Is Labor Day Passe

In a word, yes !

Labor Day, which started in 1882 to honor "the working man" or "little guy," has dengenerated into one of many meaningless paid employee holidays, and it is celebrated now by sailboat races, family picnics, and shopping sprees.

Labor Day is a marker, signifying that summer is supposedly over, even if it's still 90 degrees outdoors.

Pools must be drained, boats winterized, and summer clothing put away until July 4 next year, Independence Day--the marker indicating the official beginning of summer.

The 1800's leaders of the Central Labor Union and Knights of Labor, initiators of the Labor Day concept, would be horrified to experience Labor Day 2005, especially people buying affordable, Chinese made clothes at Wal-Mart.

Clearly, today's shoppers do not "look for the union label" or even know what it is.

The Industrial Revolution brought many abuses of employees, and labor unions were an excellent short-term remedy.

Kenny Rogers' song lyrics, "you gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them" applies to unions.

They're folding due to their own self-destructive approaches as well as workplace developments they cannot control.

Apparently, somebody failed to tell union leaders that the Industrial Revolution had ended and we're returning speedily to the historical normalcy of nearly universal (about 80% plus) self-employment.

As a result, labor unions are outliving their usefulness and relevance. They're anachronisms with little clout, far fewer members, but lots of money (provided by members) for political mischief, funding election campaigns of unelectable candidates.

This is their Forrest Gump, "stupid is as stupid does" unsuccessful political strategy.

Union membership has shrunk-and continues to shrink dramatically. And, in most cases, employees vote resoundingly against union representation, and even worse for unions, the number of union elections is plummeting, too.

So, since Labor Day is passe, since unions are moribund, since more than 100,000 jobs in America per month are being eliminated, since Chinese factories pay 68 to 88 cents per hour, and since few new "good jobs" are being created in America, since only 27% of people with jobs like them, and since job security is now just an illusion, what's an ambitious, serious hardworking person to do?

Self-employment, that's what. There are more small business owners now than union members in America.

And that's the happy ending to this article-- growing, glorious, wealth-building self-employment. This is a joyous return to historical normalcy.

The Industrial Revolution and the concept of secure lifelong employment have ended. Many people are not fully aware of this or are in deep denial, still craving "dream jobs," which are bad dreams or nightmares of 3.5 years duration these days.

Working for yourself is even better than ever now, thanks to the Internet, globalism and the rise of home based businesses. Start up costs are very low, as is risk.

John J. Alquist owns and operates Alquist Enterprises, which advances self-promotion through its professional services and also by two network marketing opportunities.

John had 24 years of corporate marketing management experience in large firms, mainly in banking, and has been self-employed since 1987 as Alquist Enterprises.

