Policy leaders are pressing the government to ensure workers have paid time off. Whether government has any businesses dictating what benefits must be included in the employment packages of Americans is rarely considered. The libertarian perspective is all but entirely absent in the discussion. That needs to change.
Our federal government has limited responsibilities, and micromanaging leave practices isn't one of them. Even the best-intentioned policies have unintended consequences that backfire on those they are supposed to help. We need to call out policymakers who use the excuse of a safety net to justify any new rules and regulations that needlessly restrict options for all Americans.
That's the predictable tactic employed by the Left, which is pushing extensive paid leave programs with increasing success. San Francisco's city council created a city-wide paid leave mandate on top of California's state paid leave program. Washington, DC just created an even more generous program.
Liberal women's groups and progressive activists regularly promote social media memes charging the United States is alone in the world in failing to guarantee paid time off for workers. They imply this deficiency is latent sexism or a lack of compassion for workers, women, and children.
But some on the Right are also embracing this logic. The American Enterprise Instituteconsidered a free-market organizationjust released a joint report with the more liberal Brookings Institution, entitled "Paid Family and Medical Leave: An Issue Whose Time Has Come." The authors noted they'd disagreed about the particulars of the best policy solution, but "unanimously agreed that some form of paid parental leave should be offered to help workers at the time of birth, adoption, or fostering of a child."
They outline a "compromise plan" to provide eligible workers with 70 percent of their wages for eight weeks of gender-neutral paid parental leave. This new federal entitlement program would be funded by a dedicated payroll tax and cuts to other spending.
AEI's report came just after the release of the President's budget outline, which included funding to expand the state-based Unemployment Insurance system with the goal of providing workers with a similar benefit.
There is pushback against sweeping new government entitlements. The Independent Women's Forum (where I work) argues that policymakers should instead seek policy reforms that help workers while minimizing economic disruption. Allowing workers to save tax-free for when they need time off for work is one such idea.
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) could also serve as a model to provide a financial boost to lower-income workers who lack paid leave benefits. The IWF argues that any government intervention ought to be need-based, rather than a mandated entitlement program that would effectively do to our compensation system what ObamaCare did to health insurance.
The public likes the idea of government doing something to make sure new parents have a benefit that lets them spend more time at home with their children. But often overlooked is that the money has to come from somewhere. Businesses forced to pay more for benefits have less for increased wages.
Mandates that make employees more expensive offer less incentive for businesses to hire more and more highly skilled employees (that's bad news for lower-wage workers). Employers may avoid hiring those most likely to use benefits, particularly women. A government one-size-fits-all paid leave program would also discourage voluntary alternative work arrangements like job-sharing and telecommuting that benefit employers and employees.
Allowing the government to dictate what must be in our employment contracts is another chip off the block of basic liberty and self-determination. It becomes illegal for an employer to offer a job that doesn't fit the government rule. As an employee, you can't choose to take a greater share of your compensation as take-home pay; you can't decide to save on your own for time away from work in the future; government has decided how this must be handled.
There is also the matter of fairness. A paid leave mandate creates winners and losers. People with families and children will receive the benefits, while those who cannot or choose not to have children will pay for benefits they are far less likely to use.
That doesn't mean that companies shouldn't offer leave benefits. Rather we should allow employers to create a variety of work relationships that appeal to their employees' unique needs. Some workers will gravitate to businesses offering more robust benefits. Others may prefer companies that compensate with higher pay. Enabling people to act on their preferences is what the marketplace is all about.
The United States is a Constitutional Republic with a federal government that is supposed to have limited powers used for very specific purposes. Micromanaging employment contracts or taxing some citizens to give money to others shouldn't be among those powers.
The rest is here:
Libertarians' Lost Voice in the Paid Leave Debate - Reason.com - Reason
- Opinion | 100 Days of Javier Milei - The New York Times - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. flirts with the Libertarian nomination - POLITICO - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- RFK Jr. in talks to run on the Libertarian Party ticket to ease ballot challenges - Washington Examiner - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- One Hundred Days of Libertarian Populism in Argentina - The American Conservative - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Bylaws and Rules Committee and Platform Committee Survey (Part One) - Libertarian Party - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- When Will the Libertarian Party Have Its Moment? - Econlib - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- RFK Jr. in talks to run on the Libertarian Party ticket to ease ballot challenges - Colorado Springs Gazette - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- RFK Jr. aligned with the Libertarian Party on capitalism stance - NewsNation Now - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- RFK Jr. fuels talk of switching to the Libertarian Party - Fox News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- RFK JR still flirting with Libertarian Party run? Third parties seek ballot access - The Hill - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- RFK Jr. sparks speculation of switch to Libertarian Party for greater ballot access - Washington Examiner - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Nate Silver: Libertarians Are the Real Liberals - Reason - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Even immigration is no free lunch - Washington Examiner - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Interview with NC Libertarian governor candidate Shannon Bray - Fox Carolina - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Libertarians Call for 'Food Freedom' in Response to Amos Miller Farm Search - Lancaster Farming - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Where Does the Term Libertarian Come From Anyway? | Jeffrey A. Tucker - Foundation for Economic Education - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Here are the 10 Libertarian candidates in the 2024 NC Presidential Primary - Fox Carolina - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- 2024 Presidential Primary Information: Ballots Have Other Races, See Where to Vote - Watertown News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Argentina's libertarian President Milei warns parliament that he will govern 'with or without' political support - Le Monde - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Madison County Introduces First-Ever Libertarian Primary on Super Tuesday - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Musician and libertarian writer who works for 'The Blaze' arrested on Jan. 6 charges - NBC News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- RFK Jr. says he didn't read Alabama IVF ruling, won't say when life begins - The Washington Post - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Argentina touts libertarian social justice to Blinken before Javier Milei visits CPAC - Washington Examiner - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Delicate Dance: Navigating Reproductive Rights and Libertarian Principles - BNN Breaking - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Javier Milei and the Spanish Tradition of Liberty - Quillette - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- The Weekly Wrap: Poilievre proves hes more than a live-and-let-live libertarian - The Hub - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Why have authoritarianism and libertarianism merged? A political psychologist on 'the vulnerability of the modern self' - The Conversation - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Argentina's Javier Milei what are his plans and will they work? - MoneyWeek - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Tucker Carlson Issues Scathing Indictment of 'Libertarian Economics' - Reason - December 20th, 2023 [December 20th, 2023]
- Tucker Carlson: "Libertarian Economics Was A Scam Perpetrated By The Beneficiaries Of The Economic System" - RealClearPolitics - December 20th, 2023 [December 20th, 2023]
- A Legacy of Resistance to Unjust Taxation - Libertarian Party - December 20th, 2023 [December 20th, 2023]
- The Croatian Invasion of the Micronation of Liberland - Reason - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- As RFK Jr. Readies an Announcement Monday, Speculation Is ... - The New York Sun - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- The libertarian think tank that helped build the 'No' case - The Saturday Paper - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Fox Chapel Area voters will choose among two candidates for District 3 school board seat - Yahoo News - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Far-right party may hold keys to next Polish government, sets tone in talks with Ukraine - Yahoo News - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Aella: Is Porn Too Pervasive? - Reason - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Massie: McCarthy Speakership Showdown a 'Referendum' on ... - Reason - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- ESPN's Pablo Torre explains how Harvard classmate Vivek Ramaswamy was 'That Guy' in school - Yahoo News - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- DeFi has not followed through on its privacy promises yet - Blockworks - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- At 50, 'The Machinery of Freedom' Remains an Anarcho-Capitalist ... - Reason - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Building the World's First Private Libertarian City - Reason - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Libertarian candidates say they were not asked for money to run - Buenos Aires Herald - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- David Schmidtz and My Dad on Asking the Right Questions - Econlib - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Indiana governor's race grows more crowded with addition of ... - The Statehouse File - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Revealed: The EU lobbying of the so-called 'Consumer Choice Center' - EUobserver - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Why do voters have to pick a Republican or a Democrat in the US? - kinyradio.com - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Review: Choose Your Own Adventure in 'American Futures' Book - Reason - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Twitter users slam Kamala Harris for airplane bathroom demand amid the ongoing border crisis: 'Really?' - Yahoo News - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Fundraisers revel in gutted N.J. pay-to-play law - POLITICO - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants to spare kids from their phones - Salt Lake Tribune - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Kari Lake in Tucson: "I'm actually eyeing the Senate race" - KGUN 9 Tucson News - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Q&A with Gary Swing | Veteran minor party candidate advocates for ... - coloradopolitics.com - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Jonah Goldberg: A NeverTrumper's Take on the 2024 Election - Reason - July 13th, 2023 [July 13th, 2023]
- Gov. Lombardo one of few republicans to sign abortion protections ... - KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Review: 'Land and Liberty' Charts Henry George's Influence - Reason - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Polish ref cleared of wrongdoing, will take charge of Champions ... - TVP World - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- The Taliban 20's McCarthy Red Line - Puck - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Morris: Property: Imagine it anew - Greenfield Daily Reporter - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Weekend Reading on Women's Representation: Stereotypes Can ... - Ms. Magazine - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Fox Business Shuts Down Kennedy, Will Replace With Kudlow Reruns - Yahoo Entertainment - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- The 11th commandment | News | vcreporter.com - Ventura County Reporter - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- The Long Afterlife of Libertarianism - The New Yorker - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Can McCarthy Pass the Debt Deal and Keep His Job? - The New York Times - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- McCarthy-Biden Debt Limit Deal Clears First Hurdle in Key House ... - The New York Sun - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Libertarian Party of Wisconsin: Libertarians to voters: Let's go ... - WisPolitics.com - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- How the pandemic challenged libertarianism | Canada's National ... - Canada's National Observer - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- Colorado falls to 43rd in national highway ranking - The Durango Herald - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- Are We Stuck In a Plutocratic Formal Organization? An Analysis of ... - Trincoll.edu - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- Why Is Tucker Carlson Leaving Fox News? - Reason - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- Despite SCOTUS Ruling Limiting Its Authority, EPA Tries To ... - Reason - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- Biden's "freedom" pitch and the coming political realignment - The.Ink - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- Informal dollar reaches AR$497, Fernndez and Massa blame ... - Buenos Aires Herald - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- Crack-Up Capitalism by Quinn Slobodian review the economic anarchy of Liz Trusss dreams - The Guardian - April 25th, 2023 [April 25th, 2023]
- 2024 Libertarian Presidential Candidates - Who's Running in 2024? - March 2nd, 2023 [March 2nd, 2023]
- 5 things the Libertarian Party stands for | The Hill - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- Most Libertarian States 2022 - worldpopulationreview.com - December 25th, 2022 [December 25th, 2022]
- Gun Ownership | Libertarian Party - December 25th, 2022 [December 25th, 2022]
- Libertarian Party | History, Beliefs, & Facts | Britannica - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- The Education of a Libertarian | Cato Unbound - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]