Monday Musings - Labor Day Edition...
Today is Labor Day.
This is one of those "cool" holidays...and by that I mean it celebrates something (or rather someone) we often take purely for granted.
And that's the WORKING men and women of this nation.
We always have the obvious holidays like Christmas, or Thanksgiving, and Easter.
And we also have the PATRIOTIC holidays like Veteran's Day, The 4th of July, and Memorial Day.
We do also celebrate religious holidays of various faiths throughout our year.
But today always seems a little different.
None of the fireworks, the fol-de-rol, the pageantry...just plain old sighs of relief by the working class stiffs.
It's a day to TAKE IT EASY...to receive acknowledgment for being one of the "grunts in the trench", as it were.
Here's the WIKI on today:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day
And to borrow from this entry:
"The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement."
I would at this time also add a CAVEAT, that being this day appears to be MORE of a celebration of LABOR UNIONS than the WORKERS (themselves) WHO LABOR.
You might want to take a read at this:
http://www.econlib.com/library/Enc/LaborUnions.html
Labor unions USED to be a bastion of HELP to their workers, but have grown into quite another animal over the decades. The main thrust of having unions was to ensure fair bargaining power, fair wages and fair conditions for employees. It was more about being FAIR to the worker.
But by the same token, unions also COST jobs because of the lack of competition. If an employer has to pay MORE for the employees (becasue some union demands it), they are more likely to "purchase" LESS of them, ergo...fewer jobs available.
It's a vicious cycle (with the unions at the center); one that CAN be worked with, if cooler heads prevail and common sense is practiced.
But today SHOULD be about the WORKER...NOT the unions.
To all of you that have toiled or are still toiling for that paycheck...this is YOUR day!
Now granted, today is ALSO utilized by stores to have yet ANOTHER sale day.
I guess even some people can't figure it out...
Yes, Virginia, even though today honors those of the working class, that does NOT mean that ALL work is suspended for 24 hours...heaven forbid.
The police still patrol our streets, firefighters still answer that bell when needed.
Doctors and nurses still care for the sick and infirm.
Pilots still fly airliners, Captains still sail cargo ships, and even the neighborhood ice cream man still makes his rounds.
Some people are just "lucky" like that...
Actually, today means JUST as much to THEM, as it does to those who DO have the day off...if not more.
And it's to THEM that today should mean a little bit more to the rest of us.
Personally, I can't imagine WHAT would transpire should EVERYONE have today off...can you?
It would be total chaos, and we've got enough of that across the globe as it is. And speaking of "across the globe", today pertains to EVERY single one of our men and women in military uniform perhaps MORE than in any other occupation.
For it's these brave souls that have ALLOWED us to enjoy the ability to freely work HERE...to pursue the careers of OUR choice, and to enable us to have that "day off" in the first place.
So today, we fly our nation's flag to honor THEM.
Like I said...today IS a COOL holiday.
Yet, there is a "down" side to this, unfortunately...
I look about my neighborhood, and I see way too many people who DO not, HAVE not, nor ever wish to work.
And they also have the exact same freedoms as the rest of us.
They look at today as just another day to "party"...and that's sad.
They don't see today (or any holiday for that matter) as a way of HONORING anything or anyone.
If it were up to me, I'd make sure that every one of these people WOULD work today...just so they get an idea of what it's like to be RESPONSIBLE. I think that's only fair.
I mean, when EVERY day is a "holiday", you SHOULD take a break...once in a while.
Then again, these folks don't operate on the same societal plane as most other normal people do.
They are still living under the misconception that the solar system revolves around THEM.
Must be all the gub'ment money making them giddy that way.
That's a pitiful life they lead...pitiful.
While WE, as the working class can appreciate that FOR which we work...and we also appreciate the fact that we CAN work...earn a living, and save to purchase not only what we NEED, but also a few things that we "want".
That is what OUR lives are all about.
Without the ability to work...to achieve, to financially support OURSELVES, we become lessened individuals.
We fail to prosper, and fail miserably as a people.
It's that simple.
That's what BUILT this nation in the first damn place; people who busted their asses every day creating everything we see around us.
WE, the people built the houses, the stores, the office buildings, the airports, the docks, the very Capitol itself.
WE did it...and for the right reasons.
WE built the Panama Canal, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and yes, even the World trade Center. Had it not been for the ingenuity OF Americans over the centuries, as well as their perspicacity and stubborn dedication for a better nation, we'd be just another 3rd world country.
I think we "done good" in that respect.
So as you fly your country's flag today, fire up your grill, go visit the relatives, or just sit back and take it easy, take a little time to think on some of the things mentioned here.
YOU, as a worker of this nation, OUR nation...made today possible.
Today is a day to THANK YOURSELVES.
Enjoy it all...you have definitely EARNED it.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.