EU Chief: Vacationing is a human right, will be subsidized for the less wealthy

[theeedude]

I think the general welfare would be enhanced by more mandated vacation time.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I think the general welfare would be enhanced by more mandated vacation time.

Good point. My general welfare would be enhanced with the following:

1. Free beer
2. Free video games
3. No more pesky irritants like mortgages or utility bills
4. I need food to survive, so it should be free
5. Naps at work.
6. 40 hours of work a week is too tiring -- it would be better if we could cut that down -- maybe 20?

Go ahead and include those in your letter to your rep as well.

 

[yllus]

Why is it the government's job to mandate vacation time? It sets a bad precedent. What next -- studies show that mid-day naps are good for you, so the government will mandate that companies have you allow you to take a nap?

The precedent already exists, so what's being set?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The precedent already exists, so what's being set?

What precedent? AFAIK, the US government does not mandate X number of paid vacation days for all employed individuals in the US.

 

[Corn]

On the flipside, what are the negatives to mandating 4 weeks of vacation a year instead of 2?

There'd be a loss of productivity in comparison to other nations, but could it be offset by a surge in general health and well-being of the populace? Better diets, lower blood pressure, more time to get involved in the community? Stronger familial bonds and more knowledge of what's going on in your kids' lives?

The government already mandates X for the populace, so I don't really see an issue in investigating if X is the optimal value.

I don't know about you, but my diet is much worse when I'm on vacation than when I'm at home. Just sayin'.......and I'm not sure about you in Canuksville, but here in Redneckistan, there's no mandate for vacation time issued by our federal government.

 

[CycloWizard]

Deadbeats don't care about only having 2 weeks vacation. It's the productive members of society that need more vacation time. I have a great salary and benefits, just vacation time to spend the salary is lacking. I could be out there creating tourism jobs right now.

Then take unpaid leave. The problem is that you want to be paid the same for producing less. Are you on vacation right now, or are you being productive by posting on AT?

 

[Moonbeam]

you know what, shut the fuck up. This has nothing to do with self-hate (btw, I love myself), it has to do with stupidity of the progressives in Europe.

Of course, because you know nothing important that is real, in other words because you're devoid of self understanding, you can think anything you like. It's easy when the truth of your inner reality is totally opaque. Your whole intolerant rejection of European Progressives, as if there were such a thing, and not a swine created category to shit on, is the evidence of your self hate, but evidence for folk who aren't blinded by their bigotry.

You call them stupid because you think it hurts and you want them to hurt because you do. You are filled with pain because you feel worthless. You feel pain when your meager belonging your ego grew to such huge proportions to earn are taxed and given to others your smallness needed to make even smaller than you.

I would gladly shut up because you feel worthless and that feeling has made it true, so you can't tell me anything. You don't have the rank.

Every day of my life is one big giant vacation so I'm not impoverished in the slightest to share the truth. And I don't really have to worry anyway because the truth is something you can't carry away. You don't have the nut sacks to hold it.

 

[Corn]

I think the general welfare would be enhanced by more mandated vacation time.

I'm self-employed, who should pay for my mandated 1 month of vacation time? Will you mind if your taxes are increased by your fair share to cover 1 month of my average income? It is quite a lot, so be careful what you wish for.

 

[yllus]

What precedent? AFAIK, the US government does not mandate X number of paid vacation days for all employed individuals in the US.

True enough, you guys have a different setup - I assumed you had mandated minimums like we do up here (here's the laws for my province).

I don't know about you, but my diet is much worse when I'm no vacation than when I'm at home. Just sayin'.......and I'm not sure about you in Canuksville, but here in Redneckistan, there's no mandate for vacation time issued by our federal government.

Funny thing is I was thinking along the same lines - maybe having more vacation time would be a very bad thing. We could all find out that we absolutely can't stand our kids, wives, family... 😀

 

[nonlnear]

There's a surprising lack of posts about what a shameless bit of self-subsidizing this Italian mobster is doing. Forget the whole ridiculous expansion of human rights thing. That's a red herring, as nobody in this discussion (with any influence that is) truly believes that BS. This is just a way to subsidize Mediterranean tourism.

As much as I like a libertarian read on things, it makes it too easy to take "rights" language too seriously. You have to read these things bearing in mind that most politicians are some combination of lawyer and gangster - especially Italians, where the combination adds up to more than 100%. To them the term "right" has no meaning other than as a justification for a subsidy or other political gain. It is more an act of parody than a statement of any belief about humanity. After all, most politicians (and Italians especially) don't have any beliefs about human rights. It's just a big joke to them!

Cliffs: I loled.

 

[theeedude]

Then take unpaid leave. The problem is that you want to be paid the same for producing less. Are you on vacation right now, or are you being productive by posting on AT?

Manager is happy with my productivity, got a bonus on last review too 🙂
I don't mind a pay cut for more vacation. Problem is not the money, it's the time, Silicon Valley managers don't want to let people go for a month and put things on hold, even in the summer, because they know the competition is not doing it. Moving up in organization doesn't really help, you get more vacation time on paper, but probably less time to actually use it.

