By Karl Bremer
It’s Veterans Day again.
Huzzah!
Federal government workers will get the day off, whether
they served or not. Likewise, most state employees will get a holiday,
regardless of their veterans status. Bankers too. In fact, 21 percent of
private employers plan to observe the holiday in 2011, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
But if you’re a
veteran, unless you’re working for one of the employers listed above, chances
are, it’s just another day on the job. If you want to attend one of the many
events recognizing veterans today, you’ll probably have to take a day of vacation.
Which brings me
to my modest proposal.
If we are to set aside
one day a year to honor veterans and call it Veterans Day, why are we giving
the day off to nonveterans? For most, it’s an extra day to put away the mower and get
the snowblower out, a free day in the
tree stand waiting for a deer, a bonus day on the golf course, an opportunity
for a three-day road trip somewhere, or just an extra day to sleep in. Not that there’s
anything wrong with that.
But if veterans
are going to lend our name to a holiday, why not make Veterans Day truly a day
for veterans and give those who served in uniform the day off while others
work? It’s simply a matter of truth-in-advertising. Otherwise, we may as well
call it Government Workers & Bankers Day. See how well that goes over.
Minnesota wouldn’t
be the first state to move in this direction. Since 2010, all employers in the
state of Iowa are required to give veterans the day off on November 11.
However, they have the option of making that a paid or unpaid holiday for the
veteran, which in the latter instance, isn’t really a holiday at all.
Governor Dayton yesterday
announced two new veterans initiatives—one to expand a job retraining program
to all veterans and another to provide funding for military honor guards at
veterans’ funerals. Ripple in Stillwater is calling on him to add a third:
Require that all
public and private employers in the state of Minnesota give veterans a paid
holiday on November 11, and rescind it as an “official” state holiday for all others.
Memorials,
editorials, rememberances, flags and salutes are all fine. But if
you really want to show your appreciation for those who served, give
them a real holiday to go along with it.
(For the record,
I was drafted in 1972 and served two years and a day in the U.S. Army, Military
Police.)
You're one bad boy Karl. I salute you. Have a peaceful Veterans day.
ReplyDeleteWe ALL observe Veterans' Day so that ALL of us can honor veterans. It calls our attention to their service. Despite our tendency to turn every holiday into an excuse for shopping (or household chores or whatever), we do, as I see by news stories, honor veterans through ceremonies and other events. In fact, you cannot miss the observances with flags and flowers and commemorations.
ReplyDeleteThis is a silly idea.
Our best public health care system, socialized and everything, is through the VA.
ReplyDeleteOur best court system actually addresses the needs of offenders and reduces recidivism instead of increases it - for veterans only.
Our most extensive civil service benefits for government employees are those given veterans.
Just saying.
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