freeSpeech: Jim Twohie

Is it just me or does it seem as if Congress takes a lot of time off? It seems like they get more recess than entire school districts.

You know, your government is not at work for you. I mean, these days, an unwinnable war rages on, gas prices are an everyday headache, oh, and by the way, it appears the earth is melting even as we speak.

And what does Congress do?
They go on vacation, for starters, for the whole month of August. Then they come back and roll up their sleeves for four whole weeks only to turn around and take off the better part of the month of October. With so much going on on their watch, you'd think they might actually want to be on their watch. Just how strenuous is it to turn a bill into a law anyway?

But that got me thinking. If they deserve that much vacation, what about you and me? The firm underpinning of our great democracy. Don't we deserve a little more time off?

I mean, in today's workaday world, we're constantly being prodded to suck it up and do more – from downsizing and multitasking to overtime and homework.

And, no, it's not just for kids anymore. Speaking of which, we practically have to make an appointment to see our own children these days. ("Think you could squeeze me in between karate and your cello recital Thursday?") Let's face it, we're becoming a society afraid to relax. I think we could use a little less Protestant work ethic, a little more Francophile rest ethic. But even the French pale in comparison to my personal vacation role model,
television legend, Johnny Carson.

By the time of his last contract, he had 20 some odd weeks of vacation a year and every Monday and Tuesday off. That's even better than Congress.

Jim Twohie is an executive producer at Showtime Networks and an award-winning comedy writer who has worked with everyone from Carson and Cavett and SNL to John Candy and Penn & Teller and even Mike Tyson. A native New Yorker, he got his start as a page at NBC and writing for Goodson-Todman. His hobbies include TiVoing, Latin epigrams and lounging around. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Karen. He once used a men's room with Bob Hope.