I had an immediate opinion about this piece (http://www.mysanantonio.com/moms/Caregivers_watch_little_ones_in_wee_hours_so_parents_can_sleep.html) as soon as I read it. But, since I'm only a dad (of 3 pre-K girls), regardless that I also get up in the middle of the night, handle most bath times, share in bedtime stories, change diapers, etc. etc., I figured I would send it to my wife and see what she thought. She and I agree the vast majority of the time, so I thought it would be safe, and smart, to defer to her on this idea of nighttime nannies.
That evening I asked her if she read the article and what she thought. She said "Sounds like more outsourcing of parental duties." "That's EXACTLY what I was thinking!!" I love her.
How much more parental responsibility, one might say 'the parental experience', are we going to delegate to others? Putting babies/children in daycare because you have to go out to earn a living to make (reasonable) ends meet is one thing. But passing off the responsibility of soothing your baby in the middle of the night? Isn't that where part of the parental-child bond is formed?? No pain, no pain, right? But if that is your mantra, perhaps the parenting gig isn't for you.
I suppose soon some of these nannies will also offer breastfeeding as part of an a la carte menu.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Why Health Insurance is Expensive and Continues to Go Higher
"Verizon Communications Inc. was facing a weekend labor strike deadline as it negotiated Friday with unions representing about 65,000 employees.
"The workers object to the company's plans to require employees to contributed toward health-care coverage costs.
"Verizon currently picks up the entire cost of insurance premiums for C.W.A. (Communications Workers of America) and I.B.E.W. (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) workers."
When something is inexpensive, or outright free, whether through normal market mechanisms or artificially so (such as as in this example), more is demanded of it. When demand increases accordingly, the price goes up in an attempt to reach a market-clearing price. Yet, in cases such as this, the final consumers never feel the pinch of increased prices. So what happens? Their demand continues unabated, and prices continue to rise and the cycle continues.
Read that passage again. Verizon's unionized workers, which fortunately make up a small portion of their entire workforce, pay nothing. Zero, and they want to keep it that way. Do they have no pride, no shame or integrity?? Do you know anyone who has ever bragged about being a freeloader?? They are coddled like babies and now they're crying because their free goodies might be taken away. Welcome to the real world where we pay for essential goods and services!
On a side note, it's interesting that neither Yahoo nor AP, just to name a couple, pointed out the specifics of the health insurance point of contention. This passage was taken from Saturday's Wall Street Journal.
"The workers object to the company's plans to require employees to contributed toward health-care coverage costs.
"Verizon currently picks up the entire cost of insurance premiums for C.W.A. (Communications Workers of America) and I.B.E.W. (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) workers."
When something is inexpensive, or outright free, whether through normal market mechanisms or artificially so (such as as in this example), more is demanded of it. When demand increases accordingly, the price goes up in an attempt to reach a market-clearing price. Yet, in cases such as this, the final consumers never feel the pinch of increased prices. So what happens? Their demand continues unabated, and prices continue to rise and the cycle continues.
Read that passage again. Verizon's unionized workers, which fortunately make up a small portion of their entire workforce, pay nothing. Zero, and they want to keep it that way. Do they have no pride, no shame or integrity?? Do you know anyone who has ever bragged about being a freeloader?? They are coddled like babies and now they're crying because their free goodies might be taken away. Welcome to the real world where we pay for essential goods and services!
On a side note, it's interesting that neither Yahoo nor AP, just to name a couple, pointed out the specifics of the health insurance point of contention. This passage was taken from Saturday's Wall Street Journal.
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