Why We Think Paid Leave Is a Worker's Right, Not a Privilege

Linked In ^ | 1/14/2015 | Valerie Jarrett

[miss marmelstein]

Why does she have to sound off on this? Isn’t it enough she’s directing drone strikes and controlling foreign policy with such distinction?

[Blue Collar Christian]

“The United States remains the only developed country in the world that does not...”

You fill in the blank of any feature of socialized nations. The liberal progressive pundits WAY over use this one.

The Israelites, when governed by God and his judges wanted to have a king, just like the other countries in the developed world. God thought poorly of them to take this attitude, but gave them their wish, and even told them how bad it would get.

[miss marmelstein]

I never had trouble with co-workers abusing sick leave. I did once have a problem with a coke-sniffing co-worker and that was pure hell. Back in the day before maternity leave, one of the companies I worked for would have mommy bring in her kids and make secretaries babysit them. How I longed for those selfish broads to take maternity leave!

[HotHunt]

Exactly, but why even have it extend to paid leave? Jarrett says it is a right, not a privilege. These ideologues need to read the US Constitution. There is no mention of the right to free, paid leave from your job anywhere in it. That is something the private sector employers can handle, if they are so inclined.

Like I mentioned before, these people are insufferable.

[HotHunt]

The "pissing in the wind" comment was about their ability to get it passed through Congress, which you agree with me won't happen. And I did mention they were doing it to attract low-information voters. So we agree on that too.

So I am not sure why you mentioned "No..." in your reply. Using it as a battering ram in the 2016s is possible for sure. This is just another blowing-smoke-up-the-voters-ass attempt to make Republicans look like the enemy, like their War on Women. But I think many voters, including many Democrats who have to have jobs to pay their own bills, will see through this red-herring and realize that there is only so much the government can giveaway.

[Alberta's Child]

Right. Paid sick leave has a tangible benefit for the employer, the employee, and all the other employees whose risk of getting sick is diminished if a sick employee doesn't feel compelled to come to work.

All other kinds of paid leave don't have the same broad benefit for everyone involved.

[Texicanus]

What ever happened to stay-at-home moms? But let me take you back to yesteryear and tell you how bad things used to be:

I was raised in a two parent family with biological parents of both sexes who were married (for forty years) in the eyes of G_D. Dad made the living (we called him the bread winner) and mom (we called her a house wife) stayed home and kept the home fire burning. These strange relationships existed throughout the land. We didn’t know there were other more progressive (same-sex) arrangements to be had.

We survived and saved on what dad made. We were nurtured by mom or as we liked to call her “mama”. We had a dog and an occasional stray cat for pets. We (all of us) called this arrangement - a family. We were happy to have a roof over our head, clothes to wear, and food on the table at dinner time. We didn’t know how bad we had it back then - barely getting by and all on dad’s meagre income and mama’s egg money.

When we were sick. Dad had to go to work with a fever cause you didn’t get paid unless you showed up for work. Mom had to get out of bed and cook and feed us with a fever. And sometimes she made us walk (no urban busses back then) five miles barefooted in the snow to school with a fever. And when we got home from school she made us mow the lawn and rake the leaves. Oh the horrors! We didn’t know how abusive she was and we didn’t have any school counsellors to whom we could report her abuse. We didn’t know we had “rights” back then. We just knew we had to negotiate any issues (we used to called them problems) with mom before dad got home from work.

Life was hard for my generation growing up under such an antiquated family structure and having two abusive parents. That was before our government recognized a need to intervene for the “little children”. Parents and kids of today have it so much better thanks to “big brother” and the “it takes a village” attitude of today. Wow Walley! Two dads or moms are really neat!

Now, after fifty years of social re-engineering and re-ordering of marriage and family, we have this great dilemma facing us. That slave driver employer of dad or mom isn’t willing to pay up because you need someone to watch you stay home and play video games with a fever.

I will write my representative and demand they form a committee to look into this issue. In the meantime, hold that thought, or move your a$$ out of bed and get to school. The school nurse will know what to do. If you are covered by ObamaCare - no worries - right? And don’t forget Moochelle has a very nutritious lunch waiting for you.

And in the spirit of W.C. Fields I must add: If you’re really, really, sick maybe you’ll get a trip to Disney World. Yes, I am so happy the kids and parents of today don’t have to face the hardships and abuse we did back then.

