When they aren't busy devising new ways to infringe on our liberties, the hordes of bureaucrats occupying the regulatory state in Washington are taking days off courtesy of the American taxpayer.
With President Biden's signature making Juneteenth a federal holiday, the average federal employee now gets 44 paid days off per year, according to our friends at Open the Books. That includes 13 sick days, 20 vacation days, and now, 11 federal holidays.
All of those days off are paid for by everyday Americans, of course. Open the Books estimates that these benefits cost our country $22.6 billion each year, and each federal holiday costs us $818 million (and that's not counting the Postal Service or the military). This means that every American taxpayer pays about $160 each year so that Deep State employees can have lots of paid time off.
It's well and good that we as a country have decided to mark the end of slavery with a national holiday. Juneteenth is the day that the last slaves in the United States heard about their freedom, and it represents the beginning the fulfillment of the promise outlined in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal." Celebrating Juneteenth will be an annual reminder that our country has made progress towards equality of opportunity under the law, despite what many today like to argue.
But why does the average federal employee get over twice as much paid time off as average American workers? Most employees in the United States get only 10 paid days off a year. If we include sick days in that count, the number (sometimes) goes up to 20. Meanwhile, federal employees, who aren't doing anything more important than the rest of us, enjoy 44 days off every year. That's nine weeks of sick, vacation, and holiday days on the taxpayer dime.
Perhaps if Congress were required to balance the budget every year, they would look more closely at the benefits they're giving to federal workers. Or, if they were limited to two or three terms of office, they wouldn't get so cozy with federal labor unions and push for increased benefits.
Congress will never propose a constitutional amendment to balance the budget or limit their terms of office, but We the People can do it for them. An Article V Convention of States is called and controlled by the states and has the power to propose constitutional amendments -- including a balanced budget amendment and a term limits amendment.
It takes 34 states to call for a Convention, and 38 states to ratify any amendment proposals coming out of a Convention. Term limits and balanced budget amendments are among the most popular with the American people, and they stand a great chance of passing that high bar.
These amendments will go a long way towards forcing Congress to be fiscally responsible, ending the abuses of career politicians, and ensuring the government works for the people -- not their own employees.
To join the movement, sign the petition below!
