We just finished the Labor Day weekend. It marks the end of summer, and used to mean the start of school, but many schools now start earlier. It is also a good excuse for some retail sales.
Labor Day is celebrated the first Monday in September to honor the workers that make this country great. They are the lifeblood of our middle class. They have a great work ethic, are proud of their work, and they do not ask for any handouts.
Labor Day was initially promoted by the labor unions in the United States and Canada. It was celebrated in thirty states before it became an official federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.
Labor and management have had many struggles over the years, but our capitalistic system has worked to make this country the most productive in the world. That is changing and why? There are many reasons we are not as productive as we should be, and most of them can be directly or indirectly traced back to the growth of our government.
Corporations are leaving the country because of a 35% tax rate, which is the highest in the world. We just heard Berger King is moving to Canada. Some people say we should boycott them. I won’t, as I am a parsimonious person and they have one of the best $1.00 cheeseburgers.
A major pharmaceutical company just moved to Ireland, which has a 12½% corporate tax. Forty-eight companies have moved their headquarters out of the country. Income and investment from operations out of the country never comes back. That money never comes back. This must stop.
Unrealistic EPA regulations are also causing plants to close and move production to other countries. Production is being moved out of the country for many reasons. Most are due to excessive government regulation.
Unions are losing members. Personally, I blame that on union leaders not showing enough concern for their workers. Top union leaders get too involved in partisan politics and the membership doesn’t want their dues spent on campaign donations. Maybe this is a necessary function of union management due the increase of government regulations and interference.
We have another problem with labor. There is a shortage of skilled workers. This sounds ridiculous with the economic recession and unemployment we just went through, but we currently have good jobs in my county with no one to fill them. Baby boomers make up a large percentage of our skilled workers and they will be retiring so the problem will get worse.
I am on the county Economic Development Board, and another member of the board is from Manpower. She recently stated she had 60 good paying job openings with no one to fill those jobs.
Our education system is not training enough people for these jobs. We do a better job with liberal education, but we need people with skills that are willing to work in manufacturing jobs. Not everyone can teach art and music. Somebody has to produce a product.
Not everyone should go to college. Trade schools or on-the-job training can be a great option for young people who are ready and willing to work. Labor and entrepreneurs in a capitalistic system made this country great and they are also our future.
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