Happy Labor Day! (except USA..)

[milker]

And in France it's also "Muguet" day, this kind of Lilly is sold in the streets of France on May 1st. It has been a tradition to offer it on May 1st since 1561. It's the only day in the year where anyone can sell this flower in the street without having to get a permit.



Milker (who offers Muguet to all of his AM friends)

[JacobKell]

I find it ironic that the USA still has Labor Day as a national holiday or that companies like Wal-Mart still recognize it.

Given that Labor Day is about celebrating workers rights, OSHA, labor unions, and the living wage that big multi-national companies and big government have all but done away with completely.

[milker]

Yeah but I think the US of A is the only one that celebrates labor day 6 months after the real date..

Milker.

[BT65]

Milker:
    What a beautiful flower!  I wish I was in your AM group so I could get one (jealousy).
     Thanks for the picture-it's gorgeous dahling!
Peace-
Betty

[JacobKell]

Yeah but I think the US of A is the only one that celebrates labor day 6 months after the real date..

Milker.

Yeah, here's the story behind why that is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_riot

Back in the olden days, and probably coming to an end at about the time World War II started, when labor unions were not recognised by the federal government and there were no workers safety or minimum wage laws, companies used to pay the police to act as organised death squads, to basically go and kill any worker who tried to stand up for themselves.

As a result, we won many MANY important things, that have since been taken away with "free trade" acts, basically the goal of free market capitalism is to chase down the cheapest, most exploitable labor, and squeeze workers, to the death.

By ordering items made in China, Mexico, India, etc., they can bypass minimum wage, worker safety, clean air acts, etc. with one swift stroke, and then companies like Wal-Mart can stock their shelves with items produced with slave labor.

Another alarming trend in the US is that the minimum wage does not keep pace with inflation well enough, back in 1968, when the minimum wage was at it's relative highpoint, you were guaranteed at least $1.25 an hour, which would be roughly $8.80 in today's money, except that minimum wage today is $5.15 an hour, largely because a lot of companies that have a lot of employees and can hoard billions more dollars by refusing to pay a fair wage (ala Wal-Mart, Mcdonalds, etc.) have lobbied the government to keep minimum wage depressed, our politicians are NOT servants of the people that elect them, they bend over for any corporate lobbyist rich enough to finance their election campaigns, and thats precisely why the Democrats and the Republicans both have to go.

The Reps and the Dems both have their core constituency, which is basically, some fringe issues that they can pander on, the Republicans typically go out after the religious right, and the Democrats target all the minorities and special interest groups, but at the end of the day, both parties are rotten to the core and need to be done away with.

[milker]

Yeah, here's the story behind why that is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_riot

Well THAT's interesting! I never bothered to look at the exact reason, and I always thought it had to do with Mccarthyism! I learned something today, thank you !

Milker.

[BT65]

Milker:
   Aren't you a little suspicious about JacobKell, especially when he starts in on the Wal-Mart thing?

[milker]

I just read your other post, Betty. Yes. Well I learned something anyway . I didn't bother about the rest of the rant, I ignored it but it didn't raise the alarm, damnit. You're good

Milker.