Posted on 04/25/2010 6:15:39 AM PDT by KeyLargo
Take a vacation: It's your right
April 25, 2010 By DALE McFEATTERS
The bureaucrats of the European Union, unfettered by such sovereign niceties as government and voters, are free to think Big Thoughts. And here’s the latest: Decreeing tourism and vacations basic human rights.
This is the brain child of Antonio Tajani, the EU’s commissioner for enterprise and industry, who plans to subsidize vacations for those too poor to afford one and lots of other people, as well.
The time off isn’t a problem. The EU already mandates a standard of a minimum four weeks’ vacation for member nations, and some countries require more. French workers are entitled to six weeks. U.S. employers are not statutorily required to give their workers any.
As a result, American workers generally work longer hours and get less time off than workers in other modern industrialized countries. The Tea Party people might want to lighten up on the whining about “socialism” lest American workers start asking questions and discover Commissioner Tajani. He says, “Traveling for tourism today is a right.”
Tajani’s program would subsidize vacation travel for retirees, those over 65, people between 18 and 25, and families facing “difficult social, financial or personal” circumstances. If the vacationer is elderly or disabled, the EU would pay for someone to accompany them.
The news accounts indicate that the subsidized vacations would be within Europe — no Tahiti or Las Vegas for the pensioners. The idea would be to build European unity by having northern Europeans visit southern Europe and vice versa.
Britain’s Sunday Times reported that Tajani’s planners envisage sending young Greeks, for example, to Manchester and Liverpool on industrial archaeology tours to explore abandoned factories and power plants.
To further experience the “cultural diversity” of Europe, retirees from the English rust belt, in turn, would be given cut-rate trips to Spain. Not meaning to diminish the undoubted attractiveness of an abandoned power plant in the rain, it does seem that the retirees are getting the better half of this deal.
There is a mild pecuniary motive here in that the subsidized travelers could fill up resorts that are underused or in the off-season doldrums. The pensioners might want to ask before the EU packs them off to an underused resort exactly why the resort is underused. The answer could make a staycation look mighty attractive.
The vacation plan is to take full effect in 2013. When it does, a great job is going to open up for someone: the EU’s high commissioner for vacations. Update your resume now.
The “tourism is a human right” scheme could cost the EU hundreds of millions of euros a year. But better not to dwell on the cost. Why spoil the vacation?
Ungland... No Pity For The LAZY!!!
Ready for subsidized vacation?
April 21, 2010
The Times of London quotes Antonio Tajani as saying, “Traveling for tourism today is a right. The way we spend our holidays is a formidable indicator of our quality of life.”
http://www.ibj.com/newstalk/2010/04/21/ready-for-subsidized-vacation/PARAMS/post/19469
This is the brain child of Antonio Tajani, the EU’s commissioner for enterprise and industry, who plans to subsidize vacations for those too poor to afford one and lots of other people, as well.
Once again the confusion of individual rights with the requirements of others to pay for them. Freedom of the press doesn't require others to pay for that press, freedom of speech doesn't require others to buy me a bullhorn.
Maybe we should call the organization for such vacations “Kraft durch Freude” (Strength through Joy) to commemorate the first national plan for providing vacations for all citizens — supervised by the Party, or course.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_Through_Joy
Pass it here and make it retroactive, I’d have a couple of years paid vacation coming.
“Once again the confusion of individual rights with the requirements of others to pay for them. Freedom of the press doesn’t require others to pay for that press, freedom of speech doesn’t require others to buy me a bullhorn.”
I agree 100%. Society is becoming quite twisted in defining “rights”. Very sad.
Do you make more than $25,000? Then you are upper crust. Sorry, request for vacation denied.
It will be means tested for assets, as well. Spend down for your own vacation, first!
Oh, and it will be within America and aimed at *better community relations*, so get ready for those inner city folks to visit our quiet rural areas. Remember Fresh Air Camps?
they were England when they were an Empire,but then they became meek and became england.
Now they are appeasers and have become Undone,
they are now UNgland...
This is already done in most European countries. Sweden takes over many hotels in the Canary Islands for their pensioners or people the medical staff recommend sunshine during their long winter months.
Any Spanish pensioner can have a vacation, with all meals included, anywhere in Spain or the islands at a subsidised rate during October through April. I have been on three of them with my late wife’s sisters to Majorica, the Canarias and Benedorm.
It makes sense in a country that would pay hospitality workers to do nothing if they were laid off - so keep them working and provide pensioners with subsidize holidays is a great idea. Of course it helps the airlines too. All in all it is a win, win situation for everyone.
I believe that I can prove that I have a severe allergy to concrete. How unfortunate that I will not be able to take advantage of this benefit.
The Fresh Air Fund program already sets up student exchanges between rural and inner city kids. I don’t recall the title, but I do recall, some years ago, that a local family participated and there were some *problems* with the city kids and even worse problems for the rural kids.
It makes sense in a country that would pay hospitality workers to do nothing if they were laid off - so keep them working and provide pensioners with subsidize holidays is a great idea. Of course it helps the airlines too. All in all it is a win, win situation for everyone."
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Oh goodie isn't that just great!
Some advice:
Cardhu you are posting to the wrong blog!
Dummie Underground and Salon Com are the place for you and your socialist friends.
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Britain is now home to more pensioners than children for the first time in the country's history, official population figures have disclosed.
Pensioners take it easy this summer at Brighton beach in southern England 
You are describing the Keynesian “aggregate demand” — the notion that borrowed money can be used to stimulate demand and everything will be rosy. It has no theoretical foundation and has been disproven empirically many, many times. If what you describe is true, then we should borrow another trillion dollars and send us all on vacation. Or maybe two trillion so we can take a longer vacation.
I think maybe you took a wrong turn at the Huffington Post.
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