Tag: paid leave

Categories
national politics & policies too much government

Wand Wavers Aren’t Us

Why do some Washington wizards refuse to wave their magic wands? Why, they could make our world … wonderful!

On CNN’s State of the Union program over the weekend, guest host Dana Bash spoke with Sen. Joni Ernst (R‑Iowa) about her legislation to “give parents paid leave to be with their child in exchange for delaying retirement up to six months.”

“So, the question is,” Bash queried the senator, “if paid leave is so important, why would it require somebody to … lengthen their time working, to give up six months of retirement, in order to pay to have a child and work?”

In other words, why should employees not be awarded paid leave from their jobs whenever they want it? Without having to make any trade-​off with their employer. Is Sen. Ernst some kind of cheapskate?

“[T]he plan that I have put forward … is a voluntary program,” she noted. “It is not a mandatory program.” 

Not mandatory? She must be relatively new to Washington.

“And that way, a parent can decide what is right for them,” explained Ernst. 

Time off taken now would be traded for equal time working later; it would not be simply forced upon employers to provide a freebie for employees. 

“But what we don’t want to do is impose an additional tax,” the rookie senator continued. “And I have heard from small business owners all across Iowa that say, if there was an additional tax, I wouldn’t be able to have as many workers or so forth.”

Voluntary federal programs … next thing we know freedom may break out.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Photo credit: New America

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Categories
Accountability

Downtime on Our Dime

What happens if you misbehave at work? Are you given a paid vacation?

No? Oh, you poor thing. You don’t work for the federal government.

The General Accounting Office — the extremely busy outfit tasked to investigate all the myriad rip-​offs perpetrated against taxpayers  — has issued a new report. Seems federal workers accused of and often punished for bad behavior at work — from charging personal items on government credit cards to downloading porn — are regularly kept on paid leave for months and even years, while charges against them are investigated.

We’re talking somewhere upwards of 57,000 employees, costing $775 million over a three-​year period for not showing up, for not working.

That’s only counting straight salary. These non-​working workers also accrue sick leave and vacation time, as well as pad their pensions and move up the pay ladder.

Government rules already say that paid leave is only for “rare circumstances.”

The new meaning of “rare” appears to be “common.”

As The Washington Post explains, “Federal employees are generally entitled to more due process than their counterparts at private companies, which explains why the leave is paid.”

But it doesn’t explain why federal workers should be so “entitled.” We’re all equal, but some are more equal than others?

Sen. Charles Grassley (R‑Iowa) is working with Sen. Jon Tester (D‑Mont.) on a bill to narrowly define the rules on paid leave, limiting it to no more than a few days.

Don’t hold your breath, though. In our nation’s capital, reform has been on unpaid leave for quite some time.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.