Why think small? How about everyone gets a company car too? Free cell phones? Maybe free postage?

I'm surprised this has taken as long as it has, frankly. I knew when Clinton signed the unpaid leave bill, it would only be a matter of time before employers would be cutting more checks.

And the outsourcing continues apace, with the ignorant scratching their heads, wondering why.

Another giant step towards the death of capitalism in this country.

If the worker is really sick wouldn't you rather give him/her one or two paid days off than have them come in and get everyone else sick? One worker comes in with communicable flu because he/she doesn't want to lose a day's pay and then half your employees get sick too. Hurts production output. Get real -- we're talking minimum wage here. How much can that cost? Peanuts.

Paid sick days! The horror!

It figures though, these two rightwing shitheads, Ray and RIR, are horrified, given their hatred of workers and love for corporations, the greedier the better.

And as usual, the blithering idiot RIR blows straw all over the place.

Meanwhile...

NEW YORK - As the American economy slowed to a crawl and stockholders watched their money evaporate, CEO pay still chugged to yet more dizzying heights last year, an Associated Press analysis shows.


The AP review of compensation for the heads of companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index finds the median pay package added up to nearly $8.4 million. That's a comfortable gain of about $280,000 from 2006.

The Socialist Worker's Paradise. Lots of mandated benefits and no jobs. Welcome to America, the land of the stupid.

On the contrary, I think it's a wonderful idea. Hopefully Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, California, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts--and a score of other northern states enact this legislation. Every time they get together and vote for themselves giant new benefit packages from their employers, we here in the South pick up thousands of new jobs, and dozens of new factories.

Is there some fund, I can contribute to? Something I can do to help accelerate the process along?

This is the best time to increase employment costs.

Suicide calls jump amid economic woes, hot line says

A local hot line has seen a dramatic spike in suicide calls from people in Palm Beach County who are facing foreclosure and can't pay their bills, according to numbers released today.

Since the start of the year, 256 people in the county told operators at the 211 hot line that they were thinking about suicide. Of those, 44 told operators that their main reason was that they had lost a job, were facing foreclosure, couldn't afford to pay their bills or were homeless.

During the same period in 2007, from Jan. 1 to June 10, the hot line received 137 suicide calls from people in Palm Beach County. Only 15 of those gave economic reasons.

The callers' problems seem markedly different than in the past, said Susan Buza, executive director of 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast. Many callers, she said, have tried to find work for months.

One man said he had gotten hurt at work, then was fired. Another told the operators that he and his children were about to be evicted because he couldn't find anyone to hire him.

"They are not seeing any opportunity to get a job. And they are not seeing that this is going to turn around for them in a week or two," Buza said. "They have been out looking for jobs so they are really desperate and feeling that their backs are up against the wall."

"The Socialist Worker's Paradise. "

Ray is just pissed that this is a step away from his Corporate Sweatshop Paradise.

Wow! That was profound. Shows the mind of a twelve year old.

"That was profound. "

No, it was just...true. Only an ignorant twelve year old would think that sick leave=Socialist Worker's Paradise. Or a corporate whore.

I went to the trouble to explain how arbitrarily increasing the cost of employment destroys jobs. That's what killed unions; they overpriced themselves out of the market. Every employer is limited by what he can collect from his customers. If he has to increase benefits, then he either has to cut wages or lay off. Here we are now in a market where wages can't keep up with the cost of living and you endorse ideas that only make their lives more difficult. Friends like you they don't need.

This is so simple to understand except to a moron like you who knows not or cares not how markets work. I made my point. I'm not going to waste my time here.

"This is the best time to increase employment costs."

It's never a good time to give a bigger slice of the pie to workers as far as corporate shills like Ray is concerned.

I think my company should provide free gym memberships. That would encourage everyone to become healthier, and more productive on the job.

Also, it would help if we all had one of those $2,500 Posture-Pedic beds. Massages would also be good.

It's fun! We can all vote to get free stuff, as long as we can show the voters how it would help us on the job!! Whoo whoo!!

More straw from RIR. Sick leave pay=free gym memberships/massages/expensive beds. Figures. Every time someone suggests raising the minimum wage, this Straw generator says something like, why not raise it to 50 dollars an hour.

Slippery slope bullshit is RIR's specialty. He blows as much straw as he blows corporate dick.

The dumbass voters have been voting for free goodies from the Feds for decades and the Feds are paying them with money they don't have. Not for much longer. Then nitwits like Nulli will be shouting to whoever will listen, "capitalism doesn't work."

I could not have imagined people can be so stupid until I came to this site.

