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I don't think the government should be involved in it at all. Having children is a choice. It is the parents responsibility to plan it and pay for it. However I am not opposed to private companies paying for maternity leave.
I was just listening to a radio show today, where a European woman was relating that she was shocked by the short release American women get for maternity. Apparently, in her country, Slovenia, all women get a government paid maternity leave of 1 year.
I know that I have a staff member, and his wife actually is the higher earning member of the pair. She went back to work right away (within 8 weeks, with very little paid leave for either of them). I am rather aghast that he began commuting 10 miles each morning to drop off his 3 month old ( now 7 month old) daughter in day care at 7:45 near work am and picks her up at 5:15 pm.
My wife was fired about halfway through her pregnancy, and she did not return to work for five years. We received no maternity leave of any kind, but at least our son was with his mother during those early years. She now works 3/4 time, and that works pretty well. We are fortunate in that my salary is high enough to allow that.
Anyhow, enough of my anecdotes. What do you think of this issue? Who should pay for maternity leave (or paternity, if appropriate), and for how long? And why? This seems like a quality of life, parenting, policy issue of some importance.
I think if you want to have a child, that's your business, and nobody else should fund your decision. I can go along with unpaid vacation time, and returning to work, after a period of recuperation, if you desire, but it's not the job of someone else to pay you for not working, for a decision you made, UNLESS, you have an employer that OFFERS such a package, or it's in your contract.
If you get drunk and have a car accident, and are out of work for 6 months, you aren't going to get vacation time paid while you are out. Now before people start whining that it's not the same thing, the BASIS, is. You made a conscious decision to do something, acted upon that decision, and due to your decision, have certain consequences. Why should anyone else fund your decisions, be it a baby, or whatever else.
I'd like to see women get 6 months off at 50% pay, and I'm willing to pay more in taxes. I strongly believe in it.
Let's look at this in a bit more detail.. I understand you are willing to pay more in taxes, but what about those who cannot afford it?
What about college kids, earning their own way through college, who are still technically deductions on their parent's taxes? They are working full time, and paying taxes, are you going to increase THEIR taxes?
What about the 17 year old working part time at Wendys, or the families just scraping by?
I know let's tax the rich, right? I have a friend who is well off, and I asked him about his taxes. He said he didn't care. He sets a certain amount aside for taxes and donations. If the government wants more money, charitable donations fund takes the hit. He said a LOT of people are doing that, in fact the idea wasn't his, but a friend of his.
I personally don't care who make what, if you are rich, or not. I make a living, and it's been ok for my family and I, but why do you think it's ok to ask the government to pay for people to have babies? The Government has no money, but what it takes from people earning a living. I looked over the entire U.S. Constitution, and nowhere does it even allow for such lunacy.
I was just listening to a radio show today, where a European woman was relating that she was shocked by the short release American women get for maternity. Apparently, in her country, Slovenia, all women get a government paid maternity leave of 1 year.
I know that I have a staff member, and his wife actually is the higher earning member of the pair. She went back to work right away (within 8 weeks, with very little paid leave for either of them). I am rather aghast that he began commuting 10 miles each morning to drop off his 3 month old ( now 7 month old) daughter in day care at 7:45 near work am and picks her up at 5:15 pm.
My wife was fired about halfway through her pregnancy, and she did not return to work for five years. We received no maternity leave of any kind, but at least our son was with his mother during those early years. She now works 3/4 time, and that works pretty well. We are fortunate in that my salary is high enough to allow that.
Anyhow, enough of my anecdotes. What do you think of this issue? Who should pay for maternity leave (or paternity, if appropriate), and for how long? And why? This seems like a quality of life, parenting, policy issue of some importance.
I think it's a great idea but would never work in this country. Too many people would scam the system.
In Norway both the Mother AND the Father get 6 months paid leave. The Mother gets another 6 months for a total of a year full paid maternity leave. She then get's an option of another year at half pay.
In countries like Norway it is important to the government that children are started out right. They believe in paying for early childhood development and supporting the family. In the US we believe in ignoring children and then building lots of prisons for the ones who fail.
But in the US we have so many welfare scam mothers that they would take full advantage of a program like this and bankrupt us faster than they already are.
I went back to work less than 2 weeks after having a C-section. I was new at my job and didn't have any vacation time saved up. Never in a million years would I expect someone else to pay for me to stay home for a year. Because in the end we all know the money would be coming from people who pay taxes. It just doesnt appear out of thin air.
2 weeks after a C section? That's pretty stupid. Are you telling this story like you're proud of it or something?
2 weeks after a C section? That's pretty stupid. Are you telling this story like you're proud of it or something?
I am telling it because people need to be held accountable for their own choices and decisions in life. I couldn't afford to take 3 months off without pay. I wasnt about to ask others to support my family. I am not one of those who think other people need to pay up.
Funny how I was told by a few people to go to the welfare office and ask for a handout. No thanks.
Working sucked because I was uncomfortable for a week or so but my boss is very understanding of the situation seeing that he had 3 c-sections herself. It's been a year and I don't regret it. We are all alive and have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies... And we are happy.
If I can sit on the couch at home... I can sit on a chair in front of the computer at work.... And get paid for it.
I don't think the government should be involved in it at all. Having children is a choice. It is the parents responsibility to plan it and pay for it. However I am not opposed to private companies paying for maternity leave.
The government, state and federal, has a few things they need to finance. National defense. Highways. Police, courts, social security, lots of expenses. That means they need money from somewhere, and that means taxpayers.
So the government has a choice. It can reinvest some of the money it gets from taxpayers in the production of more taxpayers to insure a long-time stream of revenue, or they can ignore that and hope for the best. Now as it stands, the heavy production of new taxpayers seems to be left in the hands of the welfare receiving layer. That means a greater percentage of the next generation grow up as welfare dependent, and a smaller one becomes taxpayers.
Or, using an option only recently available in Europe, let immigrants fill the need for new taxpayers. That means discussions about Spanish becoming the new language, non-whites becoming a majority in America again and such.
The sad problem is, a country where the employed, taxpaying people is a declining percentage, is a country in trouble.
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