Monday, September 03, 2012
Labor Day, 2012
From United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation—July 2012:
Unemployed persons: 12.8 million
Unemployment rate: 8.3%
Long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more): 5.2 million
Persons working part-time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job: 8.2 million
Persons not counted as unemployed because because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey: 2.5 million
Here are some cartoons from A. Redfield (pseudonym of Syd Hoff, 1912-2004), The Ruling Clawss (New York: Daily Worker, 1935). Plus ça change, plus ça reste la même chose. Click on any image to enlarge.
Asked who are the hardest working people I know, I would answer, "My children."
Yesterday was supposed to be a day of rest, but my daughter worked from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Today is supposed to be a holiday, but she's scheduled to work again for eight hours. She works for one company at two separate locations, to increase the number of hours worked. On her infrequent days off, she hunts for another job that might pay a higher hourly wage. Ever the rebellious child, she ignores my advice to work less and play more.
My son wakes up well before dawn to weed, water, and tend his vegetable garden in the dark by the light of a headlamp. He commutes over twenty miles to his job in the city. Every evening he cooks a meal that would do credit to the chef of a fine restaurant. On the weekends, he brews beer.
I don't understand how my children acquired their industrious habits. I'm the laziest person I know. Despite all their hard work, however, I fear they will end up financially worse off than me.
Related post: Labor Day, 2011.
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Unemployed persons: 12.8 million
Unemployment rate: 8.3%
Long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more): 5.2 million
Persons working part-time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job: 8.2 million
Persons not counted as unemployed because because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey: 2.5 million
Here are some cartoons from A. Redfield (pseudonym of Syd Hoff, 1912-2004), The Ruling Clawss (New York: Daily Worker, 1935). Plus ça change, plus ça reste la même chose. Click on any image to enlarge.
Asked who are the hardest working people I know, I would answer, "My children."
Yesterday was supposed to be a day of rest, but my daughter worked from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Today is supposed to be a holiday, but she's scheduled to work again for eight hours. She works for one company at two separate locations, to increase the number of hours worked. On her infrequent days off, she hunts for another job that might pay a higher hourly wage. Ever the rebellious child, she ignores my advice to work less and play more.
My son wakes up well before dawn to weed, water, and tend his vegetable garden in the dark by the light of a headlamp. He commutes over twenty miles to his job in the city. Every evening he cooks a meal that would do credit to the chef of a fine restaurant. On the weekends, he brews beer.
I don't understand how my children acquired their industrious habits. I'm the laziest person I know. Despite all their hard work, however, I fear they will end up financially worse off than me.
Related post: Labor Day, 2011.
