Alabama County's New Holiday: "Obama Day"

Largely African-American County In Central Alabama Passes Measure For November Holiday

(AP)  In central Alabama's Perry County, government workers already get a day off for President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Veterans Day. In 2009, they'll get one more: “Barack Obama Day.”

The rural county, which overwhelmingly supported Obama in last month's presidential election, has approved the second Monday in November as “The Barack Obama Day.” Commissioners passed a measure that would close county offices for the new annual holiday and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid day off.

Sponsoring commissioner Albert Turner Jr. said the holiday is meant to highlight the Democratic president-elect's victory as a way to give people faith that difficult goals can be achieved.

Perry County has 12,000 residents, most of them black. Voters there backed Obama by over 70 percent in a state that gave 60 percent of the overall vote to Republican John McCain based largely on strong support from white voters.

At the state level, Alabama observes the standard federal holidays as well as a handful of its own that include Confederate Memorial Day in April and the June birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It observes Martin Luther King's birthday in January but the holiday is twinned with commemoration of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the same day.

The Perry County Commission's three black members and one of its two white members voted for the Obama holiday.

Commissioner Brett Harrison said Wednesday he voted against the resolution because of the costs to the county, which has a $2.2 million annual payroll and is one of the poorest in the state. He said closing the courthouse would also idle some state employees.

“I'm a Democrat, but just in these financial times, it's not using the county's money wisely,” Harrison told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday. “The recognition is certainly well-founded.”

Turner said copies of the resolution, adopted at a Nov. 25 meeting, have been mailed to Obama and his transition team.

[likeitis5050]

Interesting to note one the states with the worst reading scores in the world wants to add yet another day to the calendar for students to be out of school...any wonder why they are behind in every area?

[likeitis5050]

%u201CI''m a Democrat, but just in these financial times, it''s not using the county''s money wisely,%u201D Harrison told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday. %u201CThe recognition is certainly well-founded.%u201D


It''s fun to watch people ''tip toe'' around the idea of not backing something, anything, Obama-related and still hold their head up as a Democrat....wouldn''t want the label ''racist'' to get thrown at you, after all.

[chitown4716]

Its a shame that in Alabama Dr. Martin Luther Kings birthday is celebrated on the same day as with the commemoration of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

King prominently lead the American civil rights movement through civil disobedience and other non-violent means in a quest for equality for all Americans. In contrast, Lee lead young men into war against their own countrymen in a quest to preserve the evil and demoralizing pratice of human slavery.

Its an insult to all Americans that the name Robert E. Lee be mentioned in the same breath as Martin Luther King, much less both men celebrated on the same day.

[bbasso-2009]

i think that is sooo stupid for him to have a holiday named after him!!!


alabama is sooo freaking DUMB!!!!!

[kansas1946]

LOL. I bet all of those rednecks in the rest of Alabama are about to drop dead of a coronary.