Comments on Boston Gal's Open Wallet: Poor Jane’s Almanac

Well said, Meg. However, change your past tense t...

2011-05-14T16:03:18.044-04:00

Well said, Meg. However, change your past tense to present. Women all over the world in developing countries still live as did Jane Franklin. Even 5% of your annual charitable giving designated to this sad global inequity will make a difference. Choose your international charity carefully. Check them out on GuideStar.org. Consider all-volunteer Helping Hand for Nepal www.hhnepal.org.

Maybe Ben did help his sister as much as he could ...

2011-05-02T09:50:40.323-04:00

Maybe Ben did help his sister as much as he could - he left his sister the house in which she lived, which implies he provided her with a roof over her head. Even in this day and age, that is not an insubstantial piece of charity.

- Pam

I agree -- I feel so lucky to have educational opp...

2011-04-28T12:16:29.607-04:00

I agree -- I feel so lucky to have educational opportunities, and I like to be reminded of it. Then again, women today are still not totally free; we still suffer the misogyny of men like "anonymous." What a retard!

Yes, Anonymous. She probably WAS forced. And did you miss the part where women weren't even taught to write? You're a perfect example of a "dumbass" on whom a perfectly good education is wasted.

It's so easy to forget how incredibly lucky we...

2011-04-27T13:35:46.160-04:00

It's so easy to forget how incredibly lucky we are as women born in this modern era. Just a few generations ago women had so few opportunities in life beyond marriage and child-bearing. Can you imagine having no idependence, no ability to earn a living wage, no way to obtain books or education at all? And yet that's how the vast majority of women in every culture in every time period in history have lived.

I wondered that as well, why Ben did not help his ...

2011-04-25T20:30:26.950-04:00

I wondered that as well, why Ben did not help his sister Jane more. Then I realized that he was one of 17 children. That is a lot of siblings. Perhaps helping one too much would be a slight to others?

The other thought is would Jane's husband welcome help from her famous brother?

Firstly I have no idea about Ben Franklin's si...

2011-04-25T11:14:47.530-04:00

Firstly I have no idea about Ben Franklin's sisters teenage sex life and neither do you, anonymous. Once she was pregnant her lot was made however and she was probably lucky to get married. If you are suggesting the options and standard of life available today with back then are equivalent to today then you are an idiot. You simply want to believe that everyone has complete control over their own destiny because it keeps your conscience clear.

The one thing I am not sure on is why her brother did not help her out more.

I have read Benjamin Franklin's Will and have ...

2011-04-24T14:08:36.604-04:00

I have read Benjamin Franklin's Will and have considered it worth copying in parts.Till today I didn't know his sister was so badly off.

Was Jane forced to have sex at 15 and forced to ma...

2011-04-24T10:55:32.922-04:00

Was Jane forced to have sex at 15 and forced to marry a dumbass? I think she chose it. Regarding learning opportunities, we spend billions to lead horses to water and only about 20-40% drink enough to be effective knowledge workers. The others CHOOSE not to learn. How can I have sympathy for that laziness? Because my family has a tradition of valuing knowledge, I used to go to the library on my own and read without being required to. And now you want me to pay higher taxes to be transferred to people who didn't study? The hell with them. Let them do hard labor for their bread. That is their lot for not studying. That is their deserved fate.