Labor Day Rant (warning: left wing politics being espoused. read at your own risk.)

I worked all weekend, so the 3 day weekend idea is out the window. But I did get today off. When most people think of Labor day, they think of the last gasp of summer before the fall begins. I think of something else.

I think of my dad getting laid off after 25+ years with the same company. The company fired 15,000 people, and did it on Labor Day in 2002. My dad was a Teamster, and because of that he was able to keep his retirement, work a few more years, and get his pension. Had he not been in a Union, those 25+ years would have been lost. And sadly, this happens more often than people would like to believe.

We'd like to believe that private industry does the right thing. The idea of businesses policing themselves is a nice idea, but companies are outsourcing more, paying their employees less, slashing benefits, and despite healthy revenue streams they aren't investing.

And now, we have a party that has fought hard against federal funds for schools, so teachers are getting laid off. They fought against money for infrastructure, so roads are literally being unpaved, and many state and local governments are cutting back services, and firing workers.

Spending for the poor and middle class = bad.

Tax cuts for upper 3% of wage earners =good. Just like Jesus said.

Despite all that, the same people fighting against the middle class and fighting for the ownership class, are now accusing the president of failing on his stimulus package. Even though the most stimulative parts of the stimulus package were bargained out to get Republican votes, which never materialized.

Progress indeed.

And has the President found the courage to finally tell his critics they can take a flying leap and that he answers only to the American people who elected him? No. He wants to play it safe. He tries to straddle the middle of the fence, and what's trickling down now is only more suffering, and more misery.

Workers are bearing the brunt of the tax burden, and being asked to sacrifice so the upper 3% can be given a 700 billion dollar tax break. I say no. Hell no.

And it's about time those who claim to represent the working class say "Hell NO!" too. When they tell us "What's good for business is good for workers" we should scream "LIKE HELL IT IS!" When they tell us "Union bosses are thugs" we should scream "PROVE IT!" And when they say that 700 billion dollar tax break for the rich will generate lots of new jobs and investment in the economy, or that the private sector is great at creating jobs we should stand up, and at the top of our lungs demand "THEN WHERE ARE THE JOBS?!".

Do politicians exploit labor at their peril, or ours.? Time and resolve will tell.