From: ted@sage0.gsfc.nasa.gov (Ted Ying)
Subject: Re: Why do Americans get so little vacation time?
Organization: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 19:50:37 GMT

greg@octopus.dpsi.com (Gregory R. Travis) writes:

>orville%weyrich@uunet.uu.net (Orville R. Weyrich) writes:

>>Not true -- if you want to maintain the standard of living of the past, you
>>can probably get by just fine with a single "bread-winner" plus a full-time
>>"home-maker".

>Wishful thinking Orville...Are you single or married?  And, if married,
>does your wife work?

	Irrelevent.  However, I am currently single and dating.  I
	have several friends who do not make as much as I do that are
	supporting a wife and child on the same income.  These days,
	if you are in a technical field and have some amount of
	experience (5+ years in your field), then you can make enough
	money to support a family of three.  It will not be nearly as
	comfortable as most families with 2 income earners, but it is
	possible and still comfortable.

>>>Bush's mean-spirited and cynical veto of the Family Leave bill makes
>>>this even more acute as families wishing or forced to expand are faced with
>>>a number of rather unattractive choices:

>>Personally, I see nothing mean-spirited or  cynical about it -- the  economy
>>simply has no resources to pay for this without eliminating some other
>>fringe-benefit.

>I never understood this line of reasoning.  I grew up understanding
>that the United States was both the most powerful and richest
>nation on the planet.  Yet, you argue that we cannot afford basic
>governmental support of the family while several other, smaller
>and poorer, nations are doing just that.

	This is (IMHO) a big misunderstanding.  The US is no longer the
	richest nation on the planet.  We have probably the richest
	population on the planet, but not the richest governement.  The
	people have a very high standard of living and the personal
	incomes and savings to make us rich.  But the government doesn't.
	Remember that our government is one of the poorest if you include
	our national debt.  We are paying for the extravagances and
	overspending of the last decade or two.

>>>2.  National Health Care.
>>>3.  Paid family medical and crisis leave of up to one year.
>>>6.  Mandatory minimum five week vacation.

>>Paid for by whom?
>>You have to pull the resources to pay for this out of some other part of
>>the economy, which will lower some other aspect of the standard of living.

>Sure, in the richest nation on the planet.

	This still doesn't answer the question.  Which part of the
	political system do you abandon?  Do you deduct money from
	defense spending?  If you do this, then quite possibly, we will
	no longer by the most powerful nation on the planet as you like
	to remind us.

	Do you take it from social programs?  Which ones?  Which other
	portion of benefits do we decrease?

	I'll tell you that already the sciences have had major cutbacks
	and here at NASA, the cutbacks are hitting hard.  Certain
	projects are no longer being supported and this means increased
	unemployment in some parts.  In other cases, it means that there
	are not enough funds to purchase necessary equipment or other
	supplies.  And our science program is no longer as impressive
	as it once was.

	Keep it up and the US will not be respected by the rest of the
	world in any field or characteristic.  We are leading to our
	own demise unless we come up with a definite and planned vision
	for our future and benefits.


	Ted Ying			ted@rosserv.gsfc.nasa.gov
	Hughes/STX			Goddard Space Flight Center
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc