Posted on 09/02/2010 6:56:13 AM PDT by tom h
For nearly 18 months, I woke up at 4 a.m. with my all-too-alert toddler son. Three hours later, when my Swedish wife left for the day, I would set out a second breakfast and then dress the boy and his 4-year-old sister and walk them to her state-subsidized preschool. Then my boy and I would go build sand castles in one of five nearby neighborhood parks ...
I am not unemployed, and I am not a stay-at-home dad. I've got a "real" job; I just haven't gone to the office since last December. In total, I've spent 18 of the past 36 months on paternity leave here in Sweden, my adopted country, "off" work to care for my two kids. And, yes, I still get paid.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
So while this fellow is crowing over his great benefit, does he allocate a single braincell to consider just WHO pays for this benefit? The Swedish taxpayer and consumer, of course, not some rich Bill Gates in the sky who just flings Swedish kroner out from a cloud to flutter down and bless the dedicated Swedes who love their children.
Think it through. The fellow has two kids; if he gets 1.5 years paid leave for each, then he has a total of 3 YEARS paid leave (in addition to all his other subsidized benefits). If his working career is a total of 30-35 years, this means that 10% of the cost of his services or goods is merely to provide this benefit alone.
Talk about non-competitiveness!
I say we pay for one-way tickets to Sweden for any American who wants this benefit.
Isn’t he and his wife paying for someone else that is doing the same thing?
And I thought welfare queens could only be girls!
So everyone adopts the policy I’m going to get mine too.
And what about the poor couples or singles that can’t have or want kids? What are they going to do for them? You can;t discriminate against them now can you!
We don’t we pay for Swedish classes in Mexico! ;-)
(Why) don’t we pay for Swedish classes in Mexico! ;-)
It’s unlikely his two kids are muzzies, so I think Sweden has come out ahead.
And I was elated that my wife got 8 weeks 60% salary!
She’s due with our first November 5th!
When I was working in the CA Senate I was entitled to eight weeks PAID of the twelve weeks of family leave act. But I was a key staffer in an office of just five Republicans (who are always understaffed). As much as we desperately needed the paid time off, there is simply no way I would just wave and say “good luck” to the guy who put his trust in me when I was hired. I’m not going to stick my nose in the air and say how noble a feeling it was, because it was shear hell financially during those years. But dammit, people need to start taking some responsibility for themselves and their own families if we are ever going to get back to the great nation we once were.
The men is Sweden have swedish wives yet wear Capri pants.
How is this possible?
I'd dare say that most people in the USA pay that or more in total taxes.
They usually split the leave btw the two "partners". And they have them back to back to get the time off close together. They literally go out and buy double strollers because they know they will be having them back to back for the leave.
Then they turn about 7 and they set them loose. It's not uncommon to see roving bands of 7-8 year olds roaming the subways and streets of Stockholm.
Look what happened to the Bethlehem Steel Corp. after they instituted (because of Union demands) the 13-week paid vacation policy - Bethlehem Steel went down the tubes.
Bravo to your sense of responsibility, instead of a sense of entitlement.
RESPONSIBLE people, when they have children, would have saved money and kept one spouse, mostly likely the mother, at home to care for the child, regardless of the benefit. If you love the little tykes, how could this be a hard decision?
It’s exactly what Mrs TomH and I did. She went back to work after the first was born, but when #2 came along 22 months later she stopped working; #3 came five years after that. Sure, we were broke for a couple years but we were happy. Then, I got a few promotions, we moved to a lower cost of living part of the state, and our finances have never suffered.
And imagine that, we did it all without government benefits!
Such is the America I know. Reliant on no one else, resourceful, not whining because we had to live on beans and rice for a couple of years.
You may be right.
While we Americans smirk at Socilist Europe and their gi-normous personal tax rates; we must remember our own beloved country has the worlds HIGHEST corporate tax rate.
Which essentially takes money from our pockets just the same as personal taxes do.
And since 2008, we now have a wealth redistribution policy and plans to raise taxes even more.
Yippee.
Oh, but the Swedes have been competitive.
The reason is that the overall population works pretty hard when they do work.
There isn’t the “underclass” of total buffoons like there is in the US.
Unfortunately, the government has imported the underclass in large quantities from Eastern Europe and Africa so it will catch up to them one of these days.
My son was born in Sweden. We were given the 18 months as well but didn’t use it. Too busy. But, it is nice.
I feel bad for my friends who have kids and then have to go back to work in a couple of weeks. So much bonding is missed.
Do you have any video of that?
(roving bands of 7 and 8 year olds?)
bump
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