1 month? Not enough time? Man, is that an understatement.

God damn, does America despise civilization. We clearly even hate our own children. So much that we can't even raise or educate our children with out groveling like peasants to sanctimonious billionaire overlords for scraps.

For fuck sake even those veritable savages in Slovenia - with a GDP of only 62 billion (America: GDP of 17 TRILLION!) - has a maternity Leave of 105 Days with 100% paid.

Germany, that bastion of cold capitalism and "austerity policy" has maternity leave of 14 Weeks with 100% paid.

Even the Swiss do better than we do with 14 weeks of leave with 80% paid.

Parental leave, or maternity leave? Society should foot the bill to raise children, which is fine. This is a regressive benefit and a public funded benefit for public employees only, so regressive to a select group again. Why should higher paid employees get more than lower paid ones? The lower paid ones are the ones who need the benefit more anyway.

So, all parents should get the same 4 week or 14 week stipend from the government when they have a child would be a more fair system.

Employers should treat single, married, or people with children exactly the same. Business should not be in the social safety net business, that is the job of government.

A lot of parents toss their tots in daycare anyway, so what good is the leave but for more R&R time for government employees at taxpayer expense?

Dori Monson thinks it's WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too much.

Should we really be encouraging people to have more children? This doesn't seem like a very environmentally-friendly policy. Nor will it help drive down rents.

Should we really be encouraging people to have more children? This doesn't seem like a very environmentally-friendly policy. Nor will it help drive down rents.

Those damn "breeders". They so get in the way of hipsters like you, MiddlePerson.

FYall your Information: The salaries of all those pregnant moms and dads is already figured into the annual budget. It won't cost taxpayers a dime more than if they hadn't procreated and taken a month off.
The cost estimate seems to be based on the City hiring temps to take their places. Temps for a month? Never will happen.
My friend in Germany got a year off with pay when she gave birth, with the option of another year at slightly reduced salary.
We are such a progressive country.

@3 Daycare is crazy expensive and most (if not all) daycares won't take newborns under 6 weeks. So no, post-partum moms are not lolling around eating bonbons while their newborns languish in daycare.

Gah, why do I even try with people like @3?