I'm just saying that if you work at McDonald's, you probably can't afford to have a child.
Yes, there will be accidents, people who fall on hard times, etc., and I actually have no problem with social programs aimed at helping those people out.
But that's not what the OP wants. He wants McDonald's to bear the burden of providing paternity leave for those people.
After all, they make a nice profit from those people.
Maybe it's better to value people well enough for them to be people, and part of that is forming a family.
Or, maybe McDees isn't on the hook. Fair enough. Then let's make sure those programs actually work and that people can make use of them without all the angst surrounding the use of said programs.
One or the other. I don't care much. But I do care a great deal about the idea of some people being denied the standing and basic dignity of being ordinary people when they are working and adding value to the society they live in.
Children should suffer as little as possible for their parents' mistakes.
I don't always see such intelligence and compassion on HN. Thanks for your comment.
318M people in the US, 188M above the age of 30. Around 38% of adults (30+) are working for minimum wage and any prospect of having a family would put them below the federal poverty line.
Do we really believe in an environment where 38% of adults shouldn't be afforded the ability to spend time with their child, something every other major-industrialized nation guarantees as a human right?
McDonalds should bear the burden -- I think the $5B in profits last year should allow for a little human decency.
http://www.budget.senate.gov/democratic/public/index.cfm/201...
How we value people has a very serious impact on our economics. We wonder about tepid demand? This is one cause of that tepid demand. When people are valued low enough for them to require help to exist and do basic things, they really can't participate in the same economy that desires strong growth year over year.