REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CARLY FIORINA WAS
RECENTLY SPEAKING TO JAKE TAPPER ON STATE OF THE UNION, AND SHE
SPECIFICALLY TOUCHED ON THE ISSUE OF GOVERNMENT MANDATED
PAID PATERNITY AND MATERNITY LEAVE.
REMEMBER, NETFLIX HAS
OFFERED UP TO ONE YEAR OF PAID PATERNITY AND MATERNITY LEAVE TO
ITS EMPLOYEES, AND THAT IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT CORPORATIONS
HAVE BEEN WILLING TO DO IN THE PAST IN THE UNITED
STATES, AND CARLY FIORINA WANTED
TO CHIME IN ON THAT.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO TELL OTHERS HOW TO DO THINGS,
WHEN THE GOVERNMENT HASN'T GOTTEN ITS BASIC HOUSE IN
ORDER IS NOT ONLY INEFFECTIVE, IT'S HYPOCRITICAL.
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULDN'T TELL ANYONE THEY HAVE TO OFFER
PAID MATERNITY OR PATERNITY LEAVE?
I DON'T THINK IT'S
THE BUSINESS OF THE GOVERNMENT - ONE, IT'S PRETTY CLEAR, WHEN
THE PRIVATE SECTOR, LIKE NETFLIX IS DOING THE RIGHT THING,
BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT HELPS ATTRACT THE RIGHT TALENT.
I KNEW THAT THIS WOULD BE A REPUBLICAN TALKING POINT.
AS
SOON AS NETFLIX TOOK IT UPON THEMSELVES TO OFFER THE
MATERNITY LEAVE, OF COURSE FREE-MARKET BELIEVERS WILL
ARGUE, LET THE FREE MARKET DECIDE.
THEY WANT TO ATTRACT
THE MOST SKILLFUL EMPLOYEES, SO THIS IS WHAT THEY DO, WHICH IS
TRUE.
BUT IF YOU FOLLOW THAT LOGIC, IT MEANS THAT YOU BELIEVE
THAT THOSE WHO ARE HIGH SKILLED WORKERS SHOULD ENJOY CERTAIN
PROTECTIONS THAT "UNSKILLED
WORKERS" DON'T GET TO ENJOY.
SO IF YOU ARE AN UNSKILLED WORKER,
ALL OF A SUDDEN IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU DON'T GET PAID
MATERNITY OR PATERNITY LEAVE.
THAT IS IRONIC COMING FROM A
PRO-LIFE PERSON LIKE CARLY FIORINA.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN
PRO-LIFE?
IF YOU DO, WOULDNíT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT MOTHERS
AND FATHERS HAVE GUARANTEED PAID TIME OFF TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR
CHILDREN BEFORE GOING TO WORK?
I'M VERY CURIOUS.
THIS CRYSTALLIZES THE CONTRADICTIONS IN A LOT OF
REPUBLICAN IDEOLOGY.
EXACTLY WHAT YOU JUST SAID THERE.
YOU
ARE ASKING FOR MOTHERS AND FATHERS TO VALUE LIFE ABOVE ALL
ELSE, AND ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE CHILDREN, BUT THEN YOU ARE NOT
GOING TO GUARANTEE, THROUGH GOVERNMENT PROTECTION, THAT THEYíRE
GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN WHEN THEY HAVE THEM.
I
DON'T BELIEVE MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE IS A
TRICKLE-DOWN CONCEPT.
IF YOU ARE A TALENTED WORKER, SKILLS OR
OTHERWISE ñ AND AGAIN, NETFLIX IS THE EXCEPTION, NOT THE RULE ñ
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF WOMEN WHO STRUGGLE WITH THIS DECISION
CONSTANTLY, IN TERMS OF THEIR CAREER AND TRYING TO HAVE A
CHILD, AND RAISE THE CHILD IN A WAY THAT THEY ARE COMFORTABLE
WITH AND RETURN TO WORK.
IT IS AN EXTREMELY NUANCED DECISION.
I FOUND IT OFFENSIVE THAT SHE
THINKS SHE CAN JUST USE NETFLIX
AS AN EXAMPLE, AND THAT IS THE
FOUNDATION FOR HER OPINION.
I LOVE THAT YOU POINTED TO NETFLIX AS THE EXCEPTION AND NOT
THE RULE, BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE STATISTICS YOU WILL SEE WHAT
IS REALLY HAPPENING IN AMERICA.
THOSE IN THE TOP TEN PERCENT ARE
MORE LIKELY TO ENJOY THINGS LIKE PAID MATERNITY AND PATERNITY
LEAVE, BUT THE REALITY IS THAT THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS OUT
THERE DON'T EVEN GET PAID SICK
LEAVE.
LET ME GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF THE KINDS OF PROTECTIONS THAT
WE DO HAVE.
REMEMBER, WE ARE THE ONLY DEVELOPED COUNTRY THAT
DOES NOT HAVE GUARANTEED PAID MATERNITY OR PATERNITY LEAVE.
