Hope you all had a happy Presidents' Day weekend-- naturally it was a busy time on the Beltway Basketball Bonanza...and the holiday brings a very pressing matter to mind:
Just one holiday for 42 people? I'm all for honoring our nation's leaders-- but does James Buchanan deserve equal billing with George Washington? Did Benjamin Harrison have the same impact as Franklin Roosevelt? I believe it's completely unfair; we as a country place a premium on being a successful chief executive but then honor everyone with the same 1/42 share-- that's 2.38%. Thomas Jefferson brought us the Louisiana Purchase, and gets less than a 3% tip?
The solution: create a Presidents' Day Weekend. Separate the wheat from the chaff and honor those who don't make the cut on Friday afternoon/evening, followed by "Super Presidents' Day" on Monday. Who exactly is a "Super President"?
1--Must be deceased-- (sorry Bill)...
2--Mount Rushmore-- If you are chiseled into the side of a hill-- you qualify. That means Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
3--Money-- You get consideration if you're on a coin or a dollar bill-- but it's not automatic. Sorry Grant, Cleveland and McKinley--congratulations FDR, Wilson and Jackson.
4--Veterans Committee-- An alternating honoree from the 19th and 20th centuries--two highly underrated chief executives: James K. Polk is my 1800's choice; Harry Truman my 1900's representative.
5--Partisan Picks-- Let's throw a bone to each party by adding Reagan and JFK--if the Kennedy half dollar was still in circulation I'd be on the fence, same with the Eisenhower silver dollar.
There you are-- ten super presidents honored together the third Sunday of every month-- while the other 32 share a happy hour at Tchotchkies (Grant would love that).
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