I’m often asked why, as a limited-government/pro-business/free-market conservative, I seem to pick on Republicans almost as much as, if not more than, I pick on Democrats. A recently introduced Assembly bill will help explain.
AB 243 requires “certain employers to grant leave to a parent, guardian or custodian of a child enrolled in public school or private school to participate in certain school conferences and activities.”
Now, would somebody please show me where in the Constitution the government derives the power to interfere in a private employment relationship this way? Have any of the boneheads who are co-sponsoring this feel-good legislation ever tried to make up a weekly work schedule which satisfies the life-styles, vacation requests and inevitable sick days that already throw enough monkey wrenches into the best laid of plans?
As if running a business isn’t difficult enough as it is, along comes the government telling an employer that it’s illegal for him to make Joe the Clerk work on Thursday afternoon if his son has a school football game, or make Jane the Cocktail Waitress work on Friday night if her daughter is a singing orphan in the school play.
These kinds of situations should be resolved by the employer and the employee, not a bunch of busy-body politicians in Carson City. If the employee doesn’t like the scheduling flexibility of his or her employer, he or she is free to go work for someone more sympathetic. There is simply no role for government in these matters whatsoever. Period.
Of course, I *could* go after the legislative Democrats who are behind this anti-business/anti-free market bill, and normally I would. But frankly, it doesn’t surprise me that Democrats are pushing an anti-business/anti-free market bill. After all, it’s what they do.
However, I expect better out of Republicans. Republicans are *supposed* to believe in limited government. Republicans are *supposed* to believe in the free market. Republicans are *supposed* to oppose anti-business/anti-free market legislation such as this.
Not co-sponsor it.
Yep. As unbelievable as it sounds three Assembly Republicans have signed onto AB 243 as co-sponsors. The three are Assemblyman Joe Hardy (R-Boulder City), freshman Assemblywoman Melissa Woodbury (R-Henderson), and Assistant Minority Leader Lynn Stewart (R-Las Vegas).
Unfortunately, this isn’t completely surprising. Hardy could author a book titled, “How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Big Government.” Woodbury is a public school teacher. And Stewart is a retired public school teacher. None have much real-life experience in the real world of private enterprise.
Oh, and all three voted for the teachers union’s anti-tourism room-tax hike.
Yes, I would love to go after Democrats for going after private enterprise like this. But how can you criticize Democrats for being anti-business/anti-free market when you have three Republicans, who are *supposed* to know better, giving them aid-and-comfort by doing the exact same thing? Seriously, if Republican leaders want me to stop picking on Republicans and start picking on Democrats, then they first need to get their own house in order.
Physicians, heal thyselves.