"THE FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT GUARANTEED UP TO TWELVE WEEKS OF
UNPAID TIME OFF FOR QUALIFIED WORKERS, BUT IT'S UP TO
EMPLOYERS WHETHER OR NOT ANY PAID TIME IS INCLUDED."
YOU ARE
ALLOWED TO TAKE UP TO TWELVE WEEKS OFF, BUT THE EMPLOYER IS
NOT OBLIGATED TO PAY YOU FOR
THAT TIME OFF.
SO, ALL RIGHT, YOU WON'T LOSE YOUR JOB IF YOU
TAKE THAT TIME OFF TO TAKE CARE
OF YOUR FAMILY, BUT YOU ALSO ARE NOT GOING TO BE MAKING ANY MONEY
IF THE COMPANY DECIDES THEY DO
NOT WANT TO PAY YOU.
IT REALLY DOES DEMONSTRATE THAT NETFLIX IS
ABSOLUTELY THE EXCEPTION ñ IF YOU LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE, NETFLIX
REALLY IS THE EXCEPTION, NOT THE RULE. 35 PERCENT OF WORKERS DO
NOT HAVE ACCESS TO EVEN ANY PAID
SICK DAYS.
IMAGINE THAT, YOU ARE SICK, YOU NEED TO TAKE THE
TIME OFF TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH AND YOU WON'T GET PAID
FOR IT.
ALSO, AMONG THE TEN
PERCENT OF TOP WAGE EARNERS, EIGHTY-SIX HAVE PAID SICK
LEAVE, WHEREAS WITH THE BOTTOM TEN PERCENT, ONLY TWENTY
PERCENT HAVE PAID SICK LEAVE.
THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS FOR THE WORKING POOR AND
THE WEALTHY.
IT'S ANOTHER CRYSTALLIZED EXAMPLE OF THE TWO AMERICAS.
WHAT CARLY FIORINA IS TALKING ABOUT IS A MUCH DIFFERENT
AMERICA THAN THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY WOMEN AND MEN WHO WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE PAID MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE TO OFFER THE
KIND OF CHILDCARE THEY REALLY WANT FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
IT IS
SAD HOW FAR BEHIND WE ARE AS A DEVELOPED NATION, AND THAT WE
HAVE WOMEN LIKE THIS WHO ARE PULLING US BACK INTO THE STONE
AGES, AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED.
I CAN NOT GET ON BOARD WITH
ANYTHING SHE HAD TO SAY IN THE INTERVIEW, AND SHE DID NOT EVEN
HAVE ANY KIND OF EVIDENCE OR DOCUMENTATION, OR ANY BACKUP TO
HER OPINIONS.
YOU CANNOT USE NETFLIX LIKE THAT, AS A CUDGEL
TO BEAT WOMEN WHO DO NOT HAVE
THE ADVANTAGES THAT THE WOMEN WHO WORKED AT NETFLIX HAVE,
OR THAT YOU, CARLY FIORINA, HAVE.
ALSO, THERE ARE EMPLOYEES AT NETFLIX WHO WILL NOT GET TO
ENJOY THAT POLICY.
THE LOWEST PAID WORKERS AT NETFLIX DO NOT
GET TO ENJOY PAID MATERNITY OR PATERNITY LEAVE.
CARLY FIORINA
IS DOING WHAT A LOT OF REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS DO.
IT
IS A DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN PANDERING TO THE CONSERVATIVE
RIGHT, THE RELIGIOUS BASE OF THEIR PARTY, AND ALSO APPEASING
CORPORATIONS.
THE REALITY IS, IF YOU ARE PRO-LIFE, YOU WOULD
WANT TO SUPPORT AS MANY POLICIES AS POSSIBLE TO SUPPORT THOSE
BABIES, RIGHT?
BUT THEY DO NOT DO THAT, THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT THEY APPEASE THOSE WHO FUND THEIR CAMPAIGNS.
WHO ARE THESE
PEOPLE?
THE CORPORATIONS.
THEY ALSO WANT TO APPEAL TO THE
RELIGIOUS, SO THEY GO OUT THERE
WITH THEIR DISINGENUOUS TALKING POINTS.
THEY ARE NOT PRO-LIFE.
IF YOU ARE REALLY PRO-LIFE, YOU WOULD DO WHATEVER YOU COULD TO
MAKE SURE THAT MOTHERS AND FATHERS HAVE TIME TO SPEND WITH
THEIR CHILDREN AFTER THEY ARE BORN.
BUT SHE DOES NOT CARE
ABOUT THAT.
SHE WILL SAY, I AM IN FAVOR OF PATERNITY AND
MATERNITY LEAVE, BUT I DO NOT WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO DECIDE
THAT.
THE GOVERNMENT IS
EFFECTIVE ENOUGH TO DECIDE WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR VAGINA, BUT
NOT EFFECTIVE ENOUGH TO DECIDE
WHETHER OR NOT YOU SHOULD GET PAID MATERNITY OR PATERNITY
LEAVE.
THERE IS NO MORE PRIVATE SECTOR THAN MY UTERUS, SO
STAY OUT CARLY.