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Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

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Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#71

Post by geofft »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #32
murat131 wrote: post #23

As long as slavery is still legal and well and alive and kicking in US prison system (thanks to 13th amendment) gestures like this won't mean much.

> Penal labor in the United States is explicitly allowed by the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." What are most prisoners forced to do?

Near where I grew up there's a state prison called Angola, built in 1880 on the site of an old plantation called Angola. The slave quarters were repurposed as the original prisoner quarters. Mostly-black prisoners raise cotton and other crops for pennies on the hour, overseen by mostly-white officers called "freemen."

https://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/caseconsortium/casestud...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_State_Penitentiary

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#72

Post by spywaregorilla »

baggy_trough wrote: post #5

"Republican legislation to limit teaching a historically accurate picture of U.S. history in public institutions has advanced in some half a dozen states." Mind-boggling propaganda.

Can you explain why you believe this isn't a factual claim?

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#73

Post by arrosenberg »

andy_ppp wrote: post #57
jeffbee wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most Senate business is unanimous consent. I don't think it's misleading.

That’s fine, I’m from the UK and didn't get that the Senate uses words to mean completely different things from the actual meaning in certain contexts. We do it too, I’m certain.

The technically correct term is "approved by unanimous consent", which makes perfect sense. Just the media changing it.

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#74

Post by overlordalex »

loonster wrote: post #62
eganist wrote: post #16

This is a good symbolic gesture, but making election day a federal holiday equivalent in standing with Christmas would have real and positive impact. But the latter never draws the votes in congress, so that should tell us how meaningless this vote truly was.

Make it a 1/2 day public holiday starting at 12pm. This way employees will be less likely to take Monday off and have a 4 day weekend. Make serving as as working the polls equivalent to jury duty. All employers must give the days off if employee wants to work the polls.

In South Africa voting is always on a Wednesday, and I've always been told the logic is:

Avoid Monday and Friday so that workers won't take a 3 day weekend.

Similarly, avoid Tuesday and Thursday so that workers don't take a vacation day for a 4 day weekend - even though fewer workers would do this, it would still be a massive hit on productivity, and workers would more likely to travel and thus be outside their electoral areas

Hence, midweek

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#75

Post by dap »

nopzor wrote: post #37
Alex3917 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MLK’s birthday should be changed to Election Day. No extra day off, and everyone goes into the polls reminded of his legacy.

do you mean election day should be changed to MLK's birthday?

I assume they meant that the existing federal holiday observing MLK‘s birthday should be moved to the existing Election Day, So that election day is off for most people, and we still observe MLK, and there can be no objection to an additional holiday.

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#76

Post by robotresearcher »

dalbasal wrote: post #63
nopzor wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

do you mean election day should be changed to MLK's birthday?

The Queens Birthday (a public holiday) is on a different date in different commonwealth countries... so maybe not that wild a suggestion.

It's not a public holiday in the UK. Some civil servants get a 'privilege day' off, but most Brits don't even know about this.

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#77

Post by spywaregorilla »

vfclists wrote: post #69
spywaregorilla wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you speak for all black people?

Have I claimed that I speak for all Black people?

I mean, you seem to have confidently written "Black people don't need Juneteenth holidays" which I'm sure many Black individuals would disagree with.

This is made more ironic when in the line above you criticize white people for dictating what Black people need.

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#78

Post by saalweachter »

dalbasal wrote: post #63
nopzor wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

do you mean election day should be changed to MLK's birthday?

The Queens Birthday (a public holiday) is on a different date in different commonwealth countries... so maybe not that wild a suggestion.

I maintain that the Fourth of July should be made a floating holiday, on the first Thursday in July, to facilitate 4-day weekends.

So this year, for instance, the calendar would go July 4 (Independence Day, Thursday) - July 1 (Friday) - July 2 (Saturday) - July 3 (Sunday) - July 5 (Monday).

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#79

Post by lupire »

spoonjim wrote: post #26
seneca wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a feature, not a bug. No one cares about Juneteenth just like no one cares about Kwanza, so there's no disagreement, so it sails through. When people care, there's disagreement and deadlock. Change to things that actually matter is supposed to be slow and difficult in Government. Otherwise there would be constant change as either side managed to seize power, and our legal system would be completely unpredictab…

The American system was not intended to be as dysfunctional as it is. Its present state is a consequence of primary elections, which were a terrible idea created by people much dumber than the Founders.

The American system was intended to be torn up and redesigned by 1800 and every 20yrs afterward.

Re: Senate Unanimously Approves a Bill to Make Juneteenth a Public Holiday

#80

Post by lupire »

threatofrain wrote: post #11
paxys wrote: post #7

What does making it a public holiday mean? I assume federal government offices will be shut on that day. What about state offices? Banks, other services? Private companies?

Companies and schools tend to echo federal holidays, so this will have some small effect but on a very big scale.

Most schools already close for Juneteenth; it's summer break.
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