Opus 2011-108, Headlines: Benefits for Public Employees

I have been reading a lot of hostility to public sector unions lately.  Since I am a teacher in a public school I am covered by that very broad brush.  One of the points of hostility is the health benefits we receive.  Health benefits are more than insurance.  In addition I get 10 paid sick leave days a year.  I can use up to seven of those for “personal necessity leave” (PNL).  I also get up to five days for jury service and three to five days of bereavement leave depending on where the funeral is held.  I have often taken these blessings for granted.

I began to get congested a couple of days ago and since it is hard to teach when you can’t talk without coughing or breathe without blowing your nose, I decided to take a few days off to recover.  When I was younger I would have just toughed it out.  As I age I don’t have the energy to do that, so I use my sick leave.  Sitting home drinking lemon laced tea I received a call from the secretary at our dentists office, telling my wife she could come earlier if she wanted.  She heard what I sounded like and we exchanged horror stories about what is going around.  I asked her if she had paid sick leave and she said, “No.”  I commiserated with her and commented on how much easier it was to take a day off when I still got paid.

That got me to thinking about all the people I have regular contact with who may have health insurance but still don’t have paid sick days.  This starts with anyone who runs there own business.  My dad was self employed.  If he did not work he made no money.  I can’t remember him ever staying home sick.  I think of our auto mechanic, our gardener, people of do work on our house and at the upper levels our doctors.  When work is not performed, profit is not generated.  Only large businesses and government can afford to pay people for not producing.  Having this benefit is truly a blessing.

This is often abused.  People call in sick when they want to go shopping or play golf.  I know some people who never accrue a day of sick leave.  When they can take a day, they suddenly develop an illness.  Others never take a day.  I began to ask myself if I would have taken the day off if I did not get paid.  Probably not.  I would not have done as well dealing with the students as if I were healthy.  I would have healed more slowly and possibly died sooner.  I would have spread more disease among the children.  I would have worked because I could not afford to stay home.

I would urge believers to remember the 10th Commandment.

(Exodus 20:17 KJV)  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Maybe Moses should have included things like health benefits and pensions.  Be careful of envy and covetousness.  Don’t let the elites who are trying to generate these feelings between people be successful.  There is another verse that speaks to me on this topic.  It is from the Love Chapter:

(1 Corinthians 13:6 KJV)  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

What this says to me is that we need to be careful about being happy when someone else gets the punishment they deserve.  On this topic it would say that we cannot fall for the salesmen of class envy and divisiveness by wanted to pull down those who have more than we have.  We should instead be seeking ways to care for those in need.  Taking away one man’s health insurance does not get another into a doctor’s office.  Much more productive would be getting rid of all the red tape, paper work and lawyer fees that drive the costs up and make doctors less willing to risk.

If you have coverage, consider yourself blessed.  If you don’t, seek a solution that does more than destroy.

homo unius libri