Stand up against paid sick day mandates

One of the latest and greatest "ideas" for a new burden to put onto businesses is paid sick days. Local governments are discussing mandates for sick leave, which would require employers to give all employees sick days.

I'm not opposed to the idea of sick days in general. It's a nice benefit to give to people who have actually earned it. The sick days come in handy when someone in the family is sick. The person can skip work without missing out on the pay.

Yet it's insane to require employers to give this benefit. Benefits are exactly what they sound like: earned rewards at jobs that are provided at the option of the employer. Some jobs offer benefits, some do not. Those who wish to have benefits have every opportunity in the United States to work hard, get training and education, and move up to a job that offers benefits.

But it seems that plenty of politicians don't care if employees earn their benefits or not. You see, the market dictates what a job is worth. If a good employee can do the same job elsewhere for more pay and more benefits, she or he will probably quit and go elsewhere. The market tells the employer how much to pay and what to offer. But politicians and activists don't care about the free market.