Hahahahahaha. Isn't it time for you to go count your gold and silver?

Every time someone suggests raising the minimum wage, this Straw generator says something like, why not raise it to 50 dollars an hour.
* * * *

May as well have. Thanks to your so-called generosity to the unskilled, it's now the worst job market for unskilled labor since 1948. Better to have a job at $6 an hour, than not have one at $8, methinks.

Still, you know best. It'll be fun to watch as we turn the world over to people like you. You know--kinda like that reality show where 10-year-olds set up their own little town. Or "Lord of the Flies". As long as people can just vote, and force other people to give them free stuff, folks like you get a free ride. For awhile, anyhow. Until one of your betters figures out how to move your job to China or Mexico, or otherwise replace you with someone--or something--that lacks your enormous sense of self-importance and entitlement.

Nice work on the minimum wage. Slippery slopes aren't very fun when you're on one, is it.

Paid days off from work if you're sick? That's not going to do anything for Obama voters...

What kind of right wing asshole opposes one or two paid sick days a year? Unbelievable.

I think the dead should be required to give two weeks notice so that their replacements can be properly trained.

Long live the corporation.

Better yet, think of how profitable corporate america could become if all safety, enviromental and worker protection laws were eliminated. Hell do away with unemployment insurance and payroll taxes too. And minimum wage.

That way the workers can live in squalor while the CEO's make billions more!

I wonder if this kind of legislation would really have any kind of economic effect.

For the most part (I know there are exceptions), businesses that can relocate to another state or country, such as manufacturing, distribution centers, etc. already provide benefits to their employees. The employers that don't provide benefits are generally in the service sector and can't be exported to somewhere else.

Instead of making sick time mandatory, why not pass a law which requires business to report the percent of their employees which have basic benefits (insurance, personal/sick days, etc.)? When my spouse and I shop, we always look for "Made in the USA" so why not give the consumers some power and let them compare products & services based on how well a company treats their employees? In the whole scheme of things, a basic certification system could be done both cheaply and easily. Food is already labeled with nutrition information or if it contains ingredients which many people may be allergic to, so why not take it a step further and require labeling to indicate whether the employees have sick time/insurance?

One thing I do find shocking is how few food service employees have neither sick time or health insurance. It's really disgusting to think that those who make or serve food have a financial incentive to work while sick and not go to a doctor.

If it was up to me citizens would have a certain time limit after they started working full-time to reach the average wages in their state and/or occupation. If they fail to reach these benchmarks they are drafted into the military

Posted by timbci at 2008-06-16 11:33 AM


Do you wear a Mao jacket?

If you make the minimum wage and work in McDonalds for more than a year you should be drafted to fight in a war. The next war will be in the Artic for oil

Doc.

I love mean-spirited liberals like you. YOu justify my actions. I remember in November when I had to cut staff I made sure to get rid of all the left leaning scum. Anyone who did not donate to the RNC received a small bonus

I remember in November when I had to cut staff I made sure to get rid of all the left leaning scum.

Bullshit flag.

Sorry 726 but It is corporate policy for all employees to made management aware of any and all political and charitable contributions. We are tracking you like a cheetah

**** The Socialist Worker's Paradise. Lots of mandated benefits and no jobs. Welcome to America, the land of the stupid.

Posted by Ray ****

.......and you are speaking as an overqualified representative.......

*** Is there some fund, I can contribute to? Something I can do to help accelerate the process along?
Posted by rightisright ***

.....sure comrade.....get your Trotsky Workers Party membership up to date......

......Having a few days sick leave a year is barely human.......

......let alone a threat to capitalism.....get real.......

Sorry 726 but It is corporate policy for all employees to made management aware of any and all political and charitable contributions. We are tracking you like a cheetah

Posted by timbci


All your political contribution information are belong to us!

**** Sorry 726 but It is corporate policy for all employees to made management aware of any and all political and charitable contributions. We are tracking you like a cheetah
Posted by timbci ******

......they used to do that in the old Soviet Union also......

.......you do have like-minded company......

Last time I checkedthere was only one political party in the USSR. Doink

I remember in November when I had to cut staff I made sure to get rid of all the left leaning scum.
Posted by timbci at 2008-06-16 11:55 AM

How many lefties did you purge from the janitorial staff at Monkey Island anyway?

Sorry Doc but I work for an investment bank in the WFC. By the wat, janitors in NY are unionized and probably make more than you do

Sorry 726 but It is corporate policy for all employees to made management aware of any and all political and charitable contributions. We are tracking you like a cheetah

Posted by timbci


Double bullshit flag.

