Remember Gerald Ford By Not Working Today

I've heard that some workplaces in Washington, D.C., have decided to honor the passing of President Gerald Ford by giving their employees a holiday today. Which seems like a good way to remember a chief executive who wasn't elected either as vice-president or president, who saw unemployment and inflation jack up (remember "The Misery Index"), and then became better known for his golf game than his political prowess.

Comments

Larry | January 2, 2007, 11:30am | #

On usps.gov today:

"Post Offices will be closed January 2, in memory of Gerald R. Ford"

That's got to be the single most fitting tribute for Mr. Betty Ford.

cinnabob | January 2, 2007, 11:31am | #

I also see it as fitting, given the work that his wife is known for, to have an extra day to rehab after a Baltimore, drinkin' til dawn New Year's Eve/Day. God Bless our only unelected Executive and all the drinkin' and druggin' over the years that have brought his wife's name to such inebriated prominence.

Todd | January 2, 2007, 11:57am | #

I am too young to remember the Ford presidency, but this morning on NPR they said he used the veto 66 times in his short presidency. That by itself makes me think he couldn't have been all that bad.

If only W had used the veto 66 times in his six years ...

sage | January 2, 2007, 12:32pm | #

Mr. Gillespie,

Sorry to be OT here, but I noticed something missing from the newest print issue - the Balance Sheet. What the problem is?

Hank | January 2, 2007, 12:36pm | #

I'm not sure Reason wants balance any more.

crimethink | January 2, 2007, 1:11pm | #

But didn't Gerry single-handedly end the war in Vietnam, save the economy, and restore public faith in government?

I'd hate to think that the media has been using this as just another opportunity to bash Nixon, who some renegade historians claim actually ended the war in Vietnam...

Twba | January 2, 2007, 2:24pm | #

I've seen much worse golf swings.

Matt Moore | January 2, 2007, 3:10pm | #

While the misery index hit a high of 19.9 right in the middle of Ford's term it actually went down (from 16.36 to 12.66) overall.

For comparison the index rose from 12.72 to 19.72 (with a high of 21.98) under Carter.

Agammamon | January 2, 2007, 8:15pm | #

Wasn't a bad present for me today, I showed up to work in the morning and was told to go home.

danbouy | January 4, 2007, 1:16am | #

Actually Jerry did a good job with inflation. I was part of W.I.N. as a teen. Here are actual inflation numbers for uncle Jerry.

Aug-74 =10.86%. jerry leaves office with Jan-77 =5.22%.

The misery index was higher under Carter than Ford, Nixon, Reagan or Bush. Look it all up. I wish you blogger wouldn’t propagate lies and falsehoods just for political reasons.