Labor Day

Labor Day – A Time for New Beginnings

Well, it’s the first Monday in September, so that makes it Labor Day! So what exactly does that mean? Other than an extra day off from work or school, many people have no idea what the holiday is all about. Honestly, I didn’t really know myself.

A federal holiday since 1894, Labor Day is a celebration of the American worker. (You can read all about it at the History Channel’s webpage https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/labor-day-1) Promoted by the unions at a time when hours were long, wages were low, and conditions were brutal, the idea was adopted by several states before becoming a national holiday when it was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland.

Strikes and walkouts and protests had become increasingly common (and violent) and Congress acted to appease the labor unions and honor the working men and women of the country. It was a small gesture, but a meaningful one that has lasted. Thankfully, the other issues have been improved upon as well. Laws are in place to protect against the abuses that prompted the rise of the unions long ago.

Today, most Americans just appreciate the break, the “unofficial end of summer.” The older generation can remember starting school after Labor Day, and the holiday also signaled the beginning of many fall sports’ seasons. Even fashion was affected – “no wearing white after Labor Day” – right? Whatever the day means to you, most of us see it as a fresh start of sorts. And don’t we need those on occasion?

But seriously, hats off to the hard-working Americans who certainly deserve a day off now and then! So, enjoy the day and let’s remember to pray for our country, today and always.

Labor Day Part 2 Another Look

Last week I wrote about Labor Day, a celebration of the contributions and achievements of the American worker. To stay positive, I cut out all the political comments which resulted in a pretty short message, but that’s okay. Here’s the rest of the story.

Despite the absolute crazed hatred of the President by the media and the Left, the economy is booming and unemployment is lower than ever for many segments of our population, particularly women and minorities. Black and Hispanic unemployment is at record lows. These are great reasons to celebrate and praise a growing number of American workers!

The reality, however, is that there are still way too many people in our country who are not working. Unemployment is supposedly 3.7%. A lesser known stat, the Labor Force Participation rate is 63%. (Basically 37% of the civilians who are able to work are actually not working or looking for work.) So, which statistic is accurate? Mark Twain is often quoted as saying “There are three kinds of lies – lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

The truth is that both statistics are true and they represent good and bad news. It’s good to see the low unemployment figures, but it’s also sad to think that there are so many non-working people in our country, as many as 96 million. (https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/10/news/economy/95-million-out-of-workforce/index.html) Sadly, these are Americans between the ages of 16 and 64 who are healthy and able, but have given up on even looking for employment. That’s a staggering number.

It also explains why there are so many people on welfare, in one form or another. Why work when you can live off the government and the sweat of others? Statistically, “21% of Americans participate in at least one government assistance program.” That amounts to over $445 billion in welfare programs in the US, which includes 79 different programs. (https://www.lexingtonlaw.com/blog/finance/welfare-statistics.html)

Now, I have no problem with the government using tax dollars to help the unfortunate, but that seems somewhat excessive. Especially if 96 million of those people are choosing not to work. Or if those people are not even citizens of this country. “63 percent of households headed by a non-citizen reported that they used at least one welfare program, compared to 35 percent of native-headed households.” (https://cis.org/Report/63-NonCitizen-Households-Access-Welfare-Programs) I know some of those people are in desperate need of assistance, but we’re talking about money that is being taken from tax-paying workers. American workers.

Sadly, it will only get worse, unless we do something. Every one of the Democratic candidates for President can hardly wait to give away more “free” stuff. Meanwhile, hardworking American citizens are footing the bill. So, while a lot of non-workers and non-citizens are lining up for their “free” stuff, many US workers are still paying more than their fair share for programs for which they never seem to qualify. One way or another, the middle class always seems to get a bill in the mail.

If you raise people’s taxes (as all the Democrats propose) to give them “free” healthcare, or college tuition, or a universal basic income, or whatever, then it’s not really free, is it? It’s a losing proposition and the biggest losers are always the working class. So now, even more strongly I say, hats off to the American worker! Labor Day was great, but maybe one day of praise and appreciation is not enough. So, once more - Thanks for all the hard work!