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Comment by tokenizer | Hacker News Reader

Don't forget: Maternity/Paternity Leave, Paid Sick Time, and Paid Vacation.

I'd say this proves the OP's point. We don't believe in handouts. Paid vacation and sick time is something to be earned, not granted as a token thank you for working here.

Edit: If you're going to downvote, why not expound upon why I'm wrong?

   We don't believe in handouts...

Unless you're a bank.

Or a weapons manufacturer that sells something the Defense Department doesn't want; your Congressman will surely force the purchase.

The majority of Americans do not believe the banks should have been bailed out. I'm speaking on behalf of the average SMB owner.

They are handouts just like taxes are handouts to the government: sometimes unfair, but they serve a purpose of sharing risks and profits. Some societies do share more (Denmark is a stereotypical example, you don't have to go full commie) others less. Calling them handouts overlooks that range of possibilities.

The business owner doesn't share the risk, so I'm not sure how that applies. If anything, offering more 'benefits' increases his/her risk.

Outside of specialized industries, most employees are replaceable, so I don't see any merits to sharing profits beyond the reasonable salary that they earn (provided the salary is reasonable). In a free market, the employees have the right to find a job that offers better benefits, should it exist.

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