Paid Maternity Leave - Good for Women?

[Montrovant]

Paid maternity leave is nothing short of an entitlement.

We are constantly hearing whining from the right to the effect that white women need to have more babies. Right wingers complain that abortion rates are too high. Both issues can be addressed with paid maternity leave.

“Financial concerns” are the deciding factor in 75% of all abortions. Since more than half of the women who seek abortions are married or in committed relationships maybe it’s time you looked at cause and effect.

If finances are a problem, then maybe the best idea is not to get pregnant in the first place.

I've been on message boards for a long time now, and not once have I ever heard or read a right-winger say white people need to have more babies.

Well, there's already been a poster advocating that in this thread since this post of yours. No idea of their political leanings, though.

I've seen similar sentiments from a few people in the Race/Race Relations forum.

 

[AsherN]

I believe the Government should foot the bill for Maternity Leave.

That's the way we do it in Canada. maternity leave is one of the classifications falling under Employment Insurance. The employer must keep the job open for the returning employee but the gov't pays the benefits, which is the lesser of 55% of salary or $485/week.

Is Canada 20 trillion in debt?

EI is a segregated, self funding fund. Employers and employees pay into it.

 

[dblack]

Y’all just seemed to ignore my analogy with national guard service.

The motive is the same . It benefits society to encourage military service , as well as healthy child rearing .

And who gets to defined "healthy child rearing"?

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Paid maternity leave is nothing short of an entitlement.

We are constantly hearing whining from the right to the effect that white women need to have more babies. Right wingers complain that abortion rates are too high. Both issues can be addressed with paid maternity leave.

“Financial concerns” are the deciding factor in 75% of all abortions. Since more than half of the women who seek abortions are married or in committed relationships maybe it’s time you looked at cause and effect.

If finances are a problem, then maybe the best idea is not to get pregnant in the first place.

I've been on message boards for a long time now, and not once have I ever heard or read a right-winger say white people need to have more babies.

Well, there's already been a poster advocating that in this thread since this post of yours. No idea of their political leanings, though.

I've seen similar sentiments from a few people in the Race/Race Relations forum.

To be honest I usually like race discussions and participate but again, never seen any right winger say such a thing.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

This is one of the few leftwing ideas I support; however, it would have to be paid for the federal government itself.

Anything that promotes white women to have child instead of working hard and fearing pregnancy is a good policy. This is the main reason why white families do not often have more than 1 or 2 children, hence diminishing numbers by percentage amongst the total population.

I seriously doubt people don't have children or get abortions simply because of maternity leave. Today it costs well over 220K to raise a child, and time off for maternity leave is just a drop in the bucket.

The reason working families have a child limit is based in their income--not maternity leave. Also because working people are more likely to be personally responsible for that child.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I believe the Government should foot the bill for Maternity Leave.

That's the way we do it in Canada. maternity leave is one of the classifications falling under Employment Insurance. The employer must keep the job open for the returning employee but the gov't pays the benefits, which is the lesser of 55% of salary or $485/week.

Is Canada 20 trillion in debt?

EI is a segregated, self funding fund. Employers and employees pay into it.

So the onus falls on the worker as well as the employer. Just as I thought. There is no free lunch.

 

[Brian Blackwell]

This is one of the few leftwing ideas I support; however, it would have to be paid for the federal government itself.

Anything that promotes white women to have child instead of working hard and fearing pregnancy is a good policy. This is the main reason why white families do not often have more than 1 or 2 children, hence diminishing numbers by percentage amongst the total population.

The problem here is that the government doesn't have any money; it produces nothing. It can only steal this money from others, including the people its claiming to help. Once you condone them stealing for the reason you support, you have no valid foothold for denying their right to do so for reasons you don't support.

 

[dblack]

sigh ... more social engineering.

 

[Brian Blackwell]

most civilized countries have maternity leave, child care, etc.

you should probably come into the 21st century.

I agree that a progressive people should take care of each other, but supporting governmental coercion in order to do so? This is hardly civilized, in my opinion.

 

[Brian Blackwell]

I believe the Government should foot the bill for Maternity Leave.

Government doesn't have money; they don't produce anything. They have to steal that money from me, and everyone else, under threat of violence. Do you condone that I be violently robbed so someone I never met could get paid for doing nothing? Is that really the best we can do?

 

[Brian Blackwell]

Simple solution: Equal paid parental leave for all people, regardless of gender or marital status.

Voluntarily, or coerced by threat of governmental violence?

 

[Brian Blackwell]

This is one of those difficult ideology vs. practicality issues. Ideologically speaking, I would want companies to offer paid maternity (or family) leave of some kind. Practically, it could be incredibly difficult for a business that is just getting by.

My first instinct is to say that government should not mandate companies provide maternity leave. I am not firmly wedded to that opinion, however.

Marry it! Your conscience has already judged, now commit! Hahaha

 

[dblack]

Simple solution: Equal paid parental leave for all people, regardless of gender or marital status.

