Carly Fiorina and Paid Maternity Leave

[George Costanza]

I am enjoying watching the various Republican candidates. There are several of them I want to like - until they say something that turns me completely off.

This morning, Carly Fiorina (who is someone I think I could like) was asked about paid maternity leave. She was asked if she was against it, when she announced opposition to Netflix' program of offering paid maternity leave. She said, basically, "I am not against paid maternity leave. I am against the federal government telling private companies that they MUST provide paid maternity leave."

Wrong answer, as far as I am concerned. Ms. Fiorina's position on this issue is illustrative of why I am not a Republican and why I would not vote for a person who espoused a view such as this. As I see it, many Republican positions are designed to advance the interests of employers at the expense of employees. Leaving the decision to provide or not to provide paid pregnancy leave up to employers is the same thing as letting the fox run the hen house.

In cases such as this, the federal government has to step in an mandate proper action because, otherwise, it is not going to happen. Disagree with this? Consider the 1960's and the South. Civil rights. Minorities were being openly discriminated against and, without federal intervention, it would not have ended.

Sadly, "states rights" has become conservative code for continued discrimination in a number of areas.

 

[Moonglow]

The folks at Hewlett Packard are not too wild about Carly either...

 

[browsing deer]

In cases such as this, the federal government has to step in an mandate proper action because, otherwise, it is not going to happen. Disagree with this? Consider the 1960's and the South. Civil rights. Minorities were being openly discriminated against and, without federal intervention, it would not have ended.

That was government against government. The state governments were mandating discrimination. business doesn't care where money comes from. Black, white, yellow, brown, It is all green. Federal intervention was against stupid state governments. Business liked civil rights acts. Made things cheaper. Made sales greater with more customers.

Sorry for off topic, but this revisionism bugs me

 

[Katzndogz]

California isn't fond of her either. She ran for senator and got a landslide against.

 

[NYcarbineer]

This morning, Carly Fiorina (who is someone I think I could like) was asked about paid maternity leave. She was asked if she was against it, when she announced opposition to Netflix' program of offering paid maternity leave. She said, basically, "I am not against paid maternity leave. I am against the federal government telling private companies that they MUST provide paid maternity leave."

.

Obviously she was being asked about government mandated paid maternity leave, so her answer should have been,

No.

 

[George Costanza]

In cases such as this, the federal government has to step in an mandate proper action because, otherwise, it is not going to happen. Disagree with this? Consider the 1960's and the South. Civil rights. Minorities were being openly discriminated against and, without federal intervention, it would not have ended.

That was government against government. The state governments were mandating discrimination. business doesn't care where money comes from. Black, white, yellow, brown, It is all green. Federal intervention was against stupid state governments. Business liked civil rights acts. Made things cheaper. Made sales greater with more customers.

Sorry for off topic, but this revisionism bugs me

"Business doesn't care where money comes from." Agreed. But an inescapable corollary to that is that business is in business to MAKE money, and providing paid maternity leave is not the way to make it, it's a way to spend it. Do you honestly think that businesses in general are going to voluntarily provide up to one year of paid maternity leave (as Netlix is doing) without being required to do it? Of course not.

And don't think that if they do fail to provide it, they will not be able to hire female workers and their business will diminish because of that - an offshoot of the free market argument. If they cant hire women who demand paid maternity leave, they will simply hire those who do not.

 

[jwoodie]

Why should should women (or men) with newborns get paid time off while others have to take up their slack? Just to make you feel good?

 

[George Costanza]

Why should should women (or men) with newborns get paid time off while others have to take up their slack? Just to make you feel good?

This isn't a thread about paid maternity leave. It's a thread about the hidden agenda behind the conservative's zeal for "state's rights."