Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Just in case you don’t read Newsweek…

This bitch does read Newsweek and wanted to bring this article to everyone’s attention.

My older brother is autistic and my sister and I are his co-guardians, which is why an article about family leave being under attack caught my attention.

My reality is the family leave act even though I’m not sure sibling guardianship is covered. I was able to secure employment that allows me to be at doctor appointments and dental cleanings. But my reality is that I have had to anticipate the unanticipated drama…I save up sick days and vacation days, never use those personal days and generally keep a cache of time on hand just in case.

Trust that my reality is a lot of people’s reality. Not just folks with profound autism in their life, but Americans who are now the sandwich generation caught caring for an aging parent and children at the same time.

The problem this bitch sees is that no one takes the time to connect all those ‘families have been stretched to the breaking point’ Today Show headline making studies with dumb ass big business supported ideas like 'we need to rethink the family leave act'.

If they did connect them, they might find that the sandwich generation is going to need that family leave business...big time. And yes, they will need it for shit like a cold. Elderly parents with the common cold are a ‘I’m going to stay home’ kind of illness.

Now of course a bitch is sure there are some people abusing FMLA.

Shit, Big Business abuses the tax code every year and I don’t see anyone doing anything about that shit (wink).

Seriously, abuse of anything goes hand and hand with people. But some abuse should not be the excuse for tossing aside FMLA just when the largest generation of Americans is most likely going to need to start using it.

Blink.

Or is that the point?

5 comments:

Digi Rebel said...

Ok, do you have room for this, on lobbying, yes, it works, when my son was out of high school and wanted to join the Coast Guard, we lived on the east coast then, he was told he didn't qualify because at one time in grade school he had taken ritalin for ADD. Well, I wrote to my congressman, and the head honcho of the Coast Guard and low and behold that little qualificaiton was changed, permanently, he was allowed to join, and thank God, anyone else after him also. So yes, we all want something changed, if we're mad enough, we can do it!!

Digi Rebel said...

P.S. you've got me on a roll today. our grandson is autistic and deaf, we usually have him every other weekend (my weekends off) and quite a bit in the summer to help out our daughter. But you never know when that FMLA would be needed. I've only used it once after some minor surgery. I'm an RN, I see the sandwich generation every day. Yes, I'm sure it's abused, but those employees that do, usually the type that are terminated sooner or later. If the Bush assministration gets this changed it will just be another example of do 'right' greed..

BigAssBelle said...

well yes, that's surely the point. lots of people going to need it, so let's get rid of it. this fits hand in glove with what i'm reading lately about the reality of those long term care policies folks have been paying big $$ for for years now. oops! folks are getting old and needing them! fuck! who'd have ever thought that would happen. better start denying left and right, deny these old folks who have trusted us and given us their money for 20 years.

if democrats don't hang onto congress and gain the white house in 2008, i don't think there's any hope for this country. i believe there are still some democrats who are not wholly owned subsidiaries of corporate america. but we're going to need publicly financed campaigns to get corporate america OUT of washington and get it back in the hands of the people.

FMLA saved my ass when my husband got sick and we were reduced to only my pitiful social work income. at least they couldn't fire me when i took off to take care of him.

you're a good sister. this country needs to support good people taking care of loved ones. sorry for the rant. or maybe not. this shit pisses me off.

christine mtm said...

so right... yet again...

my brother suffers from a whole host of medical conditions... including migraines that can last for weeks at a time and serious allergies which can leave him unable to work. it makes much more sense to me that his company allows him unpaid time off rather than forcing him to work unproductive misreable hours where they would pay him for his time.

hubby and i both work jobs that are flexible and compassionate about us needing to care for our autistic son... but there ARE lots of businesses out there that aren't.

prayrs for your ankle continue!

Anonymous said...

My mother-in-law used FMLA to take care of my father-in-law when he was dying. And I used it after my youngest was born.

But OF COURSE businesses want to get rid of FMLA! It gives workers rights and we can't possibly have that!

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