Vacations are a right. Get ready for this one

Some countries have been doing this (domestically) for many years. It's another form of industry subsidy, keeping the hotels busy off-season, offsetting seasonal unemployment, etc.

I like it - one of the better uses for tax funds I have heard of. Think of how many ignorant teenagers could have had their horizons broadened in place of the bridge to nowhere. Or either of the 2 ongoing wars.

RS, why are you so worried about what they do in Europe. Last I was there, they seem to be doing very nicely.

You should be spending your time clearing out your economic novels and studying Samuelson, or trying to reconcile your incompatible view of wage inflation and monetarism.

Can't be done.

Riversider, you're sad man!
You seems to be thinking that only the US are doing the right thing and the rest of the world is fvcked up!
Mostly everywhere in Europe, you get 5 weeks paid vacations/year and my friend just came back from Australia and told me that by law, employees MUST take a minimum of 4 weeks vacation/year otherwise the employers gets taxed higher.
People in Europe and Australia are just genuinely happier, nicer and enjoy a better quality of life.
Contrary to most American, people there work for a living , they don't live for work! They are healthier, and live longer. How fvcked up is that?

why should the tax-payer fund a vacation? Can see Pelosi following the lead..

on a related note, this is yet another wage-slavery / low quality of life issue that affects USA workers:

http://contexts.org/socimages/2010/01/31/paid-holidaysvacation-days-in-the-u-s-versus-other-oecd-countries/

as a shareholder i shouldn't complain, but men, it's just too much, workers are human beings. give them decent paid vacation as a right in USA (2 weeks is a total joke) and you'll see how stress related diseases will go down.

Well, members of the CEE have Higher taxes ( The 15% average sale tax being one of them), and Gvts don't blow it all away going to war with the Middle East. That leaves enough Euros in the budget to partially fund things like that.

meant to say EU not CEE.

"why should the tax-payer fund a vacation?"

Why should fund managers pay just 15% income tax when they make billions of dollars a year, when everybody else's top rate is 37%?

Why should AMT be phased out for the super-rich?

Why should the poor have to pay more percentage-wise for Social Security and Medicare than the rich?

You're a tool, as the late great petrzitz might have said.

"why should the tax-payer fund a vacation?"

Why should some guy halfway around the world be telling a freely democratic society how it should and should not spend its taxes?

what in god's name does this have to do with real estate in nyc?

More vacations means more foriegners come to NYC, they get the idea to invest in RE, and they subsidize the building of fancy apartments for me to rent.

Duh!

stevejhx....47% of your fellow citizens pay Zero in federal income tax----Zero The corrupt politicians then demonize the "rich" that pay all the taxes.. Then the 47 % vote the same "statesmen" back into office... Plus the 47% is going up every year... GREAT.

julialg---work on your geography skills for a few years and then you can take up politics. first quiz in a week on state capitals.

columbiacounty You are such a coward and fraud...cc This is my last communication with you... You are to dishonest.

ok...pop quiz....what is the state capital of connecticut? hint: yale is not located there.

the poor are well-known for their robust turnout at the elections. homelessness makes it virtually certain that someone will vote.

the poor also take many vacations to exotic locales. with the money that they are not paying the gov't from their munificent salaries they are pouncing off to warmer climes while the less advantaged rich people slave in front of their computers and at their trading desks.

just ask anyone who makes so little that they don't pay taxes, they wouldn't have it any other way!!

i agree with admin, people in this country are wound way too tight.

julialg, your problem is that you don't earn enough within the confines of the norms of society. Whether you know it or not, you are a "loser" in nyc if you gotta complain about taxes.

okey, Riversider.. so going in one direction is wrong so why don't you follow me to the other side. just tell me when you'd like me to stop the clock.

1) let's get rid of maternity leave;
2) no more sick days;
3) no more vacation days;
4) 6 day work week;
5) 7 day work week;
6) no more child labor laws;
7) blacklisting;
8) no blacks on buses;
9) no chinks in subways;
10) no jews above 14th street;
11) execution for witches;
12) women become men's property (good for you, sucks for you mama);
13) the king may de-flower your wife on your honeymoon...

Shall i go on like Celine?

hartford

chinks REALLY?

really... it's a derogatory term used to highlight how far we've come... but of course your whole schtick is about individual freedom... like calling someone a chink... your turn.

Why don't you use the other derogatory terms for jews and blacks?? Hypocrite!

do you even know the word hypocrite? of envy? => you want less gov't, think they are gonna break down doors.... they are the same group that stopped "racism". yet you would have us eliminate our gov't. you think 47% dont' pay taxes, you think Palin should lead our country... you think Obama has death panels.... and yet you call me a hypocrite... cause I didn't use derogatory words for jews and blks? That's called artistic freedom, you little palin lovin, Tim McVeigh worshipping tea-bagger, underachiever.. go back to West Virginia where your $100K would make you queen shit...

"Think of how many ignorant teenagers could have had their horizons broadened in place of the bridge to nowhere. "

Yes, better to have those ignorant teenagers being ignorant in new locales bothering those people, too.

Keep dancing and attacking. You said what you said. Words have meaning, everyone can judge for themselves.

Gotta stop dancing with a tea-bagger. Gotta go shoulder press 185 pounds for 4 sets of 5, then squat 495lbs for my off day and maybe some biceps...

but julia, keep on tea-bagging... but once in awhile look in the mirror.

Taxpayer funded vacations is just absurd.

"chinks" 67street classy as usual, classy.

julialg, not all words have meaning. some of yours fall short.

but yes, people do judge you for what you say.

> they are the same group that stopped "racism".

Actually, isn't the government the group that INSTITUTIONALIZED IT!

Its in the damn constitution!

w67thstreet... . You are intolerable,illiberal,oppressive and abusive . Individualism and liberty represents everything you despise. Insults and bulling are your tactics. Reasonable discourse should be your goal. Unfortunately, w67thstreet you are vulgar.(laking sophistication or good taste; unrefined). We all need to improve in many ways. You should start today.