Since the 1991 Civil Rights Act, which permits compensatory damages, the number of employment discrimination cases filed each year has exploded from 10,000 to 25,000. To bolster its proposal, the White House is reported to have compiled a list of nearly a dozen instances of alleged job bias against parents. Crisis proportions, to say the least. But with a presidential election approaching, reality takes a back seat to politics.
Democrats are keen to demonstrate their devotion to soccer moms.
The scheme also is in keeping with Bill and Hillary's vision of the family - both parents employed, children in day care. It dovetails with Al Gore's urban sprawl initiative to get working parents out of traffic jams so they can spend a few more minutes of quality time with their children each day. If the president were serious about helping parents, there is no shortage of urgently needed reforms he could get behind. Clinton pays lip service to the need for change but can't quite bring himself to back legislation to end the marriage penalty. Then there's the middle-class tax cut the president promised us in 1992.