Today is the “rescheduled” Federal holiday of Columbus Day. In some States (in an “in appearance only” federalism that borders on mockery), it is “Native American Day” or “Indigenous Peoples Day” or some such. Many politicians (not just the Woke type) refuse to “celebrate” the day to show the “People of Color” their solidarity – or at least their sympathy. But those politician’s offices (their official ones, not their campaign offices, it seems) are nonetheless closed today for a Federal holiday.
And Columbus Day was traditionally on the 12th of October – the anniversary of Columbus’ arrival on an island in the Americas. Now, it is a floating holiday to ensure that government officials and employees get yet another holiday. (See also Juneteenth, Veterans Day, etc.) Many businesses offer the holiday off to their employees – though many small and customer-oriented businesses do not – and often cannot afford to. A matter of economics, not politics.
Columbus Day sales events are growing more rare – a political not economic decision. Except for those Woke businesses who fear that the Regressives will punish them for observing the day.
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The Price of Liberty 
Real world problems: floods and droughts, hurricanes and blizzards, tornadoes and hail #1 Water
In this fallen world of ours, the planet itself is not as hospitable a place as we’d like. Though parts of it come close, Terra is not a paradise. The third rock from the sun, Old Sol himself, is just that: mostly rock. Lots of metal, too, even those metals that cause cancer. And wars.
All that metal and rock has a very thin layer of dirt, water, and air. A little bit of water. And other liquids, and gases (both confined and floating held only by gravity). That is mostly where we humans live. That air and dirt and water also support more than just humans: there are animals, from single-cell critters up to blue whales and great condors and even elephants. But sometimes there isn’t enough dirt: it isn’t there and so it is exposed rock. Or it’s covered by water. Usually salt water, but sometimes fresh water – water with a low enough salt content to make it drinkable by humans, birds, and land animals.
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