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August 25, 2005
five weeks without you and I still haven't gotten over you yet...
Despite my general level of loathing for It That Lives On Pennsylvania Avenue, I am all for any American who takes a five-week vacation - as long as said leader works to ensure that all the other Americans can do the same thing, which they currently can't working two jobs or minimum-wage poverty level jobs with no health insurance. Granted, his timing isn't quite as smooth as it could be, but everyone else is away from The District at this time of year too. The weather sucks in DC in August. I understand it when anyone leaves this time of year. It's just no fun to be here, even when you're the President.
I keep reading news articles that say "too much" and "too many" in reference to his vacation, and I can't help but wonder if a lot of Americans simply can't conceive of a month-plus vacation, which we all deserve. A month-plus vacation is not uncommon in Europe. We have a skewed view of vacations here in America as many of us are workaholics, especially in DC, the Type A ghetto of the nation. My boss can't even be away for a week without "checking in," and do any of you really think Bush hasn't been working during this time? His whole office is down there. Sounds fun.
(Side Note: he has also been photographed mountain biking many times, thus setting an example of an active lifestyle, which in turn may help curb the alarming rise of morbid obesity in this country. I.E. the President gets his ass off the couch, so should you.)
In the past year I've had the luxury and the expendable income to have taken several week-long trips, due to rapid accrual of vacation time by virtue of working in a university environment. Past contractor positions were not so generous with leave time. Consequently they suck, and I'm never going back to indentured servitude again. These days I can't use enough leave time, and I love it. I have found that I can't seem to enjoy a vacation if it's longer than a week, so I end up with plenty of time to take valuable and refreshing 'Jimbo Day' hooky days, which I also love to do. Everyone should take plenty of vacations and mental health days. You will be more productive when you are at work.
Anyway, it's a matter of perspective. I don't perceive the President's time away from the White House as excessive, and he isn't really away from his job or his work. HOWEVER, when most Americans can't take an equal time away from their own jobs (as they should be able to do) it is understandably a problem with a lot of Americans, which is why it ain't the best image for a President to have right now.
Speaking of vacations, I am off to a friend's farm this weekend for some fishing, fresh air, silence, stars, no news media, and drooly, sloppy, hyper BULLDOGS!
Posted by jimbo at August 25, 2005 10:07 AM
Comments
Hey Jimbo,
Let's give DUH-bya some credit. He has already set the all time vacation record for a President and he still has 2 years to go!
Just another DC over achiever.
Posted by: Dinger at August 25, 2005 11:25 AM
After 15 years feds get 5 weeks of leave. He's been on the job not even half that. He'd better be taking LWOP for those hours!
I try to take vacation abroad so I can't be reached. I don't "do" check-ins or work on my vacation. They're not paying me double for it, so why work on already paid time.
Posted by: copperred at August 25, 2005 2:33 PM
People seem to forget that back in the 19th century when cities where dangerous health-wise in the summertime most cities pretty much emptied-out on a regular basis once it got hot. And this continued into the 20th century until air condistioning became wide-spread. In the scheme of things, I don't think Dubya ditching DC for 5 weeks in the middle of the summer is all that unusal. As for if he is *really* on vacation or not, he seems to be able to get in his bikerides and workouts even when he's here - so what's really the diff? I don't really like the man (understatement), but I've always thought that this is a rather silly area to pick on him.
Posted by: Andy at August 25, 2005 3:02 PM
The irony you point out here is right on. If only we had a reasonable amount of time off, we could focus on George's other issues. We are one of the only (maybe THE only) industrialized countries that guarantees zero vacation days per year. Even in Japan, workers are guaranteed 2 weeks per year, the minimum of all the others. 5 weeks in Europe is common. We seem to work our asses off just to retire and have a heart attack the next day from the big change.
Posted by: Troy at August 26, 2005 1:57 AM