Last year when I was still writing full-time for the Chautauqua Star, I did a commentary on President's Day. Here it is again, in case you missed it the first time.
 |
| Pres. Zachery Taylor - Bad Ass |
The middle of February has arrived, and that can only mean one thing – President’s Day! I know most people associate the middle of the second month with cupids and hearts and candy and all kinds of other mushy things. But for my money, no day in February is more important than the day we get to honor all of our nation's past leaders.
We celebrate President’s Day in February because two of our most noteworthy presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, were born during this month (Washington's birthday is Feb. 22 while Lincoln's comes Feb. 12). For a time, both days were honored as legal holidays in many states, although Lincoln's Birthday never achieved "National Holiday" status like Washington's did.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon combined Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays into the federal holiday known as "President’s Day." It would be celebrated on the third Monday in February, regardless of which day it fell on. Personally, I'd prefer to have both birthdays celebrated separately, in
