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We Work While Bureaucrats are Paid
As the Federal Government keeps adding new paid holidays (June 19 and next up will be the Democrats' desire to make Election Day a holiday), I note that the paid Federal holidays only apply to a small fraction of workers.
Anyone who works in retail, hospitality, or medical industries knows that holidays are only for other people. Probably less than a sixth of the American workforce can enjoy the government-designated holidays.
Banks and the U.S. Post Office recognize holidays that no one else gets, such as November 11 (Veteran's Day) and the second Monday in October (used to be Columbus Day, now Indigenous People Day, and may also be Italian Heritage Day). Many of the "major" holidays have lost their original significance as Americans spend those days in shopping and entertainment.
For the vast majority of working Americans, Federal holidays are an inconvenience, because — oops, I forgot that the Post Office and banks are closed today on this so-called holiday that I forgot about. The original purpose of the celebration or the memorial has long been forgotten.
On any given holiday — both major and minor, we still get our UPS and Amazon deliveries, we still consume newspapers and media, go to grocery stores and restaurants, shop at most stores, see a doctor, or transact business. The workers in those industries are not taking a day off. In addition, manufacturing and construction do not stop for a "holiday". In fact, many retail businesses exploit the "holiday" by adding extra workers to increase sales.
The only purpose of any new Federal holiday is an extra freebie for the federal, state, and local government employees. Everyone else is still working.
Anne Schlafly Cori is the Chairman of Eagle Forum. She is also the daughter of its founder, Phyllis Schlafly.
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