Labor
Day, with a threat of Thunderstorms keeping me from the golf course, and
watching the primer coat dry on an umbrella base for the porch what better time
to sit and ramble on?
How
about those fast food workers in major cities across the nation on strike for
higher wages? The Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez, lauds the strike and
equates it to Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, 50 years ago. Personally, I am hard pressed to see the
similarity. On the one hand, you have a race of people fighting for recognition and equality, on the other you have an unskilled labor force wanting more pay.
For me, what is so disheartening in this strike is we have created an
entry class worker who see’s no alternatives to moving up and out of that
job. I hope they all get the $15.00 per
hour they are striking for, but I also wonder if they understand the outcomes they
will see if they achieve it? If our
Secretary for Labor cannot grasp the cause and effect implications I doubt they
do.
The
Media on War… Going back at least as far
as William Randolph Hearst, the news media has pushed the US into war. Some would suggest it is based on a desire
for social justice and right thinking, while others might be so crass as to
suggest it was about selling more newspapers.
This week it appears we have found something that ABCNNBCBS and FOX can
agree on. They are all pushing the
government towards conflict. Of course
in a few months when things go terribly wrong they will be questioning why we
could ever have chosen such a course. I
love the news media; their analysts can second-guess any decision.
Here
in my little spot in the Southeast we have had an abundance of rain, but nary a
tropical storm to bring it. Back in May
NOAA predicted an “above average” year with 13 to 20 named storms. I can’t remember a time NOAA and the experts
in Colorado haven’t predicted an above average year. In early August they again reinforced that
prediction that the season will be very active.
Here we are in September, and for the first time in 11 years there were no Atlantic hurricanes in August. I wonder if maybe they should do just a little bit of maintenance on their crystal ball?
I
hope everyone has a great Labor Day, sharing time with family, friends, and
neighbors. Take a moment or two and
reflect on the contributions of our labor force and what their future may hold.
No comments:
Post a Comment