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1/3 by the employer and 2/3 by us - the government
Because "we - the government" have so much extra cash floating around? Where is this money coming from - the printing press in the basement?
Seriously. We made the decision to have the number of children we could afford. I personally don't think the government needs to be paying mothers and fathers a salary for 6 months just because they chose to have a child. How would anything ever get done in the workplace? People would be working for a year then off for 6 months...back to work for a year or two then off another 6 months. Most jobs above entry level, require some degree of consistency over time. How does one ever achieve that? And frankly - I was needed at home much much more when my kids were school aged than when they were infants. Government gonna start paying for that too?
Because "we - the government" have so much extra cash floating around? Where is this money coming from - the printing press in the basement?
Seriously. We made the decision to have the number of children we could afford. I personally don't think the government needs to be paying mothers and fathers a salary for 6 months just because they chose to have a child. How would anything ever get done in the workplace? People would be working for a year then off for 6 months...back to work for a year or two then off another 6 months. Most jobs above entry level, require some degree of consistency over time. How does one ever achieve that? And frankly - I was needed at home much much more when my kids were school aged than when they were infants. Government gonna start paying for that too?
That's great.
Most families have about two kids, so the average mom would get about a year off. That would fall most likely in a five year time span out of a thirty or so year career. I don't see what the big deal is.
Costs
Annual births: 4 million
Moms in labor force: 57%
Moms claiming benefits: 2.3 million
Average annual salary: $31,223
Govt paid: 66.6%
-number crunch-
Annual cost: 23.7 billion
Annual cost per working person in the united states: $14.89
comparisons:
The war in Iraq could have paid for this each year for thirty years
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To me, a civilized, decent country lets moms take care of their own babies. But that's just me.
Most families have about two kids, so the average mom would get about a year off. That would fall most likely in a five year time span out of a thirty or so year career. I don't see what the big deal is.
Costs
Annual births: 4 million
Moms in labor force: 57%
Moms claiming benefits: 2.3 million
Average annual salary: $31,223
Govt paid: 66.6%
-number crunch-
Annual cost: 23.7 billion
Annual cost per working person in the united states: $14.89
comparisons:
The war in Iraq could have paid for this each year for thirty years
---
To me, a civilized, decent country lets moms take care of their own babies. But that's just me.
Well, you need to at least triple that number considering you said men as well. Also, some states, such as NJ, already have programs that provide 12 weeks of pay (albeit at 66% of your actual pay with a cap). I personally don't see anything wrong with paying people an unemployment-esque wage benefit during FMLA, NJ covers it with a very small payroll tax. However, what you are discussing seems to almost incentify people to have kids.
Just as an FYI, the "countries" that you are referring to do not guarantee full wage for having a baby. They simply offer a stipend to supplement a portion of income lost. Additionally, many countries have these incentives to counteract plunging birthrates, which aren't a problem here in the U.S. as our birth rate has been hovering around the replacement rate for sometime.
Most families have about two kids, so the average mom would get about a year off. That would fall most likely in a five year time span out of a thirty or so year career. I don't see what the big deal is.
Costs
Annual births: 4 million
Moms in labor force: 57%
Moms claiming benefits: 2.3 million
Average annual salary: $31,223
Govt paid: 66.6%
-number crunch-
Annual cost: 23.7 billion
Annual cost per working person in the united states: $14.89
comparisons:
The war in Iraq could have paid for this each year for thirty years
---
To me, a civilized, decent country lets moms take care of their own babies. But that's just me.
Average salary is $31,223??????? Where?
My attitude about this is the same as it is for families on welfare. You have a kid, you pay for it. 6 weeks is ample time to heal (8 weeks for a C-section) from having a baby and a company should not pay for you not to be at work any longer. You want longer? Take the 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA. Just don't expect to come back to a happy work environment.
My attitude about this is the same as it is for families on welfare. You have a kid, you pay for it. 6 weeks is ample time to heal (8 weeks for a C-section) from having a baby and a company should not pay for you not to be at work any longer. You want longer? Take the 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA. Just don't expect to come back to a happy work environment.
Good catch. I did say men as well. Now that i'm looking at the numbers that will be harder. The $31k number is the average woman's salary. Age cohort breakdowns could refine that number further.
I respect but disagree with your opinion that the only obligation we should have is for women to physically heal.
I think the real drive for this kind of reform won't come until we have a negative birthrate. Ultimately our country and society needs a strong birthrate to stay economically viable. Although I believe we have a moral obligation to provide actual maternity support, the economic prospect of a negative national birthrate will be the driving factor in the end. I think it will be 15 years until we hit that, depending on if we have comprehensive immigration reform and what that might look like.
Every new mother and father should get a minimum of 6 months fully paid leave.
I certainly don't want to pay for this with higher taxes. We are taxed enough already.
I understand how difficult it is to go back to work after having a baby. When my first child was born, I couldn't do it and I ended up quitting. I certainly didn't go back and look for a reason to quit and sue. We, as a family, decided I would quit and make do on less $. And let me tell you, if my husband had been out of work, I WOULD have gone back to work, no matter how emotional it was for me.
I certainly don't want to pay for this with higher taxes. We are taxed enough already.
I understand how difficult it is to go back to work after having a baby. When my first child was born, I couldn't do it and I ended up quitting. I certainly didn't go back and look for a reason to quit and sue. We, as a family, decided I would quit and make do on less $. And let me tell you, if my husband had been out of work, I WOULD have gone back to work, no matter how emotional it was for me.
I agree that in this case suing the workplace is a little out there and certainly not something that would be in the realm of possibility in my family.
We are a one income house as well and made a similar decision, albeit at a different point (after about 6 months pregnancy).
I think about those first months and how important that time is between a mother and child. At six weeks, the mother has finally recovered physically (maybe) and then rather than being able to bond with her child, she has to go back to work and only gets to be with her child three hours a day. It just isn't right in my opinion.
I agree that we are taxed enough and now is not a time when such a program would be politcally palatable. Once we reign in defense spending and birthrates decline, I think people may be more receptive to such an idea.
i think the root of this problem is that we expect women to be back working when they just had a child 8 weeks ago.
then have the husband head out to walmart and get a job or deliver pizzas
lots of single moms have to go back & they can't quit b/c they didn't have an exclusive room to nurse.
I was in the military and had an "office"; an old storage closet; and let female soldiers pump in there or nurse in there if they wanted to pick their baby up from daycare & nurse during lunch. I didn't care. They didn't care. No one cared or said a thing. Most were oblivious.
But in the military you can't up & quit b/c the world didn't stop moving the moment you didn't get your way & run to your lawyer. Don't expect nor would ever want the civilian world to run like the military, but after awhile all the cooshy cooshy p.c. stuff is beyond unreasonable & unnecessary.
Where is this money coming from - the printing press in the basement?
We have a money tree in our front yard (an apple tree that attracts every deer known to man) that I ask my husband about since he gets a little confused on the concept of money.....
I told him after CMas he is chopping the thing down b/c I am tired of the deer destroying our landscaping & pooping on the front walkway.
My 5yr old got very concerned as he said "Then how will we have any money?"
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