I thought today was ~halfway between Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays?
I’m cranky too though, because I don’t get the day off.
Heh. Seems more complicated than I realized, anyway.
Yeah, Presidents’ Day is a consolidation of the former Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday holidays.
If I remember correctly, it was a tradeoff for making MLK Day an official holiday, as well as Mondayization.
I don’t get MLK off, neither 
Oddly enough I had to look this up just yesterday, and learned it’s still Washington’s Birthday in Federal law, but most states have changed the name in a most haphazard way, including “George Washington’s Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day in Arkansas”
I believe in Louisiana they celebrate, or did, Robert E. Lee’s birthday in lieu of MLK day.
Does anyone dispute that Washington has enough stuff named after him already? Especially for a guy who would basically be a monster by contemporary standards of morality?
Dude, the entire past was a monster. Still, good things happened from time to time.
Peanut butter, man. Crime against humanity.
Also, y’know, terrorist freedom fighter.
I also like that it’s possibly Presidents Day, Presidents’ Day and President’s Day, depending on which state you are in. But not Presidents’s Day.
Those Southern scamps!
All I’m saying is that a state, countless cities (including the capitol of the U.S.), millions of streets, bridges, schools and a giant phallic monument are more than adequate to memorialize a man whose idea of freedom was “white male Christian land-owners shouldn’t have to pay so much in taxes for the income their slaves generate.” If we need to elevate a founding father to demigod status then we might as well go with Franklin.
(Edit to add: also the one-dollar bill, the back of the two-dollar bill, the quarter, a major university, a plaque in pretty much every locale he ever spent the night at, a mountain carved in his likeness…)
Here they solved this problem by not giving kids off from school today and instead giving them Rodeo Day off.
Carver. George Washington Carver. Big difference.
He also had the remarkable political abilities of both being effective and having self-restraint. These are not easily dismissed, and honestly as far I am concerned it would have been tough to have found a better first President than he proved to be.
It is, still, admittedly, a bit odd just how much gets named after him.
But you’re okay with the terrorist angle?
I hear the fucker cut down trees, too.
He was OK with the idea of taxes once he had power.
No, you’re thinking of George Foreman. Common mistake.
When is George Foreman day? Can I get that day off?
I thought he was a chef?
I think he sculpted Mount Rushmore.
No, that was Richard Dreyfuss.
I don’t know about the rest of the state, but the ATL observes MLK day, with a parade, guest speakers at Ebeneezer, usually an event hosted by one of the colleges, which has different speakers, hands on Atlanta usually has a day of service… it’s big here in town because, of course, this is King’s birthplace. I don’t really know if anyone once you get past the metro area celebrates Robert E Lee day. I’d suspect if they did, it’s probably in whiter, ruraler areas. I never remember having anyone bring it up when I lived elsewhere in the state - MLK was indeed observed in the 80s and 90s, as was (a very perfunctory version of) black history month. I’d suspect the divide would be between the rural southern part of the state and the more urban areas.