In The News:
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081015/circuit-city-launches-one-price-promise-to-assure-consistent-dependable-pricing-in-all-sales-channel.htmcid=1257778047ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNHFhYUyDuLapWtve_8tS6rvW6FHWAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=AEmR6TzLaQoJimgurl=www.ibtimes.com/data/prnews/110.jpg width=79 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2International Business Times/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/business/15retail.html%3Femcid=1257778047ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGGIIVASz2rlhaj8azmVIWs5LIcTQGadgetry Takes a Hit as Nervous Consumers Plan for Lean bHolidays/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNew York Times,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr5 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The bholidays/b are a critical time for sales of electronics and in-home entertainment products. The video game industry traditionally does 50 percent of its b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://uk.sys-con.com/node/710485cid=1257778047ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGAckadf5SxCc7jn0j1bYUusZEvngCircuit City Launches #39;One Price Promise#39; to Assure Consistent b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrSYS-CON Media/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1257778047hl=ennobrall 104 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.easier.com/view/Travel/Christmas_and_New_Year/article-209527.htmlcid=1258218125ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNHlAzxiQtVUSTWKsOQAZXngGwJttgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=LMCuWpsS-0UJimgurl=www.easier.com/myads/images/209527-1.jpg width=68 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Easier (press release)/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://blogs.barrons.com/stockstowatchtoday/2008/10/15/retailers-dont-see-jolly-holidays/cid=1258218125ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNEqjf9o-uId5Z-QNeQnytzeB6LYAQRetailers Don’t See Jolly bHolidays/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBarron's Blogsnbsp;-/font nobr1 hour ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1But the bholidays/b haven’t. In fact, the bholidays/b don’t seem like they’re going to come at all in 2008. Retailers have behaved as if the classic line in the b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.easier.com/view/Travel/Christmas_and_New_Year/article-209527.htmlcid=1258218125ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNHlAzxiQtVUSTWKsOQAZXngGwJttgFamilies refuse to forgo Santa/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrEasier (press release)/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1258218125hl=ennobrall 2 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/travelers-kick-off-holidays-savings/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B6DEF6EF7-DB88-43E2-AFB6-F26590C5C70F%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1258228055ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNFijc3IRMb1A31-p0wHLAig8suDRATravelers Kick Off the bHolidays/b With Savings From Funjet Vacations/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr1 hour ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1MILWAUKEE, Oct 15, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- With the bustle of the bholiday/b season just around the corner, travelers can book a Funjet Vacation to b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nbc40.net/view_story.php%3Fid%3D7160cid=1257761916ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNFu_Vs7ICFKLZLdh428OzMYH-IX3Aimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=DA6bNTNyL5EJimgurl=www.nbc40.net/images/layout/header_left.jpg width=74 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2WMGM/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20081015_N_J__would_halve_sales_tax_for_holidays_under_GOP_plan.htmlcid=1257761916ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGJJ_iI1fYaKnbcsToxay1CgYrSlwNJ would halve sales tax for bholidays/b under GOP plan/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fPhiladelphia Inquirer,nbsp;PAnbsp;-/font nobr13 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Jonathan Tamari bHoliday/b shopping in New Jersey would get a bit less expensive under a Republican plan unveiled yesterday. Saying their proposal would b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.njbiz.com/article.asp%3FaID%3D76284cid=1257761916ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGow4hKIvS3jlSTdUEW14DMCpqyigRepublicans Want Sales Tax Slashed for bHolidays/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNJBIZ/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.politickernj.com/bguhl/24454/assembly-republicans-propose-temporary-sales-tax-reduction-spur-economic-activitycid=1257761916ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNE9R0N1By8W1Noy00Ey4VqCdpfhXAASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS PROPOSE TEMPORARY SALES TAX REDUCTION TO SPUR b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrPolitickerNJ/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601103%26sid%3Dan6MlZx1mJTI%26refer%3Duscid=1257761916ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNH3_RWx7tjtKUyMtIk8HBIf7GXQugNew Jersey Republicans Propose Five-Week Sales-Tax bHoliday/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBloomberg/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/184/story/285575.htmlcid=1257761916ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGWKqRjlaFuzZ-MtCL9viknkPihOgnobrPress of Atlantic City/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.1010wins.com/N-J--GOP-Proposes-Sales-Tax-Holiday/3135582cid=1257761916ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNEir-tvzubXJio2XpY4xYRtGSxZYwnobr1010 Wins/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1257761916hl=ennobrall 54 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-budgetoct15,0,6825171.storycid=1257740038ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNE9XxR54OLEqQW3uTZ5PTk_FJJSfwMayor Richard Daley to halt city services for 3 days during bholidays/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fChicago Tribune,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr13 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1bHoliday/b weeks may be a good time to close city offices that wouldn#39;t be busy anyway, but it#39;s a bad time to send home garbage collection crews because the b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/10/to-cut-costs-ch.htmlcid=1257740038ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNG1qRAC2iRG5b_zhG1_rbkBItH7cQTo cut costs, Chicago to shutter city services for 6 days during b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrUSA Today/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/daley.city.budget.2.840738.htmlcid=1257740038ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNHyesvsVHewbtassS745fTR1TA4egMayor Daley To Unveil Budget In Midst Of Crunch/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCBS2 Chicago/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.wbez.org/Content.aspx%3FaudioID%3D29520cid=1257740038ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNFNxdXwaGeoIANDwwxnfvabnnUVOgDaley Proposes Partial Government Shutdown to Balance Budget/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrChicago Public Radio/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story%3Fsection%3Dnews/local%26id%3D6448784cid=1257740038ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNFdk3SCnPCFHEFBtNzQ0fft2nvCYQnobrABC7Chicago.com/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1257740038hl=ennobrall 31 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/just-time-holidays-virgin-mobile/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BA77FF080-19C6-47C5-A309-C8FFA40A28D6%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1258199252ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNEipVypcWIWesuWfVaJAOJOl1ySRQJust in Time for bHolidays/b, Virgin Mobile USA Lowers Prepaid b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1, , ) has unveiled new prepaid international calling rates to Latin America, Asia, Brazil and other markets across the globe for as low as two cents per b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.wbbm780.com/Daley-Orders-Temporary--Partial-Shutdown-Of-City-S/3134518cid=1257744911ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGdBOE0A6kSLRy78MH-1a_UxZ_A2Aimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=U0h0nAIvgkwJimgurl=imgsrv.wbbm780.com/image/DbGraphic/200810/1086782.jpg width=80 height=60 alt= border=1brfont size=-2WBBM780/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail%3FcontentId%3D7650841%26version%3D1%26locale%3DEN-US%26layoutCode%3DTSTY%26pageId%3D3.2.1cid=1257744911ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGCoMVliKzJVxHnmBx9dmqwjcfpiwCity Government Will Close Around 3 bHolidays/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMyFox Chicago,nbsp;ILnbsp;-/font nobr4 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Ironically, the idea of a bholiday/b shutdown originated with organized labor, said Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.wbbm780.com/Daley-Orders-Temporary--Partial-Shutdown-Of-City-S/3134518cid=1257744911ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGdBOE0A6kSLRy78MH-1a_UxZ_A2ADaley Orders Temporary, Partial Shutdown Of City Services/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWBBM780/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1257744911hl=ennobrall 5 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/alpha-consumer/2008/10/15/scaling-down-for-the-holidays.htmlcid=0ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNHcBXUTFuxkiib0o88-AYcXW0Q3rwScaling Down for the bHolidays/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fU.S. News World Report,nbsp;DCnbsp;-/font nobr4 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1It was bad news for retailers, too, who count on the upcoming bholiday/b sales to boost their revenues. The news got me thinking: For those of you already b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hxOh-Pxd1tneJBantYxeF720yhLwD93QG9H00cid=1258236722ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNG0yLVCJNeknaWefKtFm3hYQwEigASummary: Apple retouches laptop line for bholidays/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Associated Pressnbsp;-/font nobrOct 14, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1APPLE#39;S LINEUP: Apple Inc. tuned up its laptops for the bholiday/b shopping season. The machines generally are sleeker and have more power. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullNews.asp%3Fid%3D31315cid=1258176236ei=eln2SL_JI6GO6AOJh8iPCQusg=AFQjCNGK6tVNF-1LE0SUFs7aejwfiOSgHQEconomic Slump Weighs on Retail Ahead of bHolidays/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fIDEX Online,nbsp;Israelnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1September retail sales dropped 1.2 percent in September from August as customers pressured by the deepening credit crisis decreased their spending, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
holidays - Google News

