I’m tempted to ask something stupid, like “Can he do this?” But then I’m old, and remember when the feds had this thing called a “division of powers.” So of course the answer is obvious.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Showing solidarity with workers on Labor Day, President Barack Obama will sign an executive order Monday requiring paid sick leave for employees of federal contractors, including 300,000 who currently receive none.
The White House wouldn’t specify the cost to federal contractors to implement the executive order, which Obama was to address at a major union rally and breakfast in Boston.
Might not be a problem long term. The contracts probably need to be renewed from time to time, and those bids will simply include the increased costs. Some may decide not to bid at all. So, this is just another “feel good” photo op…
@ML – well, probably not…..certainly, some existing contractors will elect to not bid on some future contracting offerings, some new ones will pop up and bid, and all bids will reflect the cost of this new requirement. This is a near-perfect example of government ratcheting the costs up, thereby creating a new floor, and you’ll notice the government ratchet always operates in only one direction – up.
Once the new floor is established the fed dot gov will then move to establish minimum (and complicated) standards for the new floor, ratcheting up once again. A pause at that level, then another ratchet up to ensure all floors are the same height. Obama may be the guilty party at the moment, but soon enough the operational responsibility will transfer to an unelected, unaccountable bureaucracy that very successfully hides behind “fairness” and complex reporting requirements.
“Can he do this?” Yes, I think ML has it right. Offhand, I believe the answer is “yes he can” … eventually … as new contracts are negotiated. The President of the United States administers the Executive Branch of our government, and that is the branch that negotiates contracts with providers.
One thing to remember about worker’s benefits (or lack of) is that if the employer doesn’t pay them, eventually society somehow shoulders the bill. If you don’t believe me, just watch the action in most any hospital emergency room. That’s where uninsured sick people show up for emergency care and they usually don’t get turned away. Who do you suppose foots the bill?
Yes, Ben. But “long term” means that, eventually, there is no more water in the well. We actually reached that point some time ago, but the politicians and bureaucrats have, so far, been able to fool so many into thinking that they can invent wealth from thin air. That time is coming to an end, I think fairly soon. A big push for that will be the breakdown of all these “free” things. Do you know that hospitals and emergency facilities close daily, especially in rural areas where people don’t automatically riot over such things. Do you know that the number of medical professionals is shrinking, and that fewer newcomers to the field are entering? Far too many people are only now starting to understand that having “insurance,” even at insane prices, does not equal being able to find actual care. And Obummercare has put a very nasty spanner into the mix. I retired early because I could see it coming. More and more professionals in every field are backing out and finding other things to do. Atlas is shrugging…
Most people are now playing a sick game of musical chairs, and as each chair is pulled away, the scam grows thinner and thinner. It is not physically possible for government to pay for all of the liabilities they have incurred, no matter how much “money” they create from nothing. Eventually, it will all come apart, and the people to whom this false “debt” is owed will have to face reality. It will be a terrible reality, and the fiat “money” will suddenly be worthless. Good article recently at LRC about this. The good news is that the hyperinflation we have all feared will not last long. There isn’t the same vast store of wealth preserved among the ordinary people as there was last time. It will come, but be gone in a flash as well. Then the real problems begin…