? I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it.” The proper response is, “I’m sorry. It
won’t happen again.” And then, I have respect for you because you’re
honest; you’ve apologized to me. But when you tell me you didn’t do
it, the feeling becomes that I’m a crazy woman. Now, that I’m making
up a lie, that I’m seeing things and that I don’t know what’s going on.
But, if you just man up and say, “Hey, sorry, it won’t happen again.”
We talk about the past, we finish it, we talk about the future – the
future will be rosy. Now if our politicians can say, “I’m sorry, it won’t
happen again. I’m sorry; we’re going to do our best to change the
situation/” Wouldn’t we just respect one another?
Tim Ferris: XXXX..He had an adolescent response.
Gloria Ferris: Basically, it’s in our culture now that one can’t accept
responsibility. For some reason, to say, “I did something wrong, I’m
sorry.” It’s like…
Susan Altshuler: It’s a blame game. You know, it’s always the other
person and if they could stop doing that and really come out and say
Yeah, this happened and this is wrong – all wrong – and how do we
fix this? How do we work together to fix this? Who ever wins they
should each be working with the other one to get it fixed and get
something done and people get sick and tired of hearing same old
same old because they say, “Well. The next administration comes up
and it’s the same thing,” nothing happens.
Gloria Ferris: And that’s what I think a lot of people are deciding, I
mean I’ve heard more people say they hope there will be change, but
they doubt it. They doubt that the whole culture cannot change
overnight, one person will not be able to do that because all of the
same other players will be there, so I think that a lot of people are
realizing that it really doesn’t matter – Democrat, Republican – its
going to be up to us, because we’re the ones who can say, “Hey, this
is a bad situation.” And we can move on.
Susan Altshuler: Don’t you think people need to stand up and start
saying, “No, you can’t do this. You work for us, you serve the people.
Now how about dong that?” I really believe that. But, a lot of people
don’t want to stand up. We’re always afraid to come out and say what
we really feel because we think we’re going to get into trouble.
Gloria Ferris: Well, no. I think its because we see our meters, our
supposed meters up there and just nit picking and, “You’re wrong”
and “No, you’re wrong.” And you get so used to that kind of blame
game that…
MaryBeth Matthews: I see it as a distraction from the reality of what’s

really going on. If one party can distract the other party, you’re going
to say “Hey, Obama --- ex-terrorist.” Its like, Wow… he must be a
terrorist too…They are appealing to the lowest, most stupid factor in
people as opposed to saying, “What does that have to do with the
price of gasoline?” You know, somebody could say to me - if I was
going for politics - “She taught murderers.” You know what? I did. I’ve
had students in my teaching career who have been murderers and
rapists. They were in my classroom and I had an influence on them
for forty minutes a day. More so than their parents did. And yet, they
went on to be criminals. Now that would be like taking that little toy
and twisting it and using it to…well, I guess I hung around with them,
you know, I was their mentor. I mentored murderers and
criminals…and yet, you don’t know my background and there could
be some…and what happens is they use those things, those toys to
distract, because it appeals to the interest of people, to distract them
from what’s really important. You say you want to bring jobs back.
How are you going to do it? Give me a plan.
Tim Ferris: You keep saying distract, distract, distract. Is this whole
thing a distraction to keep us all from knocking everyone out of
power? XXX How long has this election been on TV? A year? A year
and a half? That’s an awful long time. We went through the Primary. I
don’t even know if we should spend time talking about the Election
today because…
Gloria Ferris: No. We are talking about this because this is something
that needs to be fixed and its, a distraction, insulting the American
public that we certainly could possibly know what’s best for us. You
know, um, this whole idea of what are you going to do about these
things? This needs to be out there and more people need to demand
of leaders we’re not going to stand for this distraction.
MaryBeth Matthews: Why should we not talk about it? If we don’t talk
about it we’ll just hope it goes away. [Discussion]
19:55 Tim Ferris: Let’s talk about something else instead of them and
their Election, their XX Election, why aren’t we talking about XX,
we’ve already said no matter which party gets in …
MaryBeth Matthews: I’ve never said it doesn’t matter which party gets
in. [Discussion between Gloria, Tim and MaryBeth]