Maybe if you paid more attention to business instead of who gives what to who maybe your business would be successful and you would not have to fire people.

It doesn't matter anyways because your post is bullshit. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it.

Sorry 726 not my policy. It is corporate policy. Just for your information we cut staff to get ride of the dead weight. We don't want no stinking pregnant women, sick people.

I remember when we fired people for callling in sick to go to anit-war rallies. That was fun. Teddy Roosevelt would have been proud

"May as well have. Thanks to your so-called generosity to the unskilled, it's now the worst job market for unskilled labor since 1948."

Only an idiot or a liar would try to connect today's job market to the rise in the minimum wage.

Goatmam(sic)=Shit

And your bullshit keeps growing.

It is clear that your made up fantasy world is just that.... fantasy.

Good luck with your psychosis.

God Bless.

Sorry Doc but I work for an investment bank in the WFC.
Posted by timbci at 2008-06-16 01:42 PM

The Monkey Island gig fell through? Bummer. But I guess working as the sole inhabitant of a basement mailroom isn't all that bad, except that the folks who, literally, work above you get to see daylight and breathe oxygen.

By the wat, janitors in NY are unionized and probably make more than you do

By the way, out of curiosity I checked. Not even close. And, added bonus, I don't even have to live in NYC.

Thirty five percent lie and you want them to be paid? Family leave plan is another scam. Throw in the umpteen Federal paid holidays and its a wonder we produce anything.

DOC. C'mon you know janitors in the city make more than you and who says you have to live in the city to work there.

Furthermore, I have never been to the mailroom but imagine it is big. There are over 10,000 people in this building. I imagine is is all people who will vote for Osama Obama and other illegimate "citizens"

***** Last time I checkedthere was only one political party in the USSR. Doink

Posted by timbci ******

....thats right......and your interest in the workers' private choices was mirrored by that party.......

......get it ?......or are the references too obtuse for your dictatorial sensabilities ?....

You are such a bozo. They are all part of the Communist Party. YOu could not hold political office without being a member of the Communist Party

yes and the liberal position on banning guns and nationizing big industry such as oil production has much in common with 1930's Nazi Party

......the Communist Party was in charge....whatever the cosmetics were......

.......and they were a simple dictatorship underneath a very thin veneer of socialism......

.......and they kept track of people's "correct thinking" through tight control of their workplaces and residences..............same sort of thing that Timbci is advocating.......

......hence the analogy........

......is it National Slow Day.....or what ?.......

"Posted by timbci at 2008-06-16 03:41 PM"

Timbuktooey - You ever heard of Godwin's Law?
No?
Put the mail cart back in the storeroom and look it up.
It's on The Google.

Doc

It sounds like you know a lot about working in the mailroom. Don't worry I am sure your kids aren't teased for having a father who works in the mailroom.

Only an idiot or a liar would try to connect today's job market to the rise in the minimum wage.

Posted by danni
* * * *

Nah. I'm sure it's a coincidence that in an age of 5.5% unemployment, the only ones who can't find work are teenagers, for whom payroll expense just went up 24%, courtesy of a beneficient Congress.

Worst since 1948. Fact is, economists always knew that hikes in the minimum wage lead to unemployment among the unskilled--it was just a matter of finding a level that was politically impalatable.

I guess we've found it.

""By the wat(sic)"

Anckor Wat?

www.farhorizon.com

Posted by Zatoichi


That's funny. The spelling police misspells Angkor Wat.

The biggest abusers will be fed, state, and local gov employees. Why work when you can call in sick? not to worry, there's a free lunch for all of em! WE will pay in TAXES

"I suppose you'll want the entire day off for Christmas." E. Scrooge

I'll say it again.

What kind of right wing asshole opposes one or two paid sick days a year? Unbelievable.

"What kind of right wing asshole opposes one or two paid sick days a year?"

Ray and RiR, for starters. But their mouths are so full of corporate dick they can't think straight.

No, but you are, - as you prove every day with your "fuck the poor" attitude reflected in almost each and every post.

OK.

I just think it's great, that we can all just vote to get free stuff. I love liberalism.

Amazing how a couple of posts ago, you thought anyone who opposed such a thing must be a dick. Then it went to seven days, not "one or two"--no problem. Then it's a leading Dem governor--one mentioned as a possible Veep--who also opposes the bill. No problem again. It's always just us rightwingers whom you have a problem with.

I hope the measure passes. Every time the unions in Ohio get their petitions together, and their cute little ballot initiatives passed, it's just another inducement for every private firm in the state to find the first southbound road, and start moving jobs.

