Obama Says "Take the day off to vote"

A Day Off For America Costs $37.8 Billion

As we have all been incessantly reminded by both candidates, this year's Presidential election is "the most important ever." However, can anyone remember one that wasn't? Even still, with the election now a week away, we find ourselves in the middle of the greatest financial crisis in at least a generation. We're neither for nor against Senator Obama, but his recent call for people to "take the day off" on election day might not be setting the right tone for the economy. In 2007, the size of the US economy was 13.8 trillion dollars. If the country "took the day off," it would work out to a loss of about $38 billion dollars. While 37.8 billion dollars may not sound like much to some, at this point, the economy needs whatever it can get. Instead of saying, "Talk to your professor. Talk to your boss. Take the day off," maybe a better message to voters would be, "Set your alarm an hour earlier. Go vote. Then go to work."