Maybe Not a Happy Columbus Day

No mail today, its Columbus Day.  Not all states or governments recognize Columbus Day as a holiday.  I loved that they said on the news this morning that there would not be any negotiations in Washington today since it was a federal holiday.  I thought that it was rich for the Congress to take a holiday from governing since they have basically been taking a holiday for the last two weeks.

Columbus Day is to commemorate Christopher Columbus’ “Discovery” of America in 1492.  Ha!  He basically bumped into the Continent while looking for someplace else and now he gets a day named after him.  What about Leif Erickson?  I think the Native people’s of America actually deserve a day, or nobody gets a day.  In Hawaii they call to day Discoverers’ Day in celebration of the Polynesians’ discovery of Hawaii.

The Italian American’s had the strongest lobby in the early 1900’s and that is how Christopher Columbus got this day.  You know the Norwegian Lobby did not stand a chance to get the Leif Erickson day since he supposedly landed in Canada which we all know does not count when America is handing out holidays.  I think we can solve this whole big problem by changing the name of the holiday to Great Explorer’s Day.

Great Explorers does nothing to discount the people who were already here and let’s everyone chose whomever they want to celebrate.  I know it sounds terribly PC, something I am rarely accused of being, but why squabble about getting a day off work?

While we are on the subject of federal holidays, I have another suggestion.  I think we can combine MLK’s birthday and President’s day into one winter holiday and call it Great Leaders Day.  This will solve all future fights about someone needing recognition by letting everyone off work.  When I was a kid we had both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthday off and then they got merged into one Presidential holiday.

I do believe that MLK is worthy of national recognition, but why does he get one whole day to himself and Washington and Lincoln each get what works out to half a day?  I’m just thinking ahead that we might one day want to throw another leader into the “let’s have another Monday Holiday” pot.  It seems like that gives our elected officials a chance to appear like they are legislating while they discuss the need for a holiday rather than doing real work like passing a budget or approving the debt ceiling limit.

What I would really like is a “let’s get all our elected officials back to work 220 specified days a year” just like the non-elected working population.  No more holidays for anyone specific!