Labor Day has been an official U.S. holiday since President Grover Cleveland signed it into law in 1894. Its purpose was to pay tribute to the hard work of laborers who built the nation’s communities, infrastructure, and economy; and to this day, it celebrates the achievements, contributions, and strength of American workers.

But the life of the average worker is not always easy . . . and it’s become noticeably more difficult in recent years. While Eugene Debs — the controversial democrat-turned-socialist who unsuccessfully ran for president five times — is not someone I particularly admire or would normally quote, he did strike a meaningful note with this statement:

“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.”

Regardless of your political leanings, if you are one of the millions who have worked all your life and still find it hard to get by, you don’t have to be a socialist to grasp the relevance of his words to our world today.

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As for the lighter side of Labor Day, it has also come to signal the unofficial end to summer in the U.S., traditionally celebrated with picnics and other gatherings of friends and families, and a three-day weekend for most workers. So let’s all enjoy the day, be safe, and look forward to the approach of autumn (my favorite season).

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/7/26