I bet everyone enjoyed the 4th of July, which is why we need more federal holidays.
Holidays are a fun reason not to work, and the simple fact is that Americans work too hard. According to Gallup, the average work week for full time employees is 47 hours. Given how difficult it would be to convince the current Congress to adopt regulations calling for mandatory vacation for workers, maybe the best hope for reducing the time Americans spend working is more federal holidays. Here are my top three suggestions:
Moon Landing Day, July 20th - How is this not already a national holiday? The Apollo 11 mission was perhaps the single greatest achievement of the United States of America. It was a proud moment not just for our country but for the entire world. In a thousand years, this achievement will still be remembered while almost everything else from the 20th century will be forgotten. This would be a perfect day to celebrate science, engineering, and what we can achieve when we work together for the greater good.
19th Amendment Day, August 18th - Americans take pride in the fact that our country was founded on the principles of freedom and democracy, but for too long over half of our population was denied the right to take part in the democratic process. The ratification of the 19th Amendment is arguably the moment when we actually became a true democracy. August 18th should be a day to celebrate democracy and women.
Mr. Rogers Day, March 20th - Mr. Rogers was an kind, caring neighbor to us all. He dedicated his life to educating children and teaching them to be better people. Generations were touched by his show. Mr. Rogers Day should be the celebration of neighbors and being more neighborly -- a day for block parties and local events.
No comments:
Post a Comment