As much I love the corrupt, pseudo-meritocracy that is the US of A, I am blown away by the lack of services for kids. The choice to have a child and supply this country with a fresh batch of tax-payers seems like a “you scratch my back, and I’ll…blah, blah” type of affair. Someone should break us off some for creating a pipeline of revenue for the government. What if our kids are pulling 7 or 8 figures, that’s alot of dough annually to the Fed.

Seriously, the least they could do for families with TWO working parents and more than one kid, is to give Dad’s some paid time off to help out and not risk the paycheck. We are lucky that we have the NYCFamily from both sides and NYCAunt (my sister) to help out, but it got me thinking about folks who don’t. So I asked my workplace management and got a lame voicemail in response. After talking to friends in France and the UK where paternity leave is assumed, we need to re-look at things and consider where our priorities are. Here’s an excerpt from the WSJ:

In the U.S., just 13% of employers that the nonprofit Families and Work Institute queried in a 2005 survey said they offer any paid paternity leave to U.S. workers (moms generally qualify for disability pay). That number shows little sign of increasing. Indeed, the sad reality is that the decision to take a parental leave often comes down to whether you can afford it.

So, when a buddy of mine who sent a photo of his newborn daughter to my blackberry from the hospital last week, showed up at work today, I’m not surprised.