[GrumpyOldMan]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

It is NOT a zero-sum-game. A Federal employee getting a holiday COULD (?) help others to get the SAME holiday. It does NOT have to be a deterrent. Not sure why it would bother anyone?

I posted somewhere back up this thread it costs the average taxpayer about $3/year in income taxes for every day Federal employees get paid vacation.

Not what I would call a major issue for the average taxpayer today.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by spexdr

As was stated it’s a lot fewer but I do believe we should combine them perhaps Martin Luther King day along with Juneteenth. Another day off for federal employees means millions of dollars in tax payer money going to salaries with no production. We combined Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays to make Presidents’ Day so the precedent has been set.

Societies become MORE efficient when they have MORE vacation days, not LESS. For Example, Germany is considered very efficient and they get about 2 months off.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan

Pretty much the way it is. Predatory capitalism has taken over the US, and the corporations are sewing fear, uncertainty, and doubt to lock in their ownership of the country and its government.

Yes!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Joe V.

Slaves brought to America were sold by black Africans either directly or to to the Moors, as their middleman.

Seems like THAT happened outside the borders of the US and it is a minor detail. There will ALWAYS be minor exceptions to every principle!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neils View Post
When are the special holidays for American Indians? Italian Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans?




FALSE!

"Tribal territories and the slave trade ranged over present-day borders. Some Native American tribes held war captives as slaves prior to and during European colonization. Some Native Americans were captured and sold by others into slavery to Europeans, while others were captured and sold by Europeans themselves In the late 18th and 19th centuries, a small number of tribes adopted the practice of holding slaves as chattel property, holding increasing numbers of African-American slaves.[1]

European influence greatly changed slavery used by Native Americans, as pre-contact forms of slavery were generally distinct from the form of chattel slavery developed by Europeans in North America during the colonial period.[2][3] As they raided other tribes to capture slaves for sales to Europeans, they fell into destructive wars among themselves, and against Europeans.[2][3][4]"

From: Slavery among Native Americans in the United States - Wikipedia

OK, a minor example that proves the overall rule. Not important!

[Byte1]

Wow, the rest of the world is SO great, yet one poster is imprisoned here in plain old America. Have to bet he has never been overseas to any of those supposed Great countries that are so much better than ours. Instead of constantly going on a rant about other countries and changing the subject in EVERY thread, do you think we could stick with the subject of the thread?
I personally think that even though adding another redundant federal holiday of paid leave is great for some folks, the gov is causing more of a rift between folks when this country is already coping with recouping from a deadly disease, political paranoia, and violent civil unrest. Instead of worrying about playing social healer, how about worrying about folks going back to work and making sure they are safe from mass criminal activity, including a broken border that leaks worst than a sieve. Do we really need to debate "racial injustice" with everything else going on?
A litmus test for whether or not to do this right now is:
Does this improve or damage existing morale?
If you take away a paid day off, will anyone actually care about this supposed holiday of remembrance?
Kind of like the Covid relief checks. If you only give them to certain people, will anyone actually care whether or not they are handed out? How much gov money in your bank account buys your vote?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Byte1

My thought is that I was always under the impression that America was about inclusion, not exclusion. Having a specific date made a federal holiday based on race seems to be separating the races instead of impressing the idea of inclusion upon citizens. But, like covid relief checks, everyone would vote for a paid day off and accept a federal holiday, no questions asked. Humans are easily bought with FREE stuff. Another way to "legally" buy votes.
I have to agree with the other poster that said that the holiday should be merged with MLK's birthday, just like Washington and Lincoln's birthdays were merged. It is the practical thing to do. It won't happen as long as the powers that be give away freebies, but no one seems to care about the national debt anymore, not either side of the political spectrum.
Arguing about gov employee benefits is a moot point and has hardly anything to do with it. Leave has changed over the decades,as well as gov retirement. At one time, gov employees did not have social security, they do now. The percentage of pension has changed also. As a matter of fact, since I retired they started allowing sick leave to be used toward retirement, where they didn't before and you lost it if you did not use it. Things change.
Slavery was a bad thing, but none of my family was responsible for it. My family is a family of immigrants that came over well after the civil war. Still, I do not know anyone that is directly effected by slavery, so I can't relate to this. At least, not American slavery. There was other slavery.
This whole discussion is interesting and informative, but not really going to change anything. My opinion is that some folks are just pushing buttons by implementing this "federal holiday" at this time. Other than attempting to buy votes, I can not see where it is doing anything to heal the racial divide.

It will go a long way to healing the racial divide.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Do we really need a holiday to tell us this? I would think morality tells us.

and why is it racist to question this new holiday?

The holiday IS a good idea - 100% of US Senators voted for it! You won't call that many smart people wrong, will you?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Irishmen

case study in virtue signaling

We ALL could use a little dose of virtue!

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

OK, a minor example that proves the overall rule. Not important!

This is another FALSE statement.

[Byte1]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

It will go a long way to healing the racial divide.

Nope, my guess is that it will just chisel a bit more away of the structure that holds this country together. What racial divide? Seems like the only folks I hear making a giant deal out of everything "racial" are the whites. They seem to think that ONLY they know what is good for minorities and seem to think they know exactly how to punish a scape goat for something that happened to someone else that no longer lives. Sorry, but I am not going to take the blame to make some of you feel better. Funny thing about folks that insist on doing "right" is that it is always someone else that has to pay for their bright ideas. You can't fix history. The truth is there. If you wish to teach it, then put it on the time line of U.S. History and teach it along with the hundreds of thousands of good folks that died to make things right.....and succeeded. You do not need to make a holiday and think that it's going to make history change.

[jimjamuser]

Those IRS agents will be CONCENTRATING on the tax forms of the UPPER 1%. If you are NOT in that group, you will have LITTLE to worry about. Agents were let go in the recent past so that the MOST WEALTHY Americans could AVOID their taxes more EASILY. It was successful and the middle class had to pick up the slack. (or tab)

[manaboutown]

Now this is a holiday that should get federal support! (pun intended)

"Each year, unofficial Naked Hiking Day is observed on June 21, the day of the summer solstice. It may be celebrated by naked hikers singly or in groups in the woods and mountains on that date."

From: Caution: Naked Hiking Day June 21

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan

Can you provide any evidence of this?

Some would go bankrupt. Some would be ABLE to raise their prices significantly and continue. Each company has a DIFFERENT profit margin. The closest real example would be JAPANESE CEOs that would only ACCEPT a salary of 19 times that of their average factory worker. It IS a social lack of GREED thing - barely understandable to the usual self-serving US person. Remember the line from a movie, "Greed IS Good"!

[npwalters]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Every Federal office I ever "worked" in was so overstaffed that all the essential work was done by about 20 percent of the employees. The other 80 percent either did no work or just got in the way. Adding another holiday will have no affect on productivity or cost.

I worked for the federal government for about 15 years (after 26 active duty) and that was not my experience, but my organization was full of type As. I know some of the offices I had to deal with were next to worthless.