Federal Holidays

[The Lonely Rationalist]

This might seem like a ridiculous question, but should a government actually declare federal holidays?

On the issue of something like Christmas, it seems like declaring a holiday for a religious reason (No matter how secular that holiday may be) is a mixing of church and state. On purely secular holidays, such as Memorial Day, I really have no opinion at all.

[Black Wolf]

There should be no federal holidays.

Businessmen aren't evil horrible slave-drivers. If you want a day off to spend time with family, just request it. Even C.E.Os want time to spend with their family. It would be an irrational decision on their part to say "NO! WORK FOR ME 365 DAYS A YEAR UNTIL YOU DEVELOP EPILEPSY", because the competing businesses who don't treat their workers like that will just hire them. They'll develop a bad reputation for employment, and that will not only affect their productivity, but their sales.

Edited December 16, 2009 by Black Wolf

[The Lonely Rationalist]

Perhaps I should clarify. I don't support the government forcing businesses to give people the day off, I was jsut wondering if the government should DECLARE federal holidays and give state employees the day off.

[Jake_Ellison]

I agree, declaring federal holidays and forcing people to stay at home or close down businesses on certain days are two different things. I don't have a problem with July 4th, etc. being days with officially sanctioned, special meanings, in fact I'd go as far as to say it's a minor issue, but a good idea to have at least one such day. (even Christmas can be a holiday, CapMag.org has a great Peikoff article explaining its true meaning on the front page: http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=2254)

Edited December 16, 2009 by Jake_Ellison

[The Lonely Rationalist]

I agree, declaring federal holidays and forcing people to stay at home or close down businesses on certain days are two different things. I don't have a problem with July 4th, etc. being days with officially sanctioned, special meanings, in fact I'd go as far as to say it's a minor issue, but a good idea to have at least one such day. (even Christmas can be a holiday, CapMag.org has a great Peikoff article explaining its true meaning on the front page: http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=2254)

I agree it's a very minor issue.

But I'm just curious what reason would be given for declaring something a federal holiday, other than religious reasons. Would it be national pride?

[Jake_Ellison]

I agree it's a very minor issue.

But I'm just curious what reason would be given for declaring something a federal holiday, other than religious reasons. Would it be national pride?

A celebration of the country. National pride is a bit of a false concept, since pride is a personal virtue, I'd say national gratitude and thanksgiving -- to those who established the free country and protect it from harm, from within and without -- rather than pride.

[DavidOdden]

A federal holiday is a day when federal employees (generally) do not work. Exceptions, of course, exist in that the military does not close down on holidays, nor do CIA spies leave the nation unprotected. So, of course federal holidays should exist. The claim that Christmas is a religious holiday is dubious and irrelevant -- if Pentecost or Ash Wednesday were federal holidays, then the case could legitimately be made that this is improper mixing of church and state. Xmas would exist even if there were no church.

[Capitalism Forever]

I was jsut wondering if the government should DECLARE federal holidays and give state employees the day off.

Whether state employees are given the day off is an internal matter of the government agencies in question (provided it does not affect national security or the protection of individual rights).

Designating a day as the recommended day to celebrate, say, the founding of the nation, is fine--but of course the government of a free country may not require anyone to celebrate anything, nor force businesses to give a day off to their employees, nor prohibit trading on any day, etc.