Susan Altshuler: I think that one of the things is that people always
have hope that it is going to change. And if we loose that hope then I
think we’d really be in trouble. I think we need that hope that
somebody will come in and surprise us.
Tim Ferris: Should we look to them or should we look to ourselves?
Gloria Ferris: No, we have to look to ourselves.
Susan Altshuler: We have to look to ourselves.
Alice Merkel: They always have this shield of what their name is, who
they are associated with, what their positions, their very vague
positions on healthcare but they never focus – it’s so vague. The
public is so used to just saying, “You know, I like McCain” – you ask
them why and they say, “I like the health thing, the healthcare plan.”
You say, “Well, what are the details?” and they say, “I don’t care.”
We’re so used to saying, “This is their picture, which one do you
want?” And we just pick one because it looks better to us. We don’t
really look deep into what their affect is going to be.
Tim Ferris: If it came out to be XX elected on substance today, we’d

have to vote for Alice! She’s delivered more on substance this
morning than what we’ve seen on…
MaryBeth Matthews: That’s why she is in our group.
Susan Altshuler: She brings that perspective from a young person

and that is really important.
Gloria Ferris: But, that is something really true. And I do think that
young people cut through the bull shit a lot more than…
Alice Merkel: Because we haven’t been through so much of it yet.

Gloria Ferris: Yes.
Tim Ferris: You have nothing to loose either.
Susan Altshuler: So, how do we, as citizens try to change the

dynamics of what goes on? How can we be a part of something, and
effective?
MaryBeth Matthews: Okay, I was thinking about this before when XX
was talking. [Discussion…laughter] One of the things, I think we, who
are not politicians, you know the every woman and every man needs
to take responsibility for…and this is what sparked the thought when
you said that “They’re not asking questions, they’re not giving a
response…” and actually, yes they are. How many letters have you
written to the people who are our civic leaders? They do throw
questions out there and they do watch a response…How have each
of us communicated what our thoughts were? I mean, you know, we
say it all the time, “You know, nobody asked me.” Yeah, well, have
you written a letter? Have you made a phone call? What have you
done? And, I see Susan, you shaking your head yes, but I mean for
the general person who’d rather sit and complain how no one’s
asking me, well sometimes – and I tell this to my Father when he
says,” You haven’t called me…” I say, “Dad, the phone works both
ways.” You know, if you haven’t talked to me, it’s because you
haven’t called me. If they’re not hearing my point, maybe it’s because
I haven’t made the effort to tell a civic leader or the people who can
make those decisions, what my point is.
Gloria Ferris: I think that’s a good place to stop for our break and
when we come back I think we ought to talk about that a little bit more
because I think that technology makes what MaryBeth is talking
about much easier to do. You are watching Women’s Enterprise
Network TV Show available on Mogulus and You Tube and we must
thank our videographer Betsey Merkel who does such a good job of
getting that up and out and the Cleveland Heights Library is where we
are meeting today. They graciously let us do this once a month and
we are hoping that next month we are back in Judson Park for our
follow up question, which will be, “This, Mr. President, is what we
want you to focus on.” So, we’ll take a break and we’ll be back.
[BREAK]
Gloria Ferris: Hi, and welcome back to the Women’s Enterprise

