I found it difficult to prove the idea of this day actually celebrates anything, except the end of summer and a long weekend off, for most workers. Still, I tried to find some thing really important to comment on. I could comment on what Labor Day could be! What a grand gesture it would be to actually honor the value and opportunity of “work”, as well as the loyal workers and the empathetic employers.
With so many people out of work and many individuals working jobs far less than their training and potential, you start to think about what a great blessing it is to have a labor to go to, a “good paying job with a future”. We remember how good things seemed such a short time ago. We love the American Dream. We took for granted that all would remain the same. We knew we’d have individual problems, but we thought there would always be plenty of paying work for us to do. Who’d have thought jobs would be as scarce as hens-teeth?
Let’s not throw in the towel yet. Let’s get creative!
The wonderful gift the U.S. has given us, this “thing” that has motivated this country to work hard for their dreams, “Capitalism”. Capitalism built the United States.
Some people believe it’s the government’s job to furnish more. They want the government to furnish more jobs and more medical care and more of most everything. This country was built on the idea of people being self-reliant and helping others to be self-reliant too. There is a price to be paid for complete dependency. Remember the old story of give a man a fish and feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a life time. This story may be about our own country. A willingness and desire to work are of key importance. Somebody has to do the physical labor. A lot of young people think physical labor is beneath them. If our children won’t, then who do we propose will? Some body has to be the worker bees, at least for a while. Everybody can’t be the queen bee.
Many people are re-educating themselves. We hope for re-training pay back programs. Many people have re-invented themselves by starting their own businesses. We hope for all the support and encouragement we can get for small business owners. We hope government will not break them with over-taxing and fees, as they break ground with their new sprouting businesses.
Capitalism is an economic system in which production and business is mostly privately owned and operated for profit. In very simple terms, it boils down to the idea that: if you work harder and smarter than others, and if you get the right breaks, you have a chance to be rich. If you get to be rich, you will spend more money. Some of that money will be used to start others businesses, and buy things that help others to have work. The trickle down effect of the wealthy spending keeps the rest of the folks working, thus creating more jobs and wealth. Or course, it’s understood that the wealthy will also spend some of their money to help those who have less (as in charities) and they will pay their fair share of taxes. Most agree that capitalism encourages economic growth. That’s how capitalism is supposed to work, and has worked for many successful years in our country.
Capitalism is unlike a system the United States is moving slowly towards, that of Socialism. (Socialism or Communism, are quite similar) Hold on! Because I wanted to deny it also, I didn’t want to look at the facts out there of what is being taught in some places to our children. I just assumed America will always be strong and smart and make good choices for our future generations.
Socialism is an economic system in which the production and business are commonly owned and controlled by a political philosophy (or government) based on co-operative social relations and self management. It was tried by Marxist and Leninists without much success. Communal living was also tried by the Hippies of the seventies. It did not have a good result then either. The idea of fairness and sharing with no wealthy and no poor sounds alluring. The idea that everyone who makes more than what they need, will have that money taken and spread out in government plans that take care of the poor and sick and will educated all who want to be schooled may sound like a perfect world... However; for that idea to work, human nature must be at its best. Greed, jealousy must be eliminated. Celebrities and doctors must live contently in nearly the same living conditions as those who work physical labor jobs or who don’t work at all. There can be NO free riders, none who take advantage or use their power over others. Think about what can happen if medicine and healthcare were all under a government umbrella and without competition. You think the lines are long at the post office?
What has happened in the past is similar to this concept: A school class room whose children study for a test. Some study very hard, some do not study at all. Yet, when they received their grades, everyone gets a “C”. Very soon, after a few more tests, the students realize that if they will get a “C”, whether they study or not, they will eventually choose not to study, because it takes effort to study and laziness will give them the same reward.
Many school teachers are now teaching socialism as the “new age” idea for our young people. The U.S. is taking baby steps toward socialism. It is the current trend. The idea that the government will take care of you and run lots of businesses that you will work for, is being presented more and more. If you doubt me, just Google capitalism vs. socialism on the internet, I was shocked to find how little I know about what is happening. I know everything about what shoe to wear with leggings and what side dish goes with fish, but I know very little about the details of the many problems in our government.
We all need to be better informed. We need to know what the democrats want to happen and what the republicans want for our future. We need to know what choices we have. We need to vote for the very best candidates we can get. WE THE PEOPLE must be educated and always be active in keeping America a nation lead by good moral people, who are knowledgeable and qualified representatives.
My soap box is small. I don’t often make political statements.
The dictionary describes labor as physical or mental exercise, work for wages, physical efforts of child birth, to toil, proceed daily, strive painstakingly, proceed slowly, to over stress. Yeah! That does sound like labor, but labor with reward is motivating and worth it! We especially value the right and freedom to figure out good ways to make new jobs.
Labor Day is actually a celebration of the fact that in most cases “Labor” has its rewards, and the “right to work and labor for those rewards” is the gift we honor and want.
DREAM ON AMERICA, AND PLAN TO WORK HARD FOR IT!
SO FAR, WE STILL HAVE DREAMS THAT WE CAN WORK ON.
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