I'm a little late with this post. After all, election day began this morning. Many of you old-fashioned types probably still think election day isn't until the first Tuesday in November. HA! Due to the steady march of "progress" election day is now some fifteen days earlier than in the old days, when evil Republicans used fire hoses to keep blacks from the polls. They've even arranged for election day to be 372 hours long, not like that archaic and reactionary 12-hour election day. Man, they've thought of EVERYTHING!
Posted by JohnGalt at October 18, 2004 10:23 PMThis is absurd. How does this pass Constitutional muster?
First Tuesday in November ought to be good enough... and that was in horse and buggy days.
With these new-fangled automobiles, it ought to be good enough!!!
(absentee excepted)
Posted by: AlexC at October 19, 2004 12:25 AMMore time for fraud...
Posted by: jk at October 19, 2004 04:52 AMGlenn Beck says, "Why not election YEAR?"
Posted by: johngalt at October 19, 2004 07:01 AMAs the resident Luddite of the bunch, I say back to voting on November 2nd, and back to paper ballots. If Barbara Bush can punch through her ballot without hanging a Chad or impregnating the darn thing, so can you. If it's good enough for Hank, it's good enough for me!
Posted by: sugarchuck at October 19, 2004 07:41 AMHow about we make Nov. 2 a national holiday? That way everyone has time to vote and get to the correct polling place in their district without having to have two weeks worth of voting?
Posted by: Silence Dogood at October 21, 2004 01:27 PMYeah, the government will dictate to private industry a mandate to offer a coerced employee benefit. If the employer cannot afford it, they will be visited in the night by jack-booted thugs with JOhn Ashcroft armbands.
You and I truly see the world diferently, Silence...
Posted by: jk at October 21, 2004 04:10 PMHmm, it is important enough to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, honor our veterans, salute labor, even the birthday of our most honored presidents with a national holiday, but honoring the voting process that is the halmark of our freedom and democracy is just not worth it? I am sure thousands of companies would just have to declare bankruptcy with one less day of work, sheesh.
Posted by: Silence Dogood at October 26, 2004 09:40 AMYou're right, let's trade it for Labor Day!
Is this an urban legend: I was always told that it was illegal to discipline an employee for time missed voting -- is that right?
Posted by: jk at October 26, 2004 10:21 AMI suspect that may be an urban legend. Why all companies delude themselves that cracking down on stuff like this, or reducing the number of holidays actually gets more work done I don't know. (He said as he typed away on company time) Motivaton and efficiency loom larger than hours worked.
Posted by: Silence Dogood at October 27, 2004 10:31 AMI think your point holds for Senior Engineering Staff. But the cheap, evil corporate bastards have hourly hires who must staff certain positions and be paid time-and-a-half on a holiday.
Sad to say, the extra refreshment of a day off will probably not be recovered from the receptionist or cleaning staff of your workplace -- and less so from retail clerks and unskilled labor.
Posted by: jk at October 27, 2004 04:18 PM