Network Live television show. We are broadcasting here from the
Cleveland Heights Library on Lee Road (Cleveland, Ohio USA).
Before we took our break, MaryBeth was asking the question, “Do
we actually engage our leaders at the Federal level, and what do we
do about that?” And before I turn it over to what everybody thinks, I
wanted to mention two things: there is a new book out called,
“Reinvigorating Democracy” by Anthony Williams and his partner who
published “Wikinomics.” It’s a very, very good read of how democracy
can really become robust and people can engage because with the
Web 2.0 tools, it’s much easier – for instance, here we are on an
Internet TV show letting the world know basically, what our views are
about for the Presidential election and how we’re a little perturbed
that it is at such a low level, that there are a lot of us out there who
would really like to hear about the issues. I think all of us in this little
conversation have different ways we engage our leaders and I think
we should talk about it and let’s start with Alice and ask her how she
thinks we should go about doing that.
Alice Merkel: I think that most of the American public does not
engage with their leaders, but the people who do go to town
meetings, like I went to one town meeting for extra credit for history
and there were like, two people there. And, um, okay fine, three. But
the thing is, the people who do ask questions, they weren’t really
answered. Like I know, in the second debate with Obama and
McCain when they are asking the panel of people, they would just
give the same things, they said before. They didn’t, I know that one
guy was saying that – I didn’t see this part because my teacher told
us but he said, “I am a young black student what can you do for me?”
And they never answered it, they circled around it and I think that the
politicians just give vague, general answers and they don’t really
center on the questions because they’re so preoccupied with results.
Tim Ferris: The answer essentially is it’s up to you.
Gloria Ferris: Really?
Tim Ferris: They can’t do anything for the young black students, its up
to him; they can’t do anything for the young white students, its up to
him. As a matter of fact, I think of this as a paring process we’re
actually hiring people to run our great big beautiful
country…city…and we’re hired help. What we’re doing is we’re acting
like help, or are they acting like people to us? No, they’re acting like
they run the estate. We own the estate, you’re hired help. They’ve got
it all in context.
MaryBeth Matthews: One of the things I wish…I saw the young man
sit down and I saw the conversation kind of circle around his question
and I wished he could of spoke and said, “Hey, bring it back to me.
What can you do for me about my student loans? What can you do
for me to ensure that when I graduate I can get a job?” Because they
are afraid to say anything more and if they do hear a little bit more of
a plan, it’s such a national forum they’re afraid if they throw their plan
out there it will get picked apart.
Susan Altshuler: Or, they’ll be negative about it. How could they even
know what to do, really? Unless they really, when they get into office
they start working. I mean, be honest. Say, well I know the country’s
in a mess and I know that there are a lot of things wrong, you know, I
don’t have anything specific right now but I know I’ll say we have
these problems and we’re going to work on it, we’re going to try to get
you to be able to go to College and pay your student loans. Because
they don’t really know how they are going to do that. Because…

MaryBeth Matthews: And why not, it’s their job to know. They keep
saying, “We’re going to work on it.” Who are you going to get to work
on it? What are the people you are tapping into? Those are the
questions I want to hear.
Susan Altshuler: You’re right. I think, “Who they are surrounding

themselves with…?”
Gloria Ferris: I think that is very important. It’s like, all we really know;
all we really hear about are their campaign advisors. Which is only a
small bit part. Who are you going to go to? How are you going to
change education, so that it leaps into the 21st century?
MaryBeth Matthews: Don’t just tell me you’re going to change it. Or,
that we want to bring education back that will be “applicable, will be
relevant to the 21st Century…well to young Americans that sounds
good. I want, what’s the next step, how are you, and the…
Tim Ferris: You guys are making a critical point. Change doesn’t
come from the top down. Change comes from the bottom up. The
answer is, the right answer is, that I’m not going to do everything.
MaryBeth Matthews: And, how are you going to help me do it?
Gloria Ferris: Tell us what you need and how it’s going to look. He
should have asked that Black man, the young man, the answer to him
was another question. How do you want me to help you? What do
you need?
Susan Altshuler: What do you suggest? What do you need? What is

your idea?
Alice Merkel: You imply ignorance on your part; that you don’t really
know how to fix it. I think that when we elect our politicians we’re so

used to them giving us a big huge answer that never really answers
the question.
Gloria Ferris: Well, Alice, part of that is because we’ve been told you
don’t have the answers we have the answers. We’ve got to take back
our country. I mean town hall meetings, part of the reason nobody
comes to those any more is because exactly what you said, they’re
questions were really not answered. And the reason is, we’ve gotten
into this attitude that the answers lie out here somewhere and they
don’t. They are within each and every one of us and when we talk
and we exchange ideas, as we talk about problems then we come to
the realization that somebody in that crowd is going to say, “Oh, I’ve
been there. I know this part of it and then somebody else says
something, then you start really drilling down into what the problem is
and how it is. I always think that’s what MaryBeth means when she
says, “I’m insulted.” We have to be insulted that they think there is
some silver bullet for health care. It didn’t happen overnight. There
where a whole little things that happened. Independent of each other
and then it became rolled together and then it became this huge
…well, what is that old thing about “How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.” Well, that’s how you get rid of those things. Those
huge, huge problems.
MaryBeth Matthews: One thing you just said Gloria, that I think hit
home because I say it all the time, but I would like to hear…What do
you need? Unless they understand what we need, unless we can
articulate clearly what we need then nothing’s going to get done.
We’re asking them to help us, they’re saying “Okay” and then we
don’t get helped and we’re frustrated, why? But we need to articulate
our needs. And they need to ask and they need to listen. And if I were
to hear more candidates asking that question specifically and then to
say, “Okay, you told us you need a new health care plan…okay, and
keep asking those next questions. Because when you stop at the
beginning of the conversation, you don’t get all of the information and
that is what our political process is doing right now. You start the
conversation and then you cut it off, and everybody walks away
frustrated.
Susan Altshuler: In our own small way, when we have these kinds of
meetings – these networks that we’re building – we always ask
people, “What do you need?” …”What do you see you need for the
future?” …”How can we work together to make it happen?” …And I
think that is more of what the politicians should be looking at, “What
are the people saying?” …Because we live it everyday, and we can
come with good questions and answers, there is not a silver bullet,
but we could help them to help themselves better to be able to do the
kinds of things they need to do for the people by asking, “What do
you need and how do you see it happening?”
MaryBeth Matthews: This happens repeatedly. I find that in my own