I think you meant equal parental leave for all parents. Non-parents don't get to play.

 

[Brian Blackwell]

But lets make it clear, paid maternity leave is a family values issue... If you are against it you are asking for weaker families and its consequences...

The big thing in Europe now is Paternity leave, this allows a parent to take a day off a week (or two half days) and get 80% pay.. After tax in Europe this is favourable... In France it is a employee right but is highly negotiable right in other countries... turns out that the worker is more productive with the time off and come to work more focused, some results have actually shown the achieving the same or more work as 5 day a week workers...

The simple question here is:
Are you for strong families with kids raised by parents or are you for corporations?

I'm for strong families with kids raised by parents, but what kind of family value is it to promote the immorality of violent coercion? When you support mandated maternity leave, what you're actually saying is "I want people to pay for other people's children, and if they refuse, I want them killed."

I know it doesn't seem that way, but just follow the chain of disobedience - if a person refuses to abide by your idea, they can be sued by the employee. If the judge says they must pay, and they refuse to pay, they will eventually be arrested. If they refuse to be arrested, they will be beaten, and if they resist the beating, they will be killed.

The reality is made obscure by the ritual of governmental process, but when you mandate something by legislation, that law carries the inherent threat of violence, even death. You will either comply at some point along the chain, or you will die. So there are simple questions here, but they're different from the one you posed: Are these the family values you had in mind when you set out to help families via your proposal? Is this the exemplary behavior that kids are supposed to base their morality upon? What kind of world are we creating for our children by our own opinions and actions?

 

[Stormy Daniels]

Simple solution: Equal paid parental leave for all people, regardless of gender or marital status.

I think you meant equal parental leave for all parents. Non-parents don't get to play.

This is the kind of stupidity that is making it impossible to accomplish anything in our country nowadays. Parental leave is self fucking explanatory. It's leave to devote your time caring for a newborn child. You think you're clever, trying to split hairs to ignore the obvious. But you're actually a fucking idiot because it ends up with absurd consequences.

Here's one for you. What do you call a woman who has no children and is currently pregnant? If you said "parent" you were incorrect! Idiot!

Big fucking swing and a miss, dumbass! Next time you want to try splicing technicalities make sure it makes some god damn sense so you don't look so fucking stupid!

 

[Stormy Daniels]

Simple solution: Equal paid parental leave for all people, regardless of gender or marital status.

Voluntarily, or coerced by threat of governmental violence?

I prefer the approach of pressure point massaging it by three armed Martians. It's much more realistic than whatever fantasy you're trying to allege.

 

[dblack]

This is the kind of stupidity that is making it impossible to accomplish anything in our country nowadays. Parental leave is self fucking explanatory.

Pun intended?

It's leave to devote your time caring for a newborn child. You think you're clever, trying to split hairs to ignore the obvious. But you're actually a fucking idiot because it ends up with absurd consequences.

Here's one for you. What do you call a woman who has no children and is currently pregnant? If you said "parent" you were incorrect! Idiot!

Big fucking swing and a miss, dumbass! Next time you want to try splicing technicalities make sure it makes some god damn sense so you don't look so fucking stupid!

I'm not trying to "trick" you, honest. It's not a rhetorical ploy. You're citing equal rights, but the policy you're promoting is anything but. They are decidedly, and purposefully, un-equal. They are rewarding people who have children with a special benefits. People who aren't able to have children, or simply don't want them, aren't so rewarded.

 

[dblack]

Simple solution: Equal paid parental leave for all people, regardless of gender or marital status.

Voluntarily, or coerced by threat of governmental violence?

I prefer the approach of pressure point massaging it by three armed Martians. It's much more realistic than whatever fantasy you're trying to allege.

?? Do you not understand the question? He's asking if you think it should be mandated by law, or is simply a goal that we should aim for voluntarily, as a free society, collaborating on creating our future?

 

[Brian Blackwell]

What a warped idea...no paid sick days. A worker who gets sick on the job from being on the job loses pay. Only a God awful employer thinks this way. Anti American I would call them.

I totally get it, I want people to help people. But if you really think about it, you're saying that people should pay money and get nothing in return. So is it OK if you go to the store intending to buy a wrench, and they're out of wrenches, but say, "You should pay for a wrench, even though we're not going to give you one. You should support small businesses... if you don't, you're Anti-American!"

I understand it's complicated, but it seems odd to say people are obliged to pay for nothing. Employers pay money in return for labor, and employees provide labor in return for pay. Would you be willing to go to work for 2 weeks without getting paid? If not, why would you expect them to pay for an employee to not work for 2 weeks each year? Where's the equality in that?

 

[Brian Blackwell]

I would be fine with my tax dollars helping with paid maternity leave.

That's great; I would also be willing to contribute to a fund for such purposes. Unfortunately it doesn't matter whether you're fine with it or not, since most people support an immense construct of violence that steals your money whether you like it or not, then spends it as they see fit. Maybe someday people will stop supporting this notion, and we'll have the opportunity to show our true quality by helping people of our own free will.