"Do you find President Obama's speeches less than compelling, sir?"
"It's kind of like I was thinking about the fine print on some of those credit-card disclosures, which is written boring enough to put you to sleep," Summer answered. "And President Obama wants us all to fulfill our American dreams, and I guess I was starting that day."
That's a revealing statement.
It betrays a belief by Summers that getting a little snooze in the middle of every day represents part of the American dream. It's something we should be proud of - symbolic of how hard we work, and how we take care to be prepared for the rest of the day.
"We're all working very hard in this administration," Summers went on, "because we think that we want to support the president in what is a tremendous responsibility that he has to get this economy growing again and to again establish a period when family incomes are rising."
"Did the president rib you?" Wallace asked.
"Oh, we've all joked about American dreams in various ways."
The next time this happens, then the president should use the occasion and his bully pulpit to tell every American about the virtues of the nap. And he should push my just-made-up National Prevention of Tiredness Act. (I won't even take credit for coining NAPTA, although the National Association of Public Transportation Advocates might have an issue.)
Naps reduce stress and accidents at work and make people more productive. In the age of downsizing, men and women have been asked to take on extra responsibilities, leading to longer work days. The least their employers can do is throw in a 15-minute sleep break. And, because of all the downsizing, they should have extra space available for sleeping lounges.
We will be a happy, healthier nation if we get through this economic meltdown and make naps a mandatory option in the workplace.
All in favor say "Zzzzz."
