[September 4, 2017] Sit back today, relax, and learn – and appreciate – about what it’s like to be a worker in the United States. No, this is not a history lesson on the Labor Movement (although that is a good place to start), nor is this about Unions, strikes, injustice, picnics, or grilling hamburgers and drinking beer. Today, Labor Day 2017 is about the American value of appreciation.
American’s appreciate what they have primarily because they earned it through working hard, deferring gratification, obeying the law, steering clear of illegal drugs, and helping one’s neighbor when they need it. To them it means knowing that we could be the guy living under a bridge in a cardboard box and little food. Those who put the time and personal sacrifice into preparing themselves for the labor market and then having the skills to do well and keep their jobs are celebrating Labor Day.
The history of the Labor Movement is well summarized in an article at History.com (link here) and is well worth reading. In particular the article shows us the internal leadership struggles that manifested itself in the labor movement’s racist practices of the 1950s and 1960s. For this topic, I also refer you to a good article by Paul Mirengoff (link here).
For the rest of us, enjoy the long Labor Day 2017 weekend (if you have the time off from work) by cooking good food and having something good to drink. Personally I refer a hamburger, beans, coleslaw, and a coke.
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