Christmas Gifts For Dog Lovers

Let's admit it, the US and UK are both countries... Read More

Traditional VS. Modern Anniversary Gifts

Most people are familiar with the traditional materials list that... Read More

Celebrating the ME in MumME

Another Mother's Day is upon us. A day in which... Read More

The Only Way to Turn New Year Resolutions Into Reality!

So you ate, drank and spent too much over the... Read More

Birthday Flowers

Birthdays are one thing you can count on. We all... Read More

How To Choose The Hotel Thats Right For You

Getting the right hotel to spend one~s vacation at is... Read More

Simplify the Season

Let's take a look at a typical Christmas To-Do list:... Read More

Valentine Gifts From The Heart

One of my fondest childhood memories is of my mother... Read More

Low On Cash For Christmas? Try Gifts in a Jar

Time is money, and right now you don't have either... Read More

Mothers Day is coming-Dont Blow It!

Mother's Day is May 8th. And, you do realize all... Read More

Magical Plants of Christmas

Most of the plants we associate with the holiday season... Read More

A Dash of Cinnamon, A Pinch of the Past, A Smidgen of the Future

Close your eyes and remember December, the smell of cinnamon... Read More

The History And Origin Of Valentines Day

The oldest Valentine card still in existence was sent in... Read More

2 Inexpensive Halloween Costume Ideas

Did you know that you can make your own Halloween... Read More

Fitness Tips On How To Avoid Gaining Weight During The Holiday Season

This holiday season don't be trendy ? avoid the Seasonal... Read More

Christmas Tree Topper Ornaments

From my childhood memories, pride of place on the top... Read More

Creating Your Own Holiday Traditions

I love this time of year -- decorations on the... Read More

How to Have the ?Perfect? Christmas

"This year will be different. I vow I won't get... Read More

Create a Holiday Feast For The Senses

This is my daughter's first Christmas. Naomi will be nearly... Read More

A Valentines Day Story

Valentine's Day...the day of love right? Many years ago, 22... Read More

Unique Mothers Day Gift - No More Flowers and Chocolate

With Mother's Day approaching fast, it's time to begin thinking... Read More

Halloween Costumes...for Pets!

One of the best things about Halloween, is wearing a... Read More

Bust Holiday Stress!

The holidays will be here before you know it. Clear... Read More

Spice Up Your Life with an Adventure Holiday!

Are you bored with the routine of city life? Do... Read More

Color Easter Eggs Naturally With Dyes From Your Kitchen

The most beautiful dyes for Easter eggs come from foodstuff... Read More