Well, it is the third Monday in February, government offices are closed, car dealerships are having incredible sales and the kids are out of school; it must be President’s Day in the United States of America. Not to be confused with President’s Day in Botswana, a holiday celebrated on July 19th.

Originally established as a day to honor President George Washington’s birthday, other Presidents, especially Abe Lincoln, were thrown into the mix on top of a discussed President’s Day, to honor the office, not specific Presidents that was to be held in March. States tired of Capitol Hill’s stalling on the issue and many proclaimed dates honoring Presidents from their own states as well.

Finally, the third Monday in February became a federal holiday in 1971 to comply with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Yes, Washington DC actually moved Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day so they became fixed dates on designated Mondays to increase three day weekends for federal employees and to increase consumer debt on these holidays that advertising agencies soon came to love so much. However, it took another act of Congress and seven years, to officially return Veteran’s Day to its traditional date of November 11.

Now, would this not be a prime example of government waste?