No Rest For The Worker

It is hoped that visitors to this blog have had a pleasent weekend. A relaxing long-holiday. If one would peruse through my prior posts around holiday's one will read biased and unflatering statements on the specific occasion. Labor Day is no different so leeway is requested now.

First a little history. Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Tuesday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The September date has remained unchanged, even though the government was encouraged to adopt May 1 as Labor Day, the date celebrated by the majority of the world.

Labor Day is generally regarded simply as a day of rest and, unlike May Day, political demonstrations are rare. Maybe they should be? The bulk of our labor force is no longer in factories but in retail. They do not work in mills but rather at McDonalds and grocery stores around the country. So as the various forms of celebration like picnics and barbecues, fireworks, water shows and many public art events allow families to travel before the end of summer and teenagers to party before school starts the people who need the day off to rest are in fact at work.

Enjoy your week.