career, I’ll walk around my own students and I’ll ask them, ‘what do
you need?” and it might be as simple as a pencil or it might be
something like, I need you to explain this to me, I need you to show
me this, or I’m just not getting that. My question is always, “What do
you need to master whatever we’re doing?”
Tim Ferris: Are you okay?
MaryBeth Matthews: No, don’t ask if you are okay, because the first
response is ‘Yes.’ Now, what do you need and what can I do for you?
What can I do for you? And if the answer is, “Nothing” and I am
looking and I see that they are doing something, then I’ll say, “What
about this?” or if they say, “I don’t need you to help me.” I will say,
“But, you are sitting there without a pencil, let me go and get a pencil
for you. You don’t even know what you need, but I know what you
need right now. Unless you continuously ask those questions, nobody
gets anywhere.
Gloria Ferris: I think sometimes the question is, how? How can I help
you to get to where ever you need to be? This is, I think, the whole
thing. I read recently, well, just the other day, that North Carolina had
a coalition, Iowa had a coalition, I know that our state [Ohio] really
went into the sub-prime lending, they were going to Congress in 2002
and telling them this is a huge problem and they were saying, “We
need to do this” and Congress was more or less saying, “No, no it’s
just pockets its fine.” Because they were having the banking, they
were having the question, they were asking, “Well, why do you think
that? How can we help you so it wouldn’t be? They were just asking
somebody else who had a different viewpoint completely, never
getting the two groups together to, and they maybe could have done
something where we wouldn’t have gotten as bad. But they weren’t
listening and I think that is what MaryBeth is talking about, they need
to listen. And I think that if anything should come out of this today, I
think we should tell Senator Obama, Senator McCann, you need to
listen to the American public.
Alice Merkel: And I think that by listening and asking the questions
you are unifying yourself with the people and actually representing
them, the people, not by setting yourself differently and not, “This is
what I do but, this is what we do together.”
Gloria Ferris: So, they need to listen, they need to ask questions and
they need to become a part of us, instead of us versus them. I think it
goes back to what we said in the beginning…we’re so tired of
hearing, “No, but I’m better. No, you did this.” The blame game, we’re
all talking about changing the guidelines and make it a true dialogue.
Make it the Socratic method of asking the questions and learning
from each other.
Alice Merkel: And making it a two-way conversation.
Gloria Ferris: I guess that is my beef with this whole thing. This brings
me back to a story, I remember that when I worked at BP, there were
seven us in this little like cubicle, we all worked together and three of
us had college educations, we had degrees and four of us didn’t. Of
the four, two of those had worked for SOHIO and BP for twenty plus
years. Okay? There was another newbie that had worked there for
about a year or two and then there was somebody who was a middle
of the road, but this one gal would come in there and she was one of
the ones with the college education and she would come in and say,
“Well, they’re not like you and me, they don’t even have a college
education and he’s trying to tell me what to do.” And I’m thinking, “Oh,
my God, here we are stuck in this room with all of these people, who
don’t have a college education but have this wealth of experience.”
And I always thought, you know, it doesn’t really set you apart if you
don’t do anything with it. Experience is an education in itself. But I say
education is only as good as you use it and you can use education in
a lot of different ways. So, it really bothers me when some of these
people are saying, “I know what’s best for you.” How could you
possibly know? Maybe I’ve got fifty plus years of experience, maybe
my health is in the toilet and I deal with bureaucracy every single day,
maybe I have two kids who are not going to be able to go to college
because I can’t afford it and we can’t do it. Maybe I know what we
would need so my kids could get to college. That’s when I think that
when we try to set ourselves apart, because you know even the old
Harvard versus Yale education being different and better in a way, I
mean this is, instead of our differences, we should be talking about
how we can work together.
MaryBeth Matthews: We are talking about solutions. You brought up

