Should this really be a holiday (10/11/04)

You have to wonder.

What did today cost the United States in terms of lost productivity?

And was it worth it?

Today, in case you're wondering, was Columbus Day, as meaningless a dinosaur as there is to be found on the American calendar.

We're all in favor of recognizing 1492 and the fact that Christopher Columbus stumbled onto islands on the outskirts of the Americas that he had no idea he'd ever find.

We won't even get into the debate over Eric the Red and Norsemen coming to North America earlier or the obvious fact that the place was already populated when Europeans stumbled in this direction.

We'd still say that the Columbus "discovery" rates mention on the calendar. It's worthy of study in school, speeches by politicians, and maybe even a parade or two.

What it's not worthy of is a shutdown of federal offices and the postal system.

Honor Columbus. Just don't make him an excuse for another day off.

Many banks and virtually all local government offices have already learned that lesson. But it's a discovery the feds have yet to make. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]