So today I want to write about  a policy issue.  (Anyone who knows me is rolling their eyes and thinking, "It took you THIS long??")  It's seems like not a big issue, but it is near and dear to my heart.

      I want everyone to support the idea of paid sick leave.  Seriously. Sign a petition or two (or twelve).  If you look around on the net, you will find many.   Bug your workplace, bug your congresspeople, bug everyone who sits still long enough.  It's not a huge change for the modern workplace.  Chances are if you are even lower level management you have it already.   Not for all the obvious reasons- you know, where daycares and schools don't allow sick children to stay so their parents have to stay home with them.  Or the fact that so many people cannot afford to lose even one day's pay, let alone 2 or 3 days while they are contagious or to simply feel better.  Or the fact that it makes sense for businesses too.  A person who can stay home when ill will not give half your workforce their illness. Even if the sick people come to work, they will NOT be as productive.  Would you rather have a few missing and 3/4 of the people still as productive as ever or EVERYONE doing bad work because they are sick and miserable?  Which do you think will cost you more in the long run? -hint I already know THAT answer.  And if you don't know that answer, you should.  Go look it up- we'll wait.

      And I don't even want you to support paid sick because it simply the moral and decent thing to do.  (Exactly what kind of evil d--k wants to force people to work when sick, anyway??  Since when did being a successful human being mean proving you are a miserable pr--k, when did we start worshipping the bully???) 

      Nope, I want you to support paid sick leave because its the best thing you can do for your own health. You don't want to catch what every else has. I don't want you to catch what everyone else has.  And I REALLY don't want you to give Feisty Pants what everyone else has.  The very people who tend NOT to have paid sick leave are the very people who clean our homes and schools, serve us meals, prepare our foods, check us out and bag our foods at the store.  The very people who cannot afford to take a day off are the people who touch our bodies, our things, our food on a daily basis.  If all of us could afford to stay homewhen ill, we will not be touching things when sick that you will be taking into your house and your mouths.  And lest you think, it's just a cold probably,  what is a bad cold to you is often a death sentence to a premature baby or an ailing grandmother or a disabled person.  What is bad cold to you was a 40 THOUSAND dollar medivac helicopter ride, 10 days on a ventilator and two weeks hospitalization to my then four year old little girl.  And it's something you can do something about.   You can sign a petition or write a letter. (I recommend Momsrising.Org. They rock!)  You can save lives (perhaps even your own) without even getting up from your computer or putting on real clothes or anything. You can make a difference from home with bothering to even get dressed or leave the house.  How much does that rock??