Reply to Who should I vote for for at large council member?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I voted for White and Grosso.  Not sure how they stand on the issues important to you, but they support universal paid family leave and that's very important to me.[/quote]

I love universal.family leave but I also love business staying in our city. Is it being excessive and the most generous in the country and enacted without any study of potential fall out (as per yesterdays WaPo editorial board condemning the process) also important to you? It is possible for these measures to hurt more than help when they are enacted as blunt tools just to make an ideological point.[/quote]

PP, I've read a lot about it. Yes, there are businesses who are against it, and there are businesses who are for it, especially small businesses who would really like to offer this benefit but can't afford to pay employees directly during leave, but can afford to pay into an insurance pool.  I think a more important question is can we afford not to have universal paid leave.  [/quote]

I understand what you're saying, but my question is can be afford to have it to the extent they are proposing? The MOST generous in the nation and DC businesses covering all the folks from MD and VA who work here..is that sustainable to business in dc to-do it to that extent?[/quote]

Some jurisdiction has to take the lead like Mass did on health care. The US is so far behind every developed country on issues of family, maternity, paternity, and other leave.

Agree that Grosso and White are the choices for at-large. 
[/quote]

So DC resources will pay For MD. And VA. Most generous in the nation family leave policy? Huh. And DC businesses will be driven to those jurisdictions. And DC residents who are poor will have less work or not be covered as many are part time employees. It's just not adding up. Family leave is fine but the amount they're proposing and who receives it is absurd. Why don't we also volunteer to cover the full cost of refurbishing metro for MD and VA and welcome all their homeless as well to our promise of year round right to shelter the Mayor recently made? At some point the piggy bank will run out and long time DC residents like me would like to see basic constituent services addressed over taking the lead on national ideological liberal fronts. No to Groso, no to Silverman, no to Cheh, no to White and no to Mendhlson and no to the guy with that ridiculous toothless pay the criminals crime bill.  I'd personally vote for anyone with republican next to their names just to send a message.[/quote]

I'm PP. I don't necessarily agree with paying criminals or "at risk" people to obey the law. I want to see more research on it. If it's done as a small pilot for research purposes I'd support it, because hey, our other ideas haven't been working very well so we may as well get creative. I wouldn't support widespread implementation at this point.

I agree with you that the way MD and VA residents are covered is potentially a problem, but it's a much larger problem. What really needs to happen is DC needs to be able to levy income taxes on people who earn money in the city, in the same way that NYC is able to tax the income of workers who come in from NJ and CT. DC may also at some point want to impose a commuter tax on MD and VA commuters who drive in to the District, to pay for public transit expansion and encourage its use. Unfortunately these sorts of things will not be possible until DC achieves some form of statehood.

But your characterization of 4 months of paid leave as some kind of extreme liberal ideology, give me a break. Canada has 12 months, Sweden has almost 3 years. 4 months is less than the 6 months of breastfeeding that is officially recommended by the American Pediatrics Association. In the developed world, and even in many developing countries, 4 months of parental leave is the bargain basement minimum, not some socialist fantasy.

[/quote]

You make good points. But remember, it would be the most generous policy in our country with our infrastructure. What is the tax rate in Canada and Sweden? I would love to see Americans enjoy more leave, family leave and daycare options. However, I think asking DC residents to fund incremental rather than pushing the envelope change , aligned with the businesses we need to support a tax base, might be sound. Even the WAPO is pointing out the extreme liberal new wave in our Council an the non transparent, rushed way in which they are pushing through ideological bills.[/quote]

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