Today is St. Patrick’s day and you can rest assured that there will be some local Irish pubs will have no problem capitalizing on this Irish holiday in honor of the patron saint of Ireland.

As a kid, I didn’t know what St. Patrick’s Day was outside of knowing that if I failed to wear green I would get pinched. I had no idea it was a national holiday in Ireland and even as an educated adult, what I’ve seen is that St. Paddy’s is an excuse for getting drunk. Legitimately though, it is supposed to be a celebration so some ingestion of spirits may go without saying.

Oh but employers have some productivity woes associated with the more extreme of those celebrations. Workers who unwisely decided to binge drink may call in sick to work the next day or decide to work through their hangovers but be sluggish and not get much more done than the person who did not show up. Perhaps the assumption is that working adults are smarter about their party habits and would behave in a more responsible way, but I’ve seen evidence to the contrary.

Is the answer to the problem what Guinness proposes by lobbying to make St. Patrick’s Day an official holiday in the US? Doubtful. The fact would still remain that the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint is little more than a drinking holiday across most of the US. What do we stand to benefit from making St. Paddy’s Day an official holiday? Furthermore, would it be fair to have an official Irish holiday when Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest and Cinco De Mayo are all international holidays celebrated regionally but not recognized nationally.

While Guinness claims the issue to be a matter of Celtic pride, others say it is an excuse for the company to sell more beer. Regardless, Guinness will still make its money for beer sales whether the holiday is made official or not. Its support of the measure is indeed smart in terms of building brand loyalty among those who support Pro. 3-17 as well as those who love an official reason to party.

As a final note, I want to remind everyone to drink responsibly. Police presence is certain to be increased and check points set up. Drinking and driving is extremely dangerous, so if you chose to party tonight, be sure to assign a designated driver who will not be partaking in the inebriation activities.