A holiday like no other (thankfully)

"Wait - Bird! We can't get rid of the last holiday of the summer! Are you fallen off your branch? No, we can keep this holiday. But we really should name it something else. Like, 'end of summer' day. That would have more meaning than labor."

Today is Labor Day. It is now and always has been for me - a strange holiday. Why? What are we celebrating? All labor, or just organized labor. What about the work which was performed by people who were not in a union. Does that count? It is bazaar. I understand the why and how we needed labor unions at one time in our country. But those days are past. Now most unions are municipal workers (government types) and of course, the dreaded teacher unions.

Speaking of teacher unions, I would be remiss if I did not say a word or two about this crowd. Teachers, who at one time were a valued and respected profession, have allowed themselves to be co-opted by the likes of Randi Weingarten and the American Federation of Teachers. Dare I say this? This teacher association, who are self-serving to say the least, have allowed the United States to sink deeply in the very important test scores of students. How much so? It was all over the papers last week. Half of our kids can no longer read, write, or think at the level they are supposed to be at. 

With pathetic results such as these, is this the labor we are to celebrate on Labor Day? Or is it the lawmakers who have juiced up the minimum wage for unskilled workers to much as of late, "fast" food is no longer fast - nor affordable. And what is coming just over the horizon will really be a punch in the gut for unskilled workers. Unemployment. Why? Automation due to AI and humanoid robots. Trust me - this is not pie in the sky thinking. It is just about here. By the end of the decade, "labor" who have yesterday's skills or no skills at all - will be riding the bench. 

I know, I know. The "scrapper from Scranton" will be out giving a stump speech to some union folks today. He will rail against the "man" and talk about how (in the words of Samual Gompers), union workers need "more, more and more". Meanwhile, inflation continues to go through the roof. Part of the reason is inflated pay scales for jobs which are paid way too much for the skill level. But who cares? It is Labor Day baby! So, let's celebrate!

Wait - Bird! We can't get rid of the last holiday of the summer! Are you fallen off your branch? No, we can keep this holiday. But we really should name it something else. Like, "end of summer" day. That would have more meaning than labor. Or celebrate labor for what it once was in our country. True labor unions, and not political organizations. Just a thought. And by the way - tell the kids not to forget that school starts tomorrow. Now there is a bit of reality for you.