State Holidays and Objectivism


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I was having an argument with my brother and was curious of your guys/gals opinions. Should states be able to declare holidays, what is the purpose in them? If I want to remember or celebrate something shouldn't I just do it on my own. With regard to being given a day off for the holidays, if I want the day off, I take it regardless of the holiday.

Thanks,

David C.

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I was having an argument with my brother and was curious of your guys/gals opinions. Should states be able to declare holidays, what is the purpose in them? If I want to remember or celebrate something shouldn't I just do it on my own. With regard to being given a day off for the holidays, if I want the day off, I take it regardless of the holiday.

Thanks,

David C.

A day off for government workers.

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Literally, I can agree that perhaps in a purely rational society, no common holidays would exist. However, that is highly speculative. Every culture has common celebrations. Rites of passage are shared.

It would not take an Act of Congress to make July 4 a common holiday.

No law specifies Christmas and New Year, yet most businesses (especially services and manufacturing which are not directly involved) organize themselves around it. That lost week goes back to the Egyptian calendar which ignored the days not on the 360-degree annual circle. It might have been a pharaoh's command back then, but it is just informal tradition now.

The government-mandated holidays are another matter. It began with the 19th century progressives whose national anthem and pledge of allegiance (both taught in public schools) were intended to forge an American culture. Their models were Germany, France, and England. Fourth of July, Flag Day, Memorial Day, Armistice Day (now "Veterans Day") ...

Politics being what it is, American Labor Day (first Monday in September) was created to deflect Americans from celebrating May Day with all of the other workers of the world. For us, May 1 is "Law Day." Gratefully, we have no special observance. Maybe we should... you know... in a future libertarian world, May 1 could be the one day a year where everyone actually obeys all the laws. Alternately, on Talk Like a Pirate Day...

I have to agree with Bob that the ritual three-day weekend once a month serves mostly to keep governments and banks from harming us any more than they otherwise would.

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Politics being what it is, American Labor Day (first Monday in September) was created to deflect Americans from celebrating May Day with all of the other workers of the world. For us, May 1 is "Law Day." Gratefully, we have no special observance. Maybe we should... you know... in a future libertarian world, May 1 could be the one day a year where everyone actually obeys all the laws. Alternately, on Talk Like a Pirate Day...

Arrrggghhhh!

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In the private sector, employers are not required to provide holiday time off or holiday pay, so "the state" declaring holidays is irrelevant except in the sense that it's good business to include holidays as part of a standard benefits package. The issue is in the public sector, and really, if the government operated under the constraints defined by Objectivism, then I daresay most Objectivists wouldn't mind declared holidays, although I hardly see the point. I mean, if the governent operated within its bounds as protector of individual rights, I'd certainly be okay with giving the folks who did that job a day off every now and then because I'm sure they'd earn it, but can that type of job really be subject to holidays? Can you shut down that kind of "business?"

As it is, I don't even mind the declared holidays for the public sector. What gets me is "administrative leave." I spent almost two years working as a government contractor side by side with federal employees, and I can't tell you how many hours of administrative leave got handed out. It's Friday before Memorial Day, so go ahead and leave at 2pm! It's administrative leave! It's Lundi Gras, administrative leave all around! The carpets are being cleaned, yay administrative leave! (Administrative leave = paid time off)

Rant over.

To MEM's point, it does actually work exactly like he described. Mardi Gras is part of the culture where I live. School closes the week of Mardi Gras, and very few businesses do not recognize it as a holiday. No state declaration necessary.

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  • 2 months later...

They're not "state holidays", they're simply " holidays".

In certain states some holidays are declared by the state.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0002069.html

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They're not "state holidays", they're simply " holidays".

In certain states some holidays are declared by the state.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0002069.html

He is a little slow...

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