by Curt Kovener
This past 10 days or so confirmed to me my firm belief of many years. No, not with a 65° Christmas that Global Warming is fact not a myth. Well, it is, but that’s not the point or purpose of this column.
No, many years ago the federal government got it all wrong when they established federal holidays to be celebrated on a Monday.
With back-to-back Christmas and New Years falling on Friday, I am convinced a Friday holiday is better for celebrating, families, and personal psyche.
I finished up the newspaper before the one you are reading on Christmas Eve eve. Many folks, especially government are taking Dec. 24 & 25 off. And that is not a bad thing.
But last year’s calendar prompted holidays fell on Friday and the day after the holiday was Saturday but it felt like Sunday which was yet to arrive the next day. So if felt like we all had a nicely long weekend. It felt like I had an exceptionally abundant amount for family, friends and relaxing.
We are all aware that Congress, of late, doesn’t do much, but they should change the federally observed holidays from Mondays to Fridays. Most of you would still get a three-day weekend and beginning on a Friday would mean the rest of us could as well.
You see, while many are enjoying their Monday holiday, we in the weekly newspaper business still have to have the newspaper ready to be printed Tuesday morning. So I must work the Monday holiday. A Friday holiday would mean I get the same privilege you do.
And those tea totaling religious friends should like that the three-day weekend end on a Sunday when the liquor stores are closed rather than on a Monday when those not in the weekly newspaper business can re-stock their liquor cabinets and refrigerators on Mondays and go to work Tuesday with potential hangovers.
I have thought about this proposition for the past two weeks and can think of no down side to it.
To change federal holidays from Monday to Friday would required congressional approval and this do-nothing congress is pretty loathe to approve anything even as mundane shifting a holiday observance.
So rather than contact my Congressperson to get the ball rolling to move federal holidays from Mondays to Fridays, I have a plan for quicker action. I just need to convince President Obama voice his opposition to Friday federal holidays.
It would be the quickest way to get congress to approve moving federal holidays to the end of the week.
