Labor Day Thoughts

Labor Day is traditionally considered the end of summer as in most places school resumes around then and the weather starts to get cooler.

It used to signal the start of the election season but nowadays that never really ends.

Of course it wasn't really significant for working men and women for most of history, except of course the seasons used to signal the nature of their work, planting, harvesting etc.

As industrialization took over it didn't make much difference since the work stayed basically the same no matter what the season.

However, realizing the country owes its very existence to the workers who built it we dedicated an end of summer holiday to celebrate their accomplishments.

Labor, at least the type of labor we honor this weekend, isn't what it used to be.

Unions have lost much of their influence and while we see low unemployment numbers, the great factories that employed so many are really a thing of the past for most.

Unskilled heavy labor is now done by robots, which is a boon to humanity but most of the financial benefit is for the capitalist and financiers of the world.

It seems ironic that the reduction of work that was in fact back breaking and health threatening is lamented by many.

Skills were always important but now they are essential although laborers are still need for certain things.

We should honor the working men and women who built this country but also understand that the future is different than the past and we need to adjust to it.

Its not gong to return to the past, and the past was not that great, although the hard work and sacrifice of so many gave us the great country we enjoy today.