The issue of maternity leave and vacation is that there are no statutory guarantees - if you have a good job, great you do well. But others are not so fortunate and dont get a break. Should they just be taken advantage of?
Military superiority comes at a huge price and has to be paid for. If you feel it's worth paying so much to have such a gap then I'm happy for you. It may not bring the feeling of security and protection promised though 'cause that isn't where todays threats come from.
Good reputation and intelligence is more value than an aircraft carrier or two ... or twenty.
Simon, we are guaranteed all the medical (maternity) leave, vacation, income, etc that WE EARN. I have no university degree. I had a "good job". I retired early. I got bored (and my 401K crashed) and I got another "good job". Yes there is still a serious "recession" here in the US right now, as there is in most of the "western" world. There are citizens still in trouble. It could have taken a turn for much worse (I believe) and thankfully that was thwarted, at least temporarily. A good 10% are in very difficult situations. 90% have good jobs. Or better. Where's the chart that says which nation has the most millionaires/billionaires per capita? BTW-- most millionaires make it the old fashioned way -- HARD WORK.
Our scummy politicians need to return to having America's interests first vs. their re-election, the welfare of their own party, and the lobbyi$t$. In many ways it resulted from GIVING people "opportunities" that they did not EARN. ANYONE could get a home loan (the bankers made billions) even if they clearly were unable to pay for it in the long run. When you give people FREE housing (HUD) they generally destroy it in just a few years. If you GIVE them anything, they take it for granted because they have none of their own "sweat" in it.
Militarily, yes, the US spends way too much on armaments. That again is the result of the politicians and the lobbyists. We are at serious risk of the selfish politicians destroying this Nation from within. They have an addiction to opium (OPM) -- Other People's Money. They can't get enough of it. They can't spend enough of it (to buy votes). Still, the only reason that all of Europe does not have German as their principle language is the result of the US Military and its soldiers (many who lay in graves in Europe still). I agree with Tom Brokow that that "generation" is gone and been replaced by a bunch of pansy-assed softies that couldn't win a real war if we had one. In comparison, Britain took almost 90 days to defeat a bunch of Argentine "soldiers" in the Falklands (1982) and had a destroyer sank to the bottom of the ocean (HMS Sheffield). That led to an attack on the value of any Navy. In defending the US Navy, an admiral commented that the Falklands crisis would have lasted 7 days if the US was involved -- because it would have taken 6 days to get a carrier group through the Panama Canal. IF we were ever have another major (world?) war, I still suspect that your ass would be protected more by some young guy from Alabama or Puerto Rico than by your own armaments (whether your own personal handguns butcher knife or your mlitary).
Seems the reputation of America is OK when the "world" relies on our fleet to keep the Suez open for oil tankers. Or the Billion$ of charity that goes to foriegn nations that never seems to be rejected. A German citizen I met on vaction (which we don't get) candidly explained that they "forgave" us for electeing George W the first time, but to re-elect him was unforgivable. So now we've given you Obama for 4 years, and even 4 more (just one of those politicians I referred to) but we still get no respect? I think you will just never be pleased. You don't like American under the direction of a Cowboy. But you don't like it under the direction of a Socialist either (not my term, just using what the right-wing says).
I'm just the average "Joe" in the USA. Not rich. Not very well educated (thank you WT), but I think my kids all have college degrees (that I paid for out-of-pocket because we are not a "minority" nor "poor" nor anything else that got them a damn thing free. IF the politicians don't totally F * * K up the entire system, I think they'll have a better life (materially) than my wife and I had. We'll leave them (hopefully) a comfortable nestegg. They'll have to determine on their own how they live and what they do with the rest of their lives.
Peace.
Doc
