Flu Season exposes Dickensian U.S. Policy; No Paid Sick Leave.

We've been so conditioned by corporate conservative propaganda that we don’t even think twice about being the only industrialized country in the world that doesn't provide its citizens with health care coverage. It’s a source of pride for Republicans.

We also take for granted our lack of paid sick leave. Another unique U.S. bragging point. Think about that. It’s really jaw dropping, cruel, and insanely ridiculous.

Think Progress pointed out below how business interests aren't shy about bashing labor, just for spite. 

Wisconsin gets special mention for the ultimate act of Republican big government regulation.  

40 percent of private sector workers, 79 percent of food workers, and 80 percent of low-income workers have no paid sick days. The U.S. is alone in the developed world in not mandating some sort of paid sick leave for workers. And Florida’s business community is looking to keep it that way, despite the consequences.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday that one of its top legislative priorities this year would be blocking local governments from adopting paid sick-time measures such as the one pending in Orange County. The passage of local sick-time laws would “make pockets of Florida very uncompetitive.”

Wisconsin Republicans even went so far as to pass a law preventing any city in the state from passing a paid sick days law after Milwaukee adopted one. As Jane Farrell and Joanna Ventnor noted, “A study of Connecticut’s policy mandating five days of sick leave found that full use of this leave would cost an employer only 0.4 percent of their sales revenue on average. Without paid sick days, employees come to work unhealthy, costing employers $160 billion per year due to lower productivity levels.”