/SARC

[T-Bone Texan]

LinkedIn pushes the leftist agenda.

Sadly, it is required to get a job nowadays.

[EBH]

None of the comments I saw this morning were “kind.”

[Pilated]

This creepy scab of a human makes the hair on my neck raise just thinking it lives on he same planet as me. She is evil in mind body and soul. Please keep her away from us all.

[Magic Fingers]

“I just spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how NOT To get LinkedIn Pulse messages.”

There is an “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email, which I used today after receiving the Valerie Jarret missive.

[Don W]

We have a very generous leave setup where I work. A ridiculous amount of vacation time, and you earn 7 hours of sick leave every month.

I have only ever called in sick when I am, but we have several co-workers who use up ALL their sick leave every year. I’ve tried to explain why that’s a bad idea (but we’ll lose it if we don’t use it), but my recent surgery drove my point home.

I expected to be back to work within 3 weeks. I was off for nearly 3 MONTHS, as recovery was slower than normal.

I STILL have over 3 months of leave left on the books.

I showed the “chronically unwell” my leave allotment, and explained why I keep a big bank.

It takes 6 MONTHS for long term disability to kick in where I work. One could get into serious financial trouble without a cushion of some sort. I’m lucky I have one, and I do everything I can to protect it from idiots who abuse it.

[dfwgator]

And it will only encourage more offshoring of jobs.

[Dr. Sivana]

Thanks. I used it. To bad they don’t ask why.

[DPMD]

I’m touched that a notorious Chicago slum lord is concerned for the little people.

[DPMD]

If she’s giving speeches in 2015, can her “Let’s All Love Me” book and presidential campaign be far behind?

[jimmango]

The problem with society today is that “stuff” is more important than family. Families could survive on one income, they just choose not to do it.

It depends on your definition of "Survive". Could we have secured housing, had transportation and put food on the table with only one income? Absolutely. However, ....
- It would be nice to be able to take the family on vacation once in a while.
- It sure would be nice if we could get a home in that better school district.
- I wish we could get a newer car and stop sinking $$$ into this piece of cr*p we have now.
- I hope we are able to help the kids with college expenses.
- I hope we have enough savings to retire before I die.

My wife and I probably could have raised our boys and "survived" on one income. We chose to actually "Live", and so, we both worked. Opposite schedules so one of us was always available if needed. We didn't do it to accumulate "stuff", we did it so we could have a little better life. It isn't always about keeping up with the Jonses.

[i_robot73]

Sorry, but I will beg to differ. The problem, as often as it is is: gov’t.

It wasn’t mid-way through the prior century when ONE working person could: raise a family, buy a home, buy a TV, buy a car, go on vacation, retire, etc.

Even whittling the necessities down to bare bones, one would be HARD pressed to do the same today for all the taxes, fees, permits, regulations (aka GOV’T)

[jda]

I probably shouldn’t post this because it will give socialists more ideas, but why don’t we:

- make it a law that all employers hire based on their revenue, and the number could be adjusted every year to make sure we had full employment. Afterall, isn’t everyone entitled to a job?

- require all auto manufacturers to price an auto based on the buyer’s income - that way everyone could have a new car, say, every three years. That way, everyone could have the car they want without having to worry about whether or not they could afford it. Afterall, isn’t everyone entitled to the new car they want?

- require home builders and mortgage companies to price a home based on the buyer’s income - that way everyone could have the house they want and not be worried about whether or not they could afford it. Afterall, isn’t everyone entitled to the home they want?

- give everyone a free TV, cell phone, computer, and iPad. That way, everyone would have these essential parts of life without having to worry about whether or not they could afford them. Afterall, isn’t everyone entitled?

My point is: where do the giveaways stop??? The answer, according to the libs is obvious - when the taxpayers have no more money.

[Honorary Serb]

Most LinkedIn content is supplied by its members, and much of that is professional, not political. I post on LinkedIn regularly, both with original content and with shared materials from other sources. NONE of that pushes the leftist (Atheist-”Gay” Empire) agenda.

However, the owners of the site—as with Google, Facebook, etc.—are minor leaders in the Atheist-”Gay” Empire, so they push the Empire’s agenda. Phooey!!!!