Wednesday June 17, 2009, 12:28 am
This is great, thank you Tom. In France mothers may take paid maternity leave for between 16 and 46 weeks depending on their situation, and fathers have "paternity leave" for 11 days after the birth of the baby. I'll try to sign the petition if I can work it out on the website..

Wednesday June 17, 2009, 5:32 am
All done. Thanks Tom.

Thank you for making the pledge "Paid Parental Leave -- Urge Senators to Support This First Step "

Confirmation

Thanks for taking action -- this is a crucial first step toward universal paid leave. Paid parental leave for 2.7 million federal workers can be the model that we can work to achieve for the rest of the country.

Your e-mail message was sent to:
Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC)

Wednesday June 17, 2009, 9:33 pm
Noted, pledged and signed. Thanks Tom.

Wednesday June 17, 2009, 10:12 pm
Signed and sent both Tom :-)))

Thursday June 18, 2009, 7:25 am
signed ot tom

Thursday June 18, 2009, 3:07 pm
Signed Thanks Tom

Thursday June 18, 2009, 10:43 pm
First of all, Federal Workers shouldn't get something all workers aren't offered. NO. I won't support this.

Second, the prospective parents SHOULD have to make the choice, mortgage or children. Why should the employer and the public pay for others to have children? They shouldn't. STOP THE SOCIALISTIC ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR THAT IS INFECTING AMERICA!!! NO. I won't support this.

Friday June 19, 2009, 12:23 pm
Ditto Edward.

Friday June 19, 2009, 12:28 pm
Agreed Edward.

Did you know that:


Nationwide, there are 2.7 million federal civilian workers, compared with 113.8 million private-sector workers. The federal salary budget for civilians was $164 billion in 2005.

The Asbury Park Press analysis used salary information from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the more than 3,000 counties across the U.S.
The analysis showed:
• Federal workers are paid twice to 5.6 times the private-sector average in 352 counties, many in states that border Canada and Mexico.
• The area with the greatest federal-to-private pay disparity was Nassau County, Fla., near Jacksonville International Airport. There, 577 federal employees, many of them employed at an air traffic control center, were paid an average $108,275 in 2005. Some 14,000 private workers, many in the tourism and hospitality industries, were paid an average $29,602.
• Where job titles could be compared, whether for engineers, doctors or food service workers, the federal government pays higher salaries than the private sector in three out of four cases.
• In some cases, the federal government is the major employer in a county, accounting for more than half of the work force.
• Federal-private sector pay disparities are largest in rural areas. There, Border Patrol or defense industry positions clearly outstrip blue-collar jobs on farms or in mines and timber operations.
• Private industry managers do make more than their federal counterparts in most cases. That’s because many federal jobs are capped based on the president’s $400,000 annual salary.
For example, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, who is in charge of all federal law enforcement in the state, earned $145,500 last year. A top job in a law firm pays several times that salary.


Here is the link

http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=2848236

Friday June 19, 2009, 3:19 pm
I'm not a USA citizen, and if I were one, I would not support this. Why should my taxes pay for someone's choice to have children or not? There are nations out there whose children are starving, and neither do they have homes over their heads, not even a shack to call their own. And you want other people to subsidise the bonds of people who want their cake and want to eat it too? No way. In South Africa there is paid maternity leave - and I object to that too. If you want to procreate - do it at your own cost, not mine.

Saturday June 20, 2009, 3:58 am
Noted & took Pledge. Thanks

Saturday June 20, 2009, 5:27 am
Signed before. Thanks Tom.

Saturday June 20, 2009, 8:47 am
Just curious....those of you who signed this, please tell me why would you? I really want to know.

Saturday June 20, 2009, 1:29 pm
signed

Sunday June 21, 2009, 5:15 pm
I did signed because as a mom who had to work and had no one to help me. There were days I went to work and left my child home ill, I really doubt that my employer got his money's worth that day, and I know my child did not get the care she needed, ( although she ok today) as a mother I needed to be home . It made me feel less than human to go off and leave her, but being a single mother in a town with no relatives and day care will not keep a sick child, what are you going to do. Lose your job, and not be able to feed her,also. No you go to work and feel like a failure to your self, It really hurts your self image and makes you not care as much about the job you do, if its good or not, because they don't care about you or your family.

Sunday June 21, 2009, 7:17 pm
No! Are you people insane? There is no reason for another incentive for reproduction with out responsibility. The media, particularly TV, is full of the glorification of and celeb status for those who are totally irresponsibile in their reproduction from Octo-mom, Jon and Kate,to 18 and counting and who pays the costs, the American tax payer! These people are contributing to the cost of health care for all of us, and they are adding to the tax burden of all tax paying Americans. Why should the rest of society pay for people to have children that they can not, on their own, afford to have and raise? Even in America we can not feed all of our children, let alone house, clothe, and provide medical care for them. If you can not afford to have more, stop; if you can not figure out why you continue to have them, ask some one; if you are so stupified by your religion to take any measures to control you reproduction make sure that your religion will cover the costs all of the costs with their tax free funds; but stop expecting a free ride from the rest of us, just because you have no self control. This is selfishness and egomania. We demand more responsibility from pet owners than we do parents.

Monday June 22, 2009, 2:39 am
Of course i signed this, Its a first step in getting the help we as parents need to keep our kids fed..healthy and on the right track in thier health

Monday June 22, 2009, 6:22 am
Do you realize this is only for FEDERAL employees?????

Monday June 22, 2009, 6:24 am
Do you people read these things before you sign them?????

Monday June 22, 2009, 2:07 pm
noted & signer #59

Monday July 6, 2009, 9:59 am
signed thank You Tom!