 

[Corn]

It's how I crushed it for recycling.

OK, you made me lol there.

 

[Moonbeam]

OK, you made me lol there.

It's because I can't hate you when you put me down if I want to make any sense. We are all the same, and I am every bit as worthless as the next guy or every bit as worthwhile, however you like to see it. There is truth and there is the messanger. I say what I see and know the price I will pay.

 

[CycloWizard]

Manager is happy with my productivity, got a bonus on last review too 🙂
I don't mind a pay cut for more vacation. Problem is not the money, it's the time, Silicon Valley managers don't want to let people go for a month and put things on hold, even in the summer, because they know the competition is not doing it. Moving up in organization doesn't really help, you get more vacation time on paper, but probably less time to actually use it.

Ah, now I see: you want all of the perks of working in a highly competitive, productivity-based field, but not the associated drawbacks.

 

[theeedude]

Ah, now I see: you want all of the perks of working in a highly competitive, productivity-based field, but not the associated drawbacks.

Of course I want the perks and not the drawbacks. Duh. Who WANTS the drawbacks?

 

[cubeless]

Ah, now I see: you want all of the perks of working in a highly competitive, productivity-based field, but not the associated drawbacks.

that's why the gov't needs to mandate it... you need to make it fair and balance the playing field... that's what gov't is for...

 

[CycloWizard]

Of course I want the perks and not the drawbacks. Duh. Who WANTS the drawbacks?

No one wants the drawbacks. However, some people might be willing to sacrifice a bit of vacation to have your job. You don't want to compete with them. You want to have your cake and eat it too. You fail to realize that the reason all companies don't give a month of vacation, as well as great salary and benefit packages, is because they can't make any money doing that. They have to make money. If they give all of their employees a month of paid vacation, they're going to have a very hard time doing that without laying off a lot of people or jacking up prices. Thus, you'll either get canned or take a fairly large effective cut in purchasing potential.

 

[CycloWizard]

that's why the gov't needs to mandate it... you need to make it fair and balance the playing field... that's what gov't is for...

The playing field is fair and balanced now. By not mandating any vacation, the government allows employers and employees to choose an arrangement which both think is fair. You want to tilt the playing field in your favor by sticking the shim of government under one side.

 

[cubeless]

The playing field is fair and balanced now. By not mandating any vacation, the government allows employers and employees to choose an arrangement which both think is fair. You want to tilt the playing field in your favor by sticking the shim of government under one side.

but it's not fair that the evil capitalists won't subsidize all workers to have a month off each year... the gov't needs to regulate this to improve the lot of all workers and punish the evil capitalists for not being enlightened and doing this themselves...

 

[CycloWizard]

but it's not fair that the evil capitalists won't subsidize all workers to have a month off each year... the gov't needs to regulate this to improve the lot of all workers and punish the evil capitalists for not being enlightened and doing this themselves...

Then we can have an evil capitalist bailout in a few years when all of the companies go under...

 

[bfdd]

Been where I'm working for a year now, I have 13 vacation days and 2 personal days saved. 15 days of no work? nice, if I schedule it right I could get damn near a month off. More vacation would be nice, but I hardly know what to do with the days I have already saved up.

 

[theeedude]

No one wants the drawbacks. However, some people might be willing to sacrifice a bit of vacation to have your job. You don't want to compete with them. You want to have your cake and eat it too. You fail to realize that the reason all companies don't give a month of vacation, as well as great salary and benefit packages, is because they can't make any money doing that. They have to make money. If they give all of their employees a month of paid vacation, they're going to have a very hard time doing that without laying off a lot of people or jacking up prices. Thus, you'll either get canned or take a fairly large effective cut in purchasing potential.

I don't think so. Companies already give longer vacations to workers in countries whose laws mandate it, and they still hire there. As long as it's across the board, it doesn't put one company or the other at a disadvantage. They would probably hire more people to make up for less man hours available per person per year. Also, my overall purchasing potential could go down, but actual purchasing and quality of life could go up. I am interested in my overall quality of life, not a number in my bank account. Right now, I simply don't have time to spend my purchasing potential, and I know a lot of people like me. Maybe I would like to spend a few grand to go on vacation, or buy a nice bike or rent an RV and go on a long trip, but since I don't have time, I won't. That's someone in tourism or recreation industry right now who could have had a paycheck that is unemployed getting public support instead.

 

[bfdd]

Oh I forgot, I get damn near every single fucking holiday off too at this job. I get so many awkward days off during the year for the weirdest holidays I'm like "seriously? sweet!"

 

[JS80]

I dunno about paying people to go on vacation, but we do need more vacation time in the US. 2 weeks is not enough.

lol you fucking loser. Us valuable workers get way more than that. I get 25 days.

 

[bfdd]

lol you fucking loser. Us valuable workers get way more than that. I get 25 days.

I don't get 25 PAID days, I have 15, but I can take days off without pay, quite a bit I think(2 weeks). Also can work from home one day a week, which btw adds up like a motherfucker. I save like 400 dollars a year in gas working from home one day a week(my truck gets terrible mileage).