Today’s Wisconsin State Journal has an opinion piece by Susan Lampert Smith about the rhetoric in the “Chicken Little” report the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce bought from NorthStar, Inc. So many have been focused on the glaring error that their claims that this could cost the City up to $21 million in property taxes when in fact the high end, if you accept all their assumptions, is actually $750,000. (By the way, Dean Mosiman, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, BEST REPORTER IN TOWN – always fair, consistently at least 99.5% accurate and very thorough. We need more reporters in town like Dean. Even when he does a piece I don’t like, I can respect his work.)
Susan’s column reminded me of something that I was trying to forget. I can’t believe the insensitivity of the language in the report (sorry, it’s been taken off their site, but I can e-mail it to you):
The support for the mandatory sick leave ordinance seems to center on the conclusion that in Madison 46,000 workers (and their families) are a sneeze away from homelessness. The baseline reality is that many Madison small businesses will be hurt by a mandatory sick leave policy.
and in this quote by Jennifer Alexander in the press release:
“Those who support the ordinance say many employees in Madison are one sneeze away from homelessness,” said Jennifer Alexander, president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.
I think her comments shows the insensitivity and callousness that the business community has a reputation for and that is really sad because there are alot of hard working small businesses and big businesses that do alot for our community. It is elitist, insensitiveve and shows a complete lack of understanding of some of the leading causes of homelessness and furthers that reputation of the business community.
What do you do if your kid has chicken pox and they can’t go to daycare? If you skip work, you don’t get paid and you can’t pay your rent. What do you do if you are hospitalized because your appendix explodes because you didn’t take time off and go to the doctor like you probably should have in the first place? Now, not only do you have doctor bills you can’t pay, but you are missing work and again, could be evicted because you can’t catch up on your rent. We hear stories like this every week. To suggest this is about someone becoming homeless because of a cold is just plain cold-hearted and judgmental.
And the realtors complain about a joke by the mayor, at least it wasn’t done by one of their own.
p.s. This is the craziness Susan was talking about in the report . . .
Other Externalities
The ramifications of compliance with the mandatory sick leave law or any law that adversely affects business within a small defined geographical area also extend to environmental health and personal and community safety. Firms’ leaving the city for outlying communities leads to urban sprawl. Commuting out of the city increases smog and other pollution from increased vehicle miles traveled. It also adds a large cost to employee work expenses in terms of time (for example, substituting commuting time for family time) and vehicle operation costs if they live in the city and must commute to their jobs outside the city.
Increased traffic congestion on the main thoroughfares increases commuting delays, fuel consumption, and accidents. Greater gasoline consumption leads to higher gasoline costs. Fuel taxes will need to rise to fund increased road building to alleviate traffic congestion and improve motorist safety. Insurance costs will rise to cover the greater incidence of traffic related injuries and property damage. Automobiles will wear out faster, requiring more frequent replacement. Household budgets would be significantly impacted by these added costs, affecting worker financial well-being.
Commuting to work out of the city will increase the need for sick leave time off as employees commute back into the city to see their doctor or care for children in school or another dependent that resides near their home in the city. Vehicle speeds may also increase as commuters try to minimize their sick time taken for personal or dependent care, raising safety concerns for other motorists and pedestrians. The increased time away form work can also jeopardize worker employment status.
Many of the workers affected by the mandatory sick leave law do not have adequate transportation for commuting to jobs outside the city. Their jobs will simply be put out of reach.
