Labor Day

Labor Day

A time to remember all those who work to keep our society going.
There are no real parades for the working person
Except in certain parts of Europe.
There should be.
A parade of the farmworkers and factory workers of our society.
I would go to that one.

We had a long group discussion on
what is a living wage in the US.
Both men were brought up in rural poverty-
one a farmer's son (before farms were corporate0
and the other a plumber's son (before most plumbers were in a union).

Both women were brought up in middle class with perks-
One the daughter of a business owner
the other a daughter of an older Army officer.

Surprisingly the men were against the rise of wages
They felt there was ample opportunity
to rise from minimum wage to higher wages
if so desired.
 "People only appreciate what they have worked for".

The women felt that it was wrong to have people in poverty
but they conceded that they had never lived that way
and in turn had no idea why some people worked their way out
and others did not.

One of the men said, "Darwin"
Eventually those who choose to work their way out
either by labor or education,
would bring something to the table.
Those who did not, would die off
to be replaced by immigrants who desired to work
their way up as well.

The women pointed out that they may die off,
but they often left behind a trail of children.
"Not anymore"
 according to NPR the live birth rate of poverty has dropped with the access of abortion. Along with the crime rate.
Soooo Margaret Sanger was correct, pointed out the men.

No solutions, good discussion.
We return to our duties tomorrow.
Me- gardening food and grands while working the food pantry at Church,
The other woman will continue her classes while guiding children,
One man will pave the driveway and enjoy his retirement pension,
and the other will go back to the office and make the money for
his family to live in the middle class.

The US. So many issues.
I love being among people who can just talk about the issues!

Labor Day.