I don't want my government telling me what I or my employer has to do with my time. That is between my employer and me. There may be many reasons for my work contract looking the way it does, and I might be able to get more pay if I am willing to take less vacation time. There are many other economic reasons I could use, but I don't want the government taking over my right to negotiate the terms of my employment more than they already do.

I don't believe the author is saying anything about the use of our personal time or the ability to negotiate time off. It appears that they are just stating a limit, similar to minimum wage, should be set as a safeguard for those not inclined to hash it out with their employers.
It does seem like many of us do need to stick it to our employers and let them know that we run the companies, the government doesn't need to stick its nose into our business if we have the guts to control our own lives.

Old_wolf you've made case and point for the article. By making economics the basis of your argument you describe yourself as a "well-paid [worker] who [is] becoming increasingly reluctant to pause from their labors and refresh their souls"

Actually, the strict economic argument doesn't hold water. Our pace of work is unhealthful, which leads to greater stress-related diseases and more sick time off, both of which cost both employers and employees money. If we included ALL the costs of working as many hours as we do, we would find that the greater output and salaries are counterbalanced by increased health care costs, and hence insurance rates, as well as increased (unpredictable) sick time off.

The balance point varies by person, of course, and probably also by industry. So it's not a perfect solution for the government just to decree that certain amounts of time must be taken off. However, just the fact that the governments of Europe think this is important enough to make laws about.... that is heartening to me. Caring about people's health and wanting to make work a pleasant and, yes, sustainable way to spend our time is so important.

Looking beyond the economic argument to the more holistic view shows the importance of having this paid time off.

Nathan, I was actually implying that his point is irrelevant. Governments should not force me to take a vacation. I just got back from a 2 week vacation, and I actually decided to sacrifice some money at my current job so that I can take a couple other short breaks during the year. The author of the article (Walter Kim, not LA) wrote that it is "socially screwed up" that the U.S. government does not impose vacation time. However, I would encourage everyone to take a break from time to time if they so choose, as I found it refreshing to be able to take a day time nap with my daughter and read to her more than the 5 minutes or so before bed-time. If you have a job that does not pay for vacation, save up during the rest of the year and talk to your employer about taking an unpaid vacation wit the money you have saved.

I live in the UK now (native of USA) and never thought about manditory vacation until moving here.

There is one huge advantage to mandatory leave - EVERYONE gets it! I have friends who work at low-paid jobs to support themselves and they get as much leave as some of the higher paid individuals in Oxford. This is not the case in the USA where many low-paid jobs come with **NO** paid leave.

To address the previous comment about people saving up and taking unpaid leave, for many people, it is impossible! Whether Old_Wolf wants to admit it or not, there is a good portion of the American population that cannot afford to take unpaid leave because they cannot afford to miss a paycheck.

Old Wolf,

As much as you may enjoy work - most people enjoy vacation more. Your the thin edge of the wedge that allows companies to slowly push us down the slippery slope of reduced wages for increased productivity.

You may think your a good worker - but effort never correlates with results. People who take more vacations are far more productive

http://www.courierpostonline.com/columnists/cxsm081003a.htm

Take a vaction! You will probably do better at your job and end up living longer... therefore working longer.

Those bars show an interesting positive correlation with Life Expectancy (the French and Swedes live longer than us Brits, who in turn live longer than Americans)

Another issue with the "save up and take unpaid time". For many people, it's not just that they can't afford to miss one paycheck, it's that they'll lose their job if they take vacation.