Paid Leave is a Right, Not a Privilege – Really?

Chalk this up as another move towards destroying small businesses and any concept of what constitutes a “right.” Read for yourself a bit of this sentimental garbage put out by Valerie Jarrett, President Obama’s Senior Advisor.

How many working parents know that sinking feeling from sending their child off to school with a fever? How many Americans have to show up to work when battling an illness even when they know they won’t be at their best…And how many moms and dads have been denied the ability to bond with their newborn, or to care for an aging parent, all because they could not afford to miss work? These are real, significant moments in life that nearly everyone faces at some point. The last thing we should do is add guilt, fear, and financial hardship on working parents…

…Because we can’t say we stand for family values when so many women in this country have to jeopardize their financial security just to take a few weeks off of work after giving birth.

We can’t say we’re for middle-class stability when a man has to sacrifice his economic security to care for his ailing mother.

If you’re an employer, ask yourself what you’re doing for your workers on paid sick days and paid leave…Tomorrow, President Obama will announce several initiatives that will spur action and move us toward our goal of fully supporting and empowering working parents in both their roles as workers and parents…

For those of you who dream of starting a business, does this make you more likely to give it a go? Does this make it more likely that businesses will move overseas? If this becomes policy for the private sector, doesn’t this make it even more difficult to start your own small business? You say, “the last thing we should do is add guilt, fear and financial hardship on parents.” What about on businesses?