Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Workers pay the price

Friday, Aug. 30, 2002 | 4:20 a.m.

THIS WEEKEND we recognize Labor Day, which to be properly celebrated should result in plenty of rest, potato salad, ribs or hot dogs. This year, unlike most recent Labor Days, celebrants' thoughts will be divided between those who have a job and a large number who wish they still had one.

Many Americans who have contributed several decades of hard work to make this a great society now look forward to even more years of labor. What they had considered an adequate retirement fund has dwindled to a level that would provide a much lower standard of living. Now some stock analysts and Wall Street types tell them to just hang in there and their 401(k) fund will rebound.

So what's another five or 10 years of work? Not much if you are only 45 or 55 years of age and have a good job that's not too physically demanding. This isn't the situation found by millions of Americans who only have Social Security checks and other small savings as they head into their twilight years.

I was most fortunate to be raised during the Great Depression on a sand farm in Wisconsin. Any shortage of meat, fish or wild berries could be harvested and canned between May and November. Americans in the big cities didn't have this good fortune. Bankers jumped out of windows and parents scrambled to feed their young. Thousands of men left their homes to seek work, and rode in and on railroad boxcars in their quest for employment. Nobody had much money, but some were poorer than others.

In 1932 Americans elected Franklin D. Roosevelt to lead our nation. He was a courageous man with great plans on how to feed the hungry, create productive jobs, give our monetary system stability and provide for those no longer able to work. School hot-lunch programs with surplus commodities and public works that built libraries, roads, bridges, sewage and water systems and parks were among his many accomplishments. All of this took place as our nation prepared to save a crumbling world from the original "axis of evil."

Since then we have had several economic recessions, but their blows have been softened by many of the measures created during Roosevelt's more than three terms in office. Today we live in a strong and wealthy nation that has hit another economic slump, which we will survive and again reach for an even higher quality of life.

New successes can only be realized if we are willing to recognize the needs of those less fortunate. We cannot allow for the repetition of mistakes we made during recent years of prosperity. Too many Americans became so engrossed in making large sums of money that they gave little or no thought to how it was being made for them by large corporations. They were shocked from this mental laziness only when their own welfare and plans for the future were jeopardized.

All of this pain surfaced as they watched several leaders of large corporations walk away with the money invested by them in retirement plans. Another lesson learned by those who sweat and strain while making this a great nation. We must make certain that it doesn't happen again.

With or without great wealth, our nation remains viable because of the strong work ethic most Americans have learned from their parents and grandparents. The waitress, laborer, police officer, firefighter, garbage collector, teacher, small businessman, secretary, truck driver, nurse, carpenter, plumber, pilot, roofer, mechanic, ironworker, miner, logger, clergy, fisherman, farmer, painter, author, news reporter, chef, military service person and homemaker are among those we should celebrate today. They have made a difference so we can rest and enjoy Labor Day 2002. Just remember there are others who are less fortunate who may need our helping hand or, at the very least, a cheerful word.