Once again one of our elected lawmakers has decided to spend his time and waste taxpayer money to file a bill that is of no value to his constituents. Sen. Steve Wise, R-Jacksonville has filed Senate Bill 1136 in Tallahassee. The bill would require all 67 school districts in Florida to call their December break “Christmas break” instead of “winter break”. Give me a break!
First of all, haven’t we been down this path several times? When I was in school we called it “Christmas break”. Then trying so hard not to offend non Christians we changed it to “holiday break”. I haven’t been able to document how many times we have flip-flopped on this topic but I suspect it has changed more than once. Here are my thoughts on the issue.
First, if you research how Christmas in America evolved and what it means to most people you will find that a majority of us believe that it is a season of giving for all faiths. The celebration of the birth of Christ belongs to the Christians but the acts of giving and good will are celebrated by all including non Christians. It’s a time to enjoy our family and friends and together generate hope for peace in our world.
Secondly, has anyone figured the cost to file a bill in the legislature? I couldn’t find an estimate anywhere but I would guess that the related expenses to create and pass a bill would be significant. We have elected these people to do a job for us, to help resolve the important issues that impact the citizens of our state. Wouldn’t it be better that me Wise spend this time on creating jobs or improving protecting our environment? As of 2009, the annual salary of a Florida senator was $174,000. We pay those salaries with our tax dollars so shouldn’t we have something to say about what these people do with our money? Let people call it what they want and stop wasting time and money.
