MY POINT OF VIEW: Labor Day: Appreciation of the American workers

by Gary Kennedy

Labor Day in the United States is always celebrated on the first Monday of September. This day is set aside to acknowledge and honor the economic and social achievements of the American worker. Monday is always a good day as it allows for a long weekend for most of us to share some quality time with family and friends. However, not all employment is so privileged. Restaurants, hotels, hospitals, fire departments and police departments, to mention only a few still have to keep our capitalistic society safe and strong. For the most part those that have to remain on the job are compensated with vacation pay or promises.

As we are all aware there are many countries who enslave their people and force them to do work without concern for them or their families. Sad but slavery is still alive and doing fine in many countries of the world. My heart goes out to those poor souls who suffer from this tyranny. The poor living in socialistic communistic countries are still carrying the yoke of the tyrant classes. They will probably never know freedom and equal opportunity, at least not in my life time. During the Labor Day holiday I can’t help but pray for those poor forgotten souls. We Americans have some history with that and that is part of how we came into existence. We arrived here in America from many parts of the world seeking religious and economic opportunity. For a couple hundred years we had to grow and spread our wings in order to incorporate what we have today. We fought wars in foreign lands and even turned on one another in order to accomplish what we have today.

With the advent of the Constitution and the help of some brilliant minds, we made a plan for all people to live and work in peace, as well to allow for some leisure time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. It was not always easy as there are always those who would like to exploit for selfish gain. Be that as it may, we became the most powerful and successful nation in the world. There is always someone out there who wants your share; the share that you worked so hard for. That’s one of the reasons Labor Day should be a time of reflection; remembering the history of our country and the people who made it great; the history of our people and how they grew since coming to America.

Recently we have seen those who would like to cause mayhem and discord for their own selfish way of thinking. They don’t think plurally but singularly and that causes discord in our very fragile society. These people have never worked in a mill, factory or farmed to name only a few professions. If they knew what work really was they would see the blessings here instead of initiating mayhem. Americans have already suffered through their growing pains. There were recorded periods of time when men worked 80-hour work weeks for very little remuneration. Can you even imagine doing that? Sure, some of us may work a little extra in order to achieve certain goals, but it’s our choice, not mandatory.

America is a country where one can grow with ones desires. In the opinion of this writer outside of Democracy and Capitalism there is only servitude and misery. One should be extremely grateful to be an American and enjoy the fruits of our labor. I believe that is why you see millions of people from other parts of the world illegally crossing our borders. Of course, there isn’t room for the entire world to come here but they certainly can pursue our way of life in their own countries. Americans for the most part are a generous society and for the most part are willing to share their ideology and values with those of good heart and ethics. In any case, for the most part, Labor Day for most of us is a time to rest from our labors and enjoy the camaraderie of family and friends. The days of Rosie the Riveter, the allegorical culture icon, may pass but the ethic for which she stood for will live forever.

We wish you all a very happy Labor Day weekend. Keep it safe and never forget those of lesser means or the veteran who helped make it happen. God bless you and yours.