OPINION:
Don Feder is absolutely right that the liberal ploy to rename Columbus Day Indigenous People’s Day is a scam (“Presidents Day, a scam designed to rob us of our history,” Web, Feb. 15).
And while I agree with Mr. Feder that Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are each deserving of a federal holiday, I disagree that Presidents Day is part of the left’s campaign to undo the honor we associate with the two statesmen.
In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, moving the day off for Washington’s birthday from the actual birthday (February 22) to the third Monday of the month, allowing for more three-day weekends. At the time, Congress considered replacing it with a Presidents Day to honor not just Washington, but Lincoln as well, who was born on Feb. 12.
The intention was never to honor all presidents, just Lincoln and Washington.
In any event, the idea was officially rejected and we retained the holiday honoring our first president. (I have to wonder if the proximity of their birthdays impedes any effort to give Lincoln his own holiday.) The idea of a Presidents Day, however, had a lot of commercial appeal and advertisements for various sales events have been common ever since.
It’s not some recent liberal invention.
JAMES RYAN
Silver Spring, Maryland
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