Quote Originally Posted by smogboy View Post
Is is really about productivity or the ceremony here?

Now if these politicos were 40 hour work week, not an hour more, can't wait to punch out sort of dweebs, and this ceremony bit into that 40 hour work week, then I'd have an issue. Get them back to work! But if these politicians were die hard dedicated caring people [[and the article doesn't say who's attending), then cut them some slack and let them celebrate this accomplishment.

Let's not ditch ceremonies away for the sake of productivity now. Lord knows attending children's birthday parties, holiday parties, loved ones' funerals, graduations, baptisms, and life's other little benchmarks would hardly be considered "productive".
I don't see the difference. Dweebs? Boy, that's a classist statement if I ever heard one. This ceremony certainly cuts into their productive time, and to infer that there's a different standard to be held out just because some sucker wears a suit to work, is sick. Politicians, their staffers, assorted hangers on all attend these ceremonies. All on the clock. And the afterglow as well. On your dime.

And the above mentioned activities are usually not "paid" activities either, unless you work in civil service? Think about it. How much productivity is lost in government? Then think about what we are about to lose in services because these self same governmental entities are playing patty-cake on our time and money.