But before the topic of the day, I should mention that today is the most confusing Federal holiday we have, Juneteenth National Independence Day,  commemorating the end of slavery in the country.   In 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery. Juneteenth is a portmaneau of the words  June  and  nineteenth , as it was on June 19, 1865, when Texas ended the Civil War  between the Union and seceding south, and officially, slavery in these states. Although, from that day to December 6, 1865--when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified--there were still slaves in the states that never left the Union.   This day was recognized as a Federal holiday in 2021 when President Biden signed the Juneteenth act into law. Juneteenth is the first new holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. So is today a paid holiday for workers?   Yes, if you are employed by the Federal government. Yes, if you are in one of the  29 states and DC that made it a paid w