freckles make me strong.

I was in the drug store and a guy with a white beard and a corncob pipe asked the clerk where to find pork and beans.

Right now, having a baby is a leading cause of “poverty spells” in this country (times when income dips below what’s needed for basic living expenses like food and rent).  Paid Family Leave helps families bridge the income gap caused by folks being unable to go to work because they have to care for a new baby or a sick parent or spouse.  In fact, nearly half of working people report that an illness or injury in their family caused them to get behind on their bills, including mortgage payments.  We need Paid Family Leave to help families stay out of poverty–especially in this time when so many families are already vulnerable.

See the first comment for David’s Response to the article. 

Dear David,

Paid Maternity Leave is federally mandated in pretty much every county except for the US.  We are one of five countries in the world do not offer some form of paid parental leave including Australia, Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea. When it comes be being socially progressive this is mixed company at best.  Way to take a stand, United States. You look ridiculous. 

The strongest economies in the world all have at least 12 weeks paid maternity leave except of course of the United States.  It is called “the cost of business”.  In fact, having good benefits is a great why to create/maintain loyalty to the employer.  In the long run it is a simple concept; if you are good to your employees they will be good to you. 

When babies arrive it is nearly impossible not to stress about future expenses and it would be difficult to find more than a handful of people who are comfortable writing off a couple of months of income without a moment of hesitation. Reproduction should not be a luxury.  Financial Darwinism should not determine the worthiness of a parent-to-be.  If only rich people were reproducing, it would cause some serious social problems including a shrinking middle class who are often the most financially risk-averse.  Furthermore, if we can learn anything from the current economic situation it is that everyone is vulnerable and everyone is subject to financial disaster and uncertain changes in income. 

Another issue you fail to consider is that having a baby is actually kind of tough.  If you weren’t exhausted form the birth you certainly will be while you adjust to getting up every three hours.  Frankly, I think it is best for new parents to stay home and adjust to the new routine before returning to work only to be half asleep all day.  At best there is a cost to the company when the employee is not fully functioning. At worst, mistakes caused by sleep deprivation can be quite costly to remedy. 

It is time for us to remedy a system that doesn’t work and federal paid maternity leave is the first step.  If Zimbabwe and Togo can figure it out, so can we.

Sincerely,

Sympathetic to the Plight

I volunteer at a local movie theater once a week and I always have great conversations with my coworker.  Mostly we talk about TV, movies, infomercials and snacks.  This week I discovered that we don’t share almost any common cultural references.  She hasn’t seen Remember the Titans or Varsity Blues so I struggled to explain TV’s Friday Night Lights.  She hasn’t heard of Empire Records! 

I am going to have to do some research to fill in the gaps in our common experience.  I am looking for comparable films (e.g. Varsity Blues was our Friday Night Lights).  They don’t have to be perfect, just close.  Suggestions?

SEATTLE - Seattle City Light has been named a Climate Action Leader by the California Climate Action Registry, which verified that the utility’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory meets one of the most rigorous voluntary reporting standards in the country.

“Global climate change affects us all and we need to be a part of the solution,” Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “As a hydro-based utility, Seattle City Light depends on snowpack in the Cascade Mountains to produce electricity for our customers. Rising temperatures in the Winter and Spring threaten that resource, so it is critical for us to do what we can to reduce our impact and encourage others to join us in this effort.”

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels challenged Seattle’s leaders to find ways to reduce climate-altering activities with an initiative called Seattle Climate Action Now. In support of the Climate Action Now goal, City Light measures, reports, and verifies its greenhouse gas emissions through an independent, third-party, the California Climate Action Registry. The California registry is recognized as a standard setter for tracking and reporting greenhouse gas emissions.

“We are thrilled that Seattle City Light has earned the status of Climate Action Leader. We believe that Seattle City Light’s example helps set a positive tone and a meaningful standard of energy efficiency in the public utility industry,” said Gary Gero, president of the California Climate Action Registry.

Since 2005, City Light has inventoried its greenhouse gas emissions and fully offset them with projects to reduce emissions in other areas, such as helping provide shore power connections for cruise ships at the Port of Seattle. City Light is the only large electric utility in the nation to achieve zero net carbon emissions and has maintained carbon neutrality for four years..

The California Climate Action Registry is a private, non-profit organization originally formed by the State of California. It serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas registry to protect and promote early actions by organizations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

At a conference I attended a couple of weeks ago, people were talking about how unrealistic green energy is because people want lower emissions at the same price.  The general commentary was that people perceive green energy to be free because the sun and the wind are free and they forget that the technology required capture that energy is quite expensive.  

I volunteered some information on programs in Seattle that allow people to elect to purchase a percentage of their total energy from renewable sources, at a higher rate.  Proving that a utility can successfully pass the added cost on to the customer.  The class got quiet except for one guy from Texas who raised his hand and said, “Yeah, but don’t you think Seattle is an outlier?”  I shrugged, “Maybe”.  Having spent most of my life in Seattle and the Bay Area it seemed normal.  In fact, I considered Seattle to be overly conservative in many ways.  But clearly, from a national perceptive we are trail blazers.  High five, Seattle!

I have no idea who you are, but I received a phone call for you this morning.  Normally, I would have been aggravated because the call came at six in the morning, but it was pretty great news. 

You apparently have applied for a job at a bank (gutsy move!) and your courage has been rewarded.  The Bank of New York or a bank in New York, not sure which, called and the hiring mangers would like to schedule an interview.  High five!  Getting an interview is so impressive these days that I was only medium grumpy about being woken up.  After all, it would have been a reasonable 9 AM if I lived in New York.  Not to worry, I called them back and said it was the wrong number so hopefully you will be hearing from them directly.  Anyways, this is a big day for you.  Congratulations!