Men and Women equal? No, never.

[The Grand Nudger]

Meh. I never really like the "You don't like it, move out" argument. It's lame, at best.

"You don't like my product, go across the street to the other guys store" Government sanction and protection of commerce is a two way street, and essentially they're (the gov) offering a service themselves. It's not as though we aren't extremely permissive either. Despite operating a business in Kentucky I was incorporated in Nevada. Cheaper.

Anyway, I'm more for a stay at home parent situation than a make someone else pay for you to have kids mentality. Paid maternity leave should only be for the time you are actually physically incapable of working, unless you have a great employer that voluntarily offers you the time with pay.

That's exactly what FMLA is. It isn't a vacation rebate program. If, by the by, an employer offers you the time off with pay that has to be reported to FMLA admins...because they can drastically reduce or outright terminate any payment to you in that event.

Guaranteed to get the job back after a period? Sure.

Someone paying for you to have a kid? Fuck no. Sorry, but that is absurd. It's not a disability. It is a life choice.

No complications, no condition, no FMLA. make too much money? No FMLA monetary assistance. Not being able to stand or sit upright, excessive bleeding.....that's a temp dis - or a medical condition...covered under FMLA. If, for example, my leg was severely wounded because I made the "life decision" to be a lumberjack- I'd also get FMLA protection and/or assistance while I was laid up. As soon as I wasn't, I wouldn't. FMLA also extends to the care of a loved one, say your kid is diagnosed with a horrible illness, months to live. You get to take that time off to care for them without worrying that you'll become further destitute (you're already broke from seeing specialists, naturally) for doing so.

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I mean, as far as anything that might be called a scheme to get someone else to pay for ones lifes decisions - for whatever reason- FMLA has to be the least onerous possible example. That's all I'm trying to express Shell.

Lemme give you a real world example. My wife went out for 6 weeks on FMLA, C-section. She also got short term disability, $600 dollars worth of it for 6 weeks. Talk about living high on the government dole, subsidizing our child birthing habits and life decisions, amiright? Last time she also went out on FMLA, 4 weeks, no short term disability payments.