a story, there was something I listened to on the news this
morning…of course the first thing that goes is the memory…I forget
where this happened but there was a sheriff in a town, it may have
been out west somewhere, who was refusing to evict people from the
homes they were in that the bank foreclosed on. Now, the people
who were living in those houses were renters. The sheriff said they
haven’t done anything wrong. I’m not going to kick them out of their
homes because the bank, because their landlord foreclosed, now the
bank is kicking them out and of course the banks are getting annoyed
with the sheriff because he’s not doing his job. “You know [the sheriff]
what? I’m just doing what my heart feels is the right thing.” And it
really got me thinking about what the whole problem is, with this
foreclosure issue, because I’ve had students in that same position,
their families, they’re renting and their families are paying the rent,
paying the rent and all of a sudden, “Well, you got to move out.
You’ve got two days to move out or your stuff’s going to be out in the
street.” Which is very hard to, it’s horrendous for these poor families,
but if you would always remember who the victims are and this
horrible economic situation and that the standard of living on the
ground level that we need to worry about, like this sheriff is doing, this
is where we need to pay attention to. How is it affecting the day to
day person and in fact, if those renters get kicked out of the house,
like the banks want them to be kicked out, then well you know at least
what happens around here, they’ll tell you that that house is going to
be immediately scrapped.
Susan Altshuler: And they’re getting the money, they’re paying the
rent…
MaryBeth Matthews: These are the things that keep coming up…the
issue of kicking out renters, don’t kick your renter out, you renters just
keep paying your rent and then put it in escrow and then we’ll give it
to whoever who wants to buy it…I’m not sure how that whole financial
thing will work out but, kicking the people out? It makes no sense.
Susan Altshuler: These are the things that so many people in this
country are facing right now. It’s the biggest thing for them; they can’t
afford to stay in their houses, where are they going to go? It doesn’t
sound like anybody’s, the candidates, are addressing that directly and
they need to.
Tim Ferris: Alice pointed out the fact that she’d like to have everybody
on the same side on the same team, and then you ladies are talking
about the disparities how we’re not on the same team how we’re not
considering the greatest needs of the most of us, and that’s how the
whole system is so sick they must pander to the general population
for the vote, they must tell you what you want to hear to get the vote,
but then their power, the money isn’t still power these days – it will be
less in the future – they’re money comes from the lobbyists, their
money comes from the people who actually feed off of the general
population. This whole bank thing is nothing more than the banks
feeding off of the common man, and the credit card companies and
the credit people feeding off the common man and everybody else,
the hospital systems taking advantage of it. Why should the
anesthesiologist make $400,000 dollars a year and the guy he
administers the anesthetic to only be on Medicaid? We don’t have
parallel XX all across the board, and money has been one class of
people against one class of people and the people who are supposed
to be our lobbyists in Washington, Dennis Kucinich and Sherrod
Brown, Voinovich and whoever is filling in for Stephanie Tubbs Jones,
they are not really lobbyists because they are compromised, and yet
they want to tell you what you want to hear and not lie too much in
order to get your vote so that they can continue the charade.
MaryBeth Matthews: So that they can say, “We’re working on it.”
Tim Ferris: Working on what?
Gloria Ferris: Well, I think…Alice?
Alice Merkel: Well, I was going to say, can you imagine a politician
who is actually like the sheriff who knows the situation and
understands that you cannot do that to those people. That’s…can you
imagine what kind of impact a politician who is on that side of fence,
to say, can you imaging what he would do and how he would affect
the world?
Gloria Ferris: Well, this sheriff was actually doing the three-question
thing, which is: is it legal? Is it ethical? And, is it right? And he’s gone
to, Is it legal? Because I enforce the law and this is the law on the
books. Is it ethical? Yes, because it’s the law. Is it right? He said no.
And he stood up for it, and he said, “You guys need to make it right.”
Because it isn’t right that somebody who paid their rent every month
is suddenly put out on the street because a landlord didn’t and a bank
wants…and that’s what’s really kind of crazy and the bank is so far
removed from the house on the street that is going to be abandoned
and vandalized, but they don’t care. They’ll say, “Well, but it’s our
property.” Well, that’s not the whole issue.
MaryBeth Matthews: So, you need to be out of it, so we can clear that
off our books.
Gloria Ferris: Right, exactly…So, I guess what we all decided was we