And we love jobs. So we're agreed. You want the ballot to pass, and so do I.

Mandating paid sick days is either going to cost people jobs or benefits. The moneys gonna come from somewhere.

Nulli, do you truly believe corporations are gonna take a hit to there bottom line in order to provide this "paid leave"?

My guess is the work force will just take a hit in another area that isn't mandated.

Of all the areas in this "free market" that could use some sprucing up, this one seems rather out of left field.

Where does it stop? Rightwingers will defend anything. Drive down working standards to sweatshop levels? No problem!

Reductio ad absurdum

RiR,

"Reductio ad absurdum"

I can only impress upon you thats all Nulli has...there ain't much more....

Nulli, simply debating the merits of the proposal.

Do you truly believe people have a right to a "paid sick day"?

I understand if you catch a cold, it truly sucks, and I've had jobs where there was no paid sick leave.If I needed the day off, I would take the hit on my paycheck and move on.

Now that I have paid sick leave I consider it a bonus, but in no way a necessity. Like I said, this one seems rather out of left field...

"Reductio ad absurdum"

Not at all. That's what you fuckers want. Rightwing assholes have been waging class warfare for years.

"Do you truly believe people have a right to a "paid sick day"?

People have whatever rights that society chooses to enshrine.

"I can only impress upon you thats all Nulli has...there ain't much more....

Posted by AndreaMackris"

So says falafel girl. lol.

"And the outsourcing continues apace, with the ignorant scratching their heads, wondering why."

Many companies give their overseas workers more paid days off than they do their Americans.

GustoGus has got it correctly, it's a benefit, shouldn't be a necessity/requirement. We all start out in life with the 'crappy job' and then decide as we mature if we want to improve our skills, find a better job, and work harder than the next guy or, conversely, cry "poor me", blame someone else for your faults/life choices and look for the handout.

Paid sick days, whether accrued or granted as a lump at the beginning of the year, have been working so well in many of the corporations that the corporations have been replacing sick leave with PTO (Paid Time Off).

Seems that too many dishonest people use sick time as personal vacation time, then also take their vacation time. Thus the reason for the creation of PTO. The employee accrues X number of days a year to be used for whatever: sick, vacation, personal business, etc. Keeps employees a bit more honest.

i am self employeed, maybe the government will give me sick leave and a paid vacation would be nice oh and of course free health care. thank you comrad

I have been in the hospital for three year and two months. When can I file for sick leave.(Will it equal normal pay[$1000.00 a week?])

I'd vote to give Bush and Cheney two hundred paid sick days each. That oughta just about do it.

And folks should not wonder why jobs are leaving the US with this kind of anti-business crap goin to a ballot!

Null --the eternal socialist--whatever the collective wants--eh?

Or is that Marxism?

Murphy, as I've told you before, you wouldn't know a Marxist if Karl Marx himself twisted your titties.

RightisRight has a point. Illinois and Wisconsin have been losing jobs to states like Texas for as long as I can remember. It isn't a coincidence that the former states are far more liberally "enlightened" than the latter when it comes to regulating corporate activity. It's a shame most citizens within those states don't see the measures for what they are - a way for politicians to pat themselves on the back, and a convenient way for a governor pretend he cares about workers when someone asks where his job went.

On another note, why should anyone be paid when they don't come in to work?

this bill is Totally and completely ignorant of business and economies. I wish more congressmen had the experience somewhere in their backgrounds of having been responsible for making a payroll. It would stop a lot of nonsense.

At my company, we provide sick days, along with a pretty nice vacation package given that we're a small business.. but, that's because we're fortunate enough to be able to provide it.. and its a business.. not a government decision. no job is actually an entitlement, regardless of what the neo socialists among us are preaching..

We just had our annual HR meeting and this thread really rang some bells.

Apparently, a new law was passed a few months ago that requires employers to grant unpaid leave from work for families that have a member being deployed for the military.

From what I remember, a family member can take off up to 12 weeks from work for any reason if a family member is being deployed. A family member can also take up to 26 weeks to take care of a relative who was wounded in combat.

I think it's terrible that companies would actually ever fire or punish somebody for taking time off to care for a wounded spouse, child, or parent. I don't recall any news about this but I'm sure there are some DR members who consider this type of law as Communist.

If my left leg were shorter would that make me a left leaning scum?

If my left leg were shorter would that make me a left leaning scum?
Posted by shirtsbyeric at 2008-06-17 03:59 PM

When you're in a pond, are you pond scum, too?
~Shoesbygucci

right is so corrupt and evil he wants to go back to the time of slave ownership. Truly a despicable man.