To the Laborer on Labor Day

Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day? The original intent of Labor Day was to provide a holiday that would honor the social and economic achievements of American workers. Essentially, it was intended to be, and in many ways remains, an annual national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.  Men and women have built our country into one of the greatest nations literally by the sweat of their brow since its beginning.  However, there has been a great shift in attitudes and beliefs the last couple of decades regarding work ethics and entitlements that have changed the views of a growing segment of our citizens about who is responsible to support them and how they are to contribute to their own support.  Working in Human Resources, I hear more and more people say, I should have the freedom to work when I want, take off when it suits me, quit when the job gets hard, and if I can’t find a job that meets my requirements, then the government should support me.  I recently read a book titled “The five Laws of Liberty: Defending a Biblical View of Freedom” by Scott Hyland.  The following except is from a preface of this book titled “Remember the Past”. Quit honestly, freedom I not something that can be demanded, especially financial freedom.  In the past, most parents taught their children that benefits such as healthcare and a decent wage were earned through thrift and hard work.  The more diligently a person worked, the more opportunities he would create.  A good work ethic would also encourage an employer to commit to the employee by providing benefits that were earned.  This concept is not new.  In fact, this kind of arrangement is what most Americans used to mean when they made statements about the American Dream.  Our history is full of individuals who took advantage of a free economic system and made something of themselves.  Indeed, Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest Presidents to occupy the Oval Office, believed in this work ethic.  He did not believe the government owed any man anything except an environment that allowed him to freely pursue financial ventures at his own expense.  David Donald in his book “Lincoln”, states the following: he firmly adhered to the labor theory of value; “labor is the source from which human w ants are mainly supplied.” Labor was thus “prior to, and independent of, capital”; indeed “capital is the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed.” But capital, through derivative, performed a valuable service in a free society, because those who had it could offer employment to “the prudent, penniless beginner in the world” who owned “nothing save two strong hands that God has given him, and a heart willing to labor.”  If this novice worked industriously and behaved soberly, he could in a year or two save enough to buy land for himself, to settle, marry and beget sons and daughters, and presently he, too, would begin employing other laborers. So, this Labor Day, let us celebrate our freedom to earn our own way, support our families and live the American Dream our forefathers forged out, it is our constitutional right. “The five Laws of Liberty: Defending a Biblical View of Freedom” by Scott Hyland can be purchased on Amazon.com, I highly recommend this book.