What you propose is a nice idea, but I have to strongly oppose such a proposal. In the first place, it’s not the government’s place to force a business to, potentially, endanger its viability and/or profits, and/or prevent it from ever getting off the ground by forcing it to offer paid leave.

Now, I would encourage and even “socially guilt” employers into offering paid leave for some period of time as a benefit, but that is a different proposition from a government forcing this kind of theft from companies and individuals.

In addition, I believe the premise of your proposal is flawed. You suggest that paid leave is viable anywhere and everywhere. But the truth is that most if not all of the places you are looking at as models are either about to or well on their way to going bankrupt due to the bestowing of unaffordable “social rights.” Sure, northern European countries are not as far along the disaster path as those in Southern Europe, but they’re all on the same road to disaster. These nations would be even further along that road, or have already crashed if they were not getting a free ride on American military might and American capitalism.

Be careful what you wish for. If America falls, unlike Europe, we won’t have a strong, wealthy, decent friend across the ocean to bail us out.