President's Day - A Time to Celebrate

Love ‘em or hate ‘em. The 43 men (Cleveland counts twice because he had a split term) who have occupied the White House have affected the lives of more people in one day than many of us will in a lifetime. For those of us that think politics is a bit insane, think about all the good that is done – or, at the least, can be done.

The president can provide food for the hungry, homes for the homeless and help for the hopeless. He, and perhaps one day “she,” is counted on to fix a broken economy, to protect us from outside threats while maintaining a free and open society, to ensure that all citizens are treated equally under the law, to clean the air, to maintain national peace, to manage a staff of nearly 2 million and a budget of trillions, and…well, you get the point. In the end, every president simply wants to create a more a perfect union.

Given these heavy responsibilities, the presidency must be the most stressful job in the world, as evidenced by the graying of their hair throughout their tenure. On top of this, there is a near certainty that a large portion of the country will hate him and think he is ill-equipped to perform the duties of his position. There are even some that root for his failure – which is our failure – yet claim they love their country (note the contradiction there).

The truth is, it is easy to criticize the president, and that is our right as Americans. But let’s not forget, in the course of civil debate, that Presidents Bush (41), Clinton, Bush (43) and Obama all love our country and try to do what’s right. They all agree in the importance of national security, economic prosperity and human rights. Where they differ is on how to best accomplish our national priorities. Let’s never forget that.

Regardless of the ease in which we critique the president’s policies, it is still the most important position in the world. The stakes are never higher, the impact never greater. Aspiring to be the President of the United States should continue to be the highest goal of idealistic kids determining what they want to be when they grow up.

Let’s treat today as more than simply a day off of work. Let’s thank these men who committed themselves to serving the greatest country in the world and worked to make this world a little better than they found it.