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There'll always be an Evacuation Day - and Bunker Hill Day
By adamg on Thu, 05/21/2009 - 8:30pm
Blue Mass. Group reports the state Senate narrowly defeated a proposal today to eliminate the two holidays in Suffolk County - apparently some solons worried that July 4th would be next.
Among Suffolk County senators, Sonia Chang-Diaz voted to strike the two holidays, while senators Marian Walsh, Jack Hart, Anthony Galluccio, Anthony Petrucelli and Steven Tolman voted to uphold our confusing little holidays.
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Comments
They should keep the
They should keep the holidays - and eliminate the time off for government employees.
The first thing I have heard
The first thing I have heard that makes me regret voting for Chang-Diaz
Whit
Why? Striking two government
Why?
Striking two government paid holidays that no-one else in the state gets to partake in besides those in government?
They should recognize it, but also work on it like the rest of us.
Well ...
Those in government and 40,000 or so Boston Public School students and their parents ...
Parents get school holidays off?
Geesh - that would be something I could get on to, so long as those without kids got some similar discretionary time. Otherwise, "school holidays" that nobody in the private sector gets are a PITA.
Then again, I'm wacky enough to know that I should be getting a merit raise and bonus soon, but I plan to bargain to reduce that raise to get more vacation time.
No, they don't (unless they work for the government)
But parents of kids who do get the day off obviously have to figure out what to do with them.
In many sectors they are
In many sectors they are talking about having days where the office is closed during the year to save on costs. How much money does the State save every year because of the two days off? With all those buildings being closed for the day it must be allot. Its a cost saving feature.
BTW Ive never had either of these days off. I took Evacuation day off as a vacation day one year, but that was from my vacation account.
If a state worker falls in the woods...
If a state worker takes a paid day off in the woods and nobody notices, should they get paid?
Maybe we need a stress test for the state like the banks - rank everybody in order of priority from 1 to 70,000 or however many we have and basically tell 1000 people every day to take the day off starting with the lowest ranked employees.
Keep doing that until somebody notices - then we know how many jobs we really need. Won't solve the budget crisis - but I bet we wouldn't need to increase in the sales tax.
Its funny stevil....
The lowest ranked and lowest paid employees are more important to be at work than the highest ranked and higest paid employees I think.
Probably cheaper and more effieient to make the higest paid and ranked to take non-paid days off!
Agreed
Especially short-term.
Longer-term, you also need people working on higher-level stuff. It will generally take a while to notice after these higher-level people stop working. By the time you notice, you're probably in big trouble.
Well, you need *good* high-level people. *Bad* high-level people are indistinguishable from non-working people, or even worse. :)
Not what I meant
Not in order of salary or self importance - basically ranked in order of essential - of course completely subjective - in theory the head of a department could be ranked last of the whole bunch. And seriously - tongue was rather firmly planted in cheek!
That is true, I think we
That is true, I think we miss the person who delivers the mail, the guy who shovels the snow, and the guy who picks up the garbage rather quickly. If we look at the bigger picture the world would come to a halt if all coffee shops were closed because the counter staff did not show up lol.
On the other hand I could really care less if my boss is around until payday...
Need More Holidays
I've never had those holidays off, but I can't get worked up about the vote to keep them. If they did away with them, even for the privileged few, it would be a step in the wrong direction. We need more holidays. Everyone knows that compared to Europeans we work like slaves. They have so many more vacation days and holidays and seem to do just fine.
The only thing wrong is that it is unfair that so few people (hacks?) get to take advantage of those days. They should have voted to make the holidays statewide.
I agree , many problems we
I agree , many problems we see in State Government, City Government and Union dominated professions are actually what many of us think everyone should get. Two extra holidays celebrating local events, yes please. Health care thats affordable, yes please. Living wage, hell ya. Paid vacation day, that would be nice. Job security, well isn't that nice of you to offer. Transporation stipend for those taking the MBTA, well I was going to drive in but yeah Ill take the T if its subsidized.
There are two types of people who complain about government employees.
Group one are those private sector types (Im more of a non profit type, we love the Gov guys for the most part) who make MORE then the government people. They get great benefits, vacation time 401k. They make allot so they pay allot in taxes, and they feel that everyone else should be a popper of some sort because they did not go into business.
Group two are the poorer people who make less the then Government guys. They are jealous of the perks, but if you pulled them aside and asked them they would admit that they would love those benefits for themselves. They toil long hours and never get a paid vacation, they do not have health insurance. Of course they are bitter, they see what the government guys are getting. The problem is if they only knew what group one was getting, that would send them through the roof.
It's a sustainability problem, not a jealousy problem
if I can't afford an executive chef to cook three squares a day for my employees, and my private business can't afford to give them free cars and more health insurance than a person could ever use, my business doesn't do it. If my business DOES do that, it eventually goes away. The problem self-corrects.
When government wants to provide massive measures of largesse to people who WANT it but don't NEED it, and even when it's not sustainable (as it is not in MA) it happens anyway.
That's why the state is slipping irretrievably into the blackest of financial black holes, why the infrastructure is falling to pieces, social programs to keep people from suffering or dying are being ended, and, well, on and on. Just have a look.
This is not about jealousy. This is about watching those with control over money lavishing it on themselves, proudly, rather than prioritizing their obligations to an entire state full of people who trusted them not to screw it up.
zbert you are right...
but there might be a company out there that does give more health insurance and a free car that will get the better employee and that employee will make more money for the company. So the the business doesn't always eventually go away, only the companies that don't make enough money to keep the best employees.
I see your point about the state though, there has to be cutbacks and programs do have to be restored.
Well look at it this way. At
Well look at it this way. At the top there are perks and at the bottom there are perks. It is not the average workers fault that the CEO takes an excess. Taking away Evacuation Day from the janitors is not going to make up for Devals Caddy. Everyone is mad at the financial industry, but I dont believe anyone is upset with the normal workers who run the buildings, the admin assistants and secretaries of these people. In many ways we focus way too much on the service level employees when the real "crimes" are happening at the executive levels.
The Importance of these Holidays
is often overlooked because of the fact that they only exist in Suffolk County. Contrary to popular belief, the actions on Patriot's Day in Lexington and Concord were only a skirmish, nothing close to an actual battle or a declaration of War. The Battle of Bunker Hill was a decisive action taken by rebels who were attempting to protect and blockade Charlestown from the British Troops. Bunker Hill was the first legitimate battle of the American Revolution, and though is was, technically, a loss (the Troops took the land on their third offensive after the Rebels ran out of ammunition), the Rebels showed astounding presence and skill resulting in the casualties of almost half of the British Troops! This is a major event in our nation's history and deserves a great deal more respect than it gets. Bunker Hill was also a great inspiration and educator for the actions taken at Dorchester Heights on Evacuation Day. When Washington arrived with teh cannons from Ticonderoga, and the rebels arrived with sufficient ammunition, the Troops decided to cut their losses and leave the city. Based on their humiliating victory at Bunker Hill, they could not risk an actual Loss to these common Rebels!!!
These days are both great achievements in American History, and the only thing wrong with the existance of these holidays is the fact that they exist nowhere else!
I can think of 261 great events in the history of our nation
But to most people, those will just be 261 weekdays they don't have to go to work.