would say to the next President of the United States would be, you
need to listen, you need to ask questions, and you need to do
something. It’s not a matter of everybody is going to blame you if you
are not exactly right but you need to start making some changes and
we need to start moving forward. Anyway, thank you all for joining us.
Alice, it’s always a joy to have your perspective and MaryBeth, its
always great that you always bring in that education perspective and
bring it to the kids that are dealing with some of this stuff and Susan,
you always have a perspective of the economic development part of
it, and Tim thank you for the male perspective it’s a new thing, and
thanks to everybody watching and here we are it’s the Women’s
Enterprise Network TV Show at the Cleveland Heights Library on Lee
Road.


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Women's Enterprise Network October 11, 2008

Cleveland Heights Library, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

2008 Presidential Campaign Issues: Growing the Economic Viability

Part 1: A Pre-Election Discussion

Susan Altshuler: Hi, my name is Susan Altshuler and I’m a member

Gloria Ferris: Thanks, Susan. Mary Beth?

MaryBeth Matthews: Hi, I’m MaryBeth Matthews and I’m also a

Gloria Ferris: Alice?

Tim Ferris: Wait, Gloria, for example, and pardon me for

Gloria Ferris: Yes?

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel http://www.betseymerkel.extendr.com/ and I- 3

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel http://www.betseymerkel.extendr.com/ and I- 4

Tim Ferris: We’ve been in a dialogue relationship for a couple of

MaryBeth Matthews: Where do we go from here and what are our

Tim Ferris: You are also a bigot…

MaryBeth Matthews: Anyway, back to the fabulous thought I’ve

Tim Ferris: XXXX..He had an adolescent response.

MaryBeth Matthews: I see it as a distraction from the reality of what’s

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel http://www.betseymerkel.extendr.com/ and I- 9

Tim Ferris: Should we look to them or should we look to ourselves?

Gloria Ferris: No, we have to look to ourselves.

Susan Altshuler: We have to look to ourselves.

Tim Ferris: If it came out to be XX elected on substance today, we’d

MaryBeth Matthews: That’s why she is in our group.

Susan Altshuler: She brings that perspective from a young person

Alice Merkel: Because we haven’t been through so much of it yet.

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel http://www.betseymerkel.extendr.com/ and I- 10

Tim Ferris: You have nothing to loose either.

Susan Altshuler: So, how do we, as citizens try to change the

Gloria Ferris: Hi, and welcome back to the Women’s Enterprise

Tim Ferris: The answer essentially is it’s up to you.

Gloria Ferris: Really?

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel http://www.betseymerkel.extendr.com/ and I- 13

Susan Altshuler: You’re right. I think, “Who they are surrounding

MaryBeth Matthews: And, how are you going to help me do it?

Susan Altshuler: What do you suggest? What do you need? What is

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel http://www.betseymerkel.extendr.com/ and I- 14

MaryBeth Matthews: This happens repeatedly. I find that in my own

Tim Ferris: Are you okay?

Alice Merkel: And making it a two-way conversation.

MaryBeth Matthews: We are talking about solutions. You brought up

MaryBeth Matthews: So that they can say, “We’re working on it.”

Tim Ferris: Working on what?

Gloria Ferris: Well, I think…Alice?

Gloria Ferris: Right, exactly…So, I guess what we all decided was we

Copyright 2010 Betsey Merkel http://www.betseymerkel.extendr.com/ and I- 21

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Women's Enterprise Network Live Show Transcription 20081011

Women's Enterprise Network Live Show Transcription 20081011