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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: So far, so good at local VA clinics ... 5 wildfires to watch ... Perseid meteor shower this week will coincide with new moon ... Our View: So far, so good at local VA clinics ... 5 wildfires to watch ... Perseid meteor shower this week will coincide with new moon ... Kent Bush: Don't regulate Thanksgiving shopping Comment By Kent Bush More Content Now MailTribune.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Nov. 25, 2014 at 11:04 AM By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Nov. 25, 2014 at 11:04 AM » Social News Sometimes lawmakers lose track of reality. Inside well-meaning rants and poorly written bills are the unintended comment that they don’t believe people can be trusted to act like adults. It’s no wonder so many people complain about the “nanny state” that tries to control every aspect of a person’s life. Now, some Ohio legislators want to tell you what to do on a holiday. “Thanksgiving Day is supposed to be a day when we retreat from consumerism,” says Cleveland’s Democratic state Rep. Mike Foley, the author of a bill to regulate commerce on Thanksgiving Day. “It’s a day when you hang out with your family, go play touch football, have a big turkey dinner, and complain about your crazy uncle or cousin — but you don’t think about super blockbuster sales at Target.” That is exactly what the pilgrims and Native Americans were thinking when they held the three-day feast to celebrate the first harvest in the new world. I know Abe Lincoln was getting ready for a big post-turkey flag football game when he proclaimed the first official national holiday for Thanksgiving. On the holiday created to encourage Americans to offer, “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,” Lincoln was really just looking for an excuse to complain about his crazy wife’s crazier brother. I understand that these legislators think they are protecting workers’ rights, but honestly, if some people find joy in shopping on a day off from work, someone else can make a profit from it. These guys are criminalizing capitalism. I enjoy sitting around eating and talking to family members I see a few times a year. I wouldn’t go to a mall on a holiday to save my life. But I know that I am not a good judge of what is typical. I wouldn’t go shopping on any day if I could avoid it. No employer truly forces anyone to work on a holiday. Most employees have personal or vacation time. If your boss demands all employees work on a holiday, you can find a new job in the service industry. If that is the only job you can get or if you like it, maybe waiting until after work to enjoy a turkey leg is the price you pay for paying the bills. First, we require all workers to be off on Thanksgiving. What next? Will they require gravy on all mashed potatoes? Isn’t that what Lincoln would have wanted? Foley said his inspiration for the bill hits close to home. Foley says he was inspired to write the bill last year while leafing through newspaper circulars advertising Thanksgiving Day sales. “My wife said, ‘You’re a legislator, do something about this,’” he said. “And I thought, ‘Well, I am.’” First, let’s take a moment to bask in the glow of successful newspaper advertising. Did you hear the thump when today’s paper hit the porch? Make sure you check out those deals and tell them you saw it in the newspaper. Second, his wife wanted him to do something about it. Why couldn’t he focus those efforts on improved race relations, job creation or world peace? Instead, Foley picked Thanksgiving retailers as a target. I won’t shop on Thanksgiving this year. But I also will refrain from sanctimonious sermons against those who do. They aren’t breaking any laws – at least not yet. Kent Bush is the publisher of the Butler County (Kansas) Times Gazette and can be reached at: [email protected] By Kent Bush More Content Now MailTribune.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Nov. 25, 2014 at 11:04 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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