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Monday, Sept. 6, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
Labor Day has been the traditional celebration of the American worker for more than 125 years, but this year it is difficult to find much to celebrate, particularly in Nevada. Unemployment in the state has been among the highest in the nation for months, the housing market is still plagued by foreclosures and the tourism industry, the backbone of the state’s economy, is suffering from the recession.
This is quite a turn for the state. It may seem like a distant memory, but for years Nevada’s economy was considered bulletproof — the state thrived and national economic downturns weren’t widely felt here. Over the years, people came here to find plenty of jobs that paid well, giving them the opportunity to buy homes and enjoy a good quality of life.
Nevada was the fastest-growing state in the nation for years as the economy, along with the housing market, boomed. Just four years ago the unemployment rate was 4.4 percent and the housing market was cresting. But things have changed dramatically with this recession — the unemployment rate has more than tripled, and the state has been the epicenter of the foreclosure crisis.
If there’s anything clear this Labor Day, it’s that the American worker deserves a break. Unfortunately, the economy still looks sluggish and efforts to improve it have been tied up in election-year politics.
The Obama administration and the Democratic-led Congress have worked diligently to help Americans, but their efforts have been frustrated by Republican leaders in Congress. Although many of the nation’s leading economists have said the Democrats’ work has helped save jobs and prevent an economic meltdown, Republicans have ignored the experts. Instead, they have tried to scare voters by demonizing the efforts to help the economy, claiming they have failed. The Republicans’ crass political strategy appears to hinge on blocking constructive efforts in hopes that voters will blame the Democrats for the economy in November.
It is notable that the Republican leadership hasn’t brought any helpful ideas to the table, and it instead offers candidates such as Sharron Angle, who is running against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Although thousands of Nevadans are struggling to find work, Angle said she would have voted against legislation to extend unemployment benefits, claiming such payments have “spoiled the citizenry.” Angle is the candidate who has argued in favor of phasing out Social Security, which millions of Americans rely on in retirement.
Unfortunately, there is an attitude among some people that boils down to this: Workers can suffer. That is an affront to honest, working Americans, who have made this country the great nation it is. Given the current plight of Americans, it’s beyond time for people to work together to improve the economy and protect the benefits that help people in tough times. There would be no better way to honor American workers this Labor Day.
The left talks about the govenment providing jobs, something it has never been able to do. It can set the rules of the economy to allow good jobs to grow.
For decades we have special interests and idealist putting more and more restrictions on business and then wonder why manufactures from oversea can win in the economic battle. Now the move is to double the cost of energy in America. How do you think we can compete at anything if we double the cost of energy?
Wake up voters. The plans of Pelois, reid and Obama are already destroying this country and they must be stopped.
The Obama-Reid-Pelosi administration is marching us into Socialism.
Meanwhile, our friends in Europe, whose Socialist governments failed, are going to capitalism.
We want to be like they were and they want to be like we were. It's truly bizarre.
Government can't create jobs? How come my neighbor has spent the lat year working on the "bypass Bridge?"
The government (NASA) even helped develop the cochlear implant that Limbaugh uses.
Turn off the Hannity and Limbaugh, and stop regurgitating their talking points.
Its really cruel the wealthy have won lets call it Capitalist or Corporate Day instead.
Labor just gets the bums rush and lip service;most unions are employers unions. I guess Andy Stern sees the writing on wall.Tax's too high it's the unions,Schools, stink it's the Unions. Can't compete with the Globaloney, it's the Unions.
If ignorance is bliss, the meathead republican/teatards/American Taliban who post here daily must be the happiest bunch on the planet.
They make a box of rocks look brilliant.
Happy Labor day to all. It's a shame the corporatists from the American Taliban have turned today into a retail dividing line between those who have the day off, and those forced to work.
Families would be stronger if they had real holidays in America. Just wait, these corporatist/American Taliban whores are chompin at the bit to start opening on Christmas day too.
The American Taliban, on display daily here in the Las Vegas Sun...
This rag has to be joking. This is a second grade analysis that is pure nonsense.
"The Obama administration and the Democratic-led Congress have worked diligently to help Americans, but their efforts have been frustrated by Republican leaders in Congress. Although many of the nation's leading economists have said the Democrats' work has helped save jobs and prevent an economic meltdown, Republicans have ignored the experts. Instead, they have tried to scare voters by demonizing the efforts to help the economy, claiming they have failed. The Republicans' crass political strategy appears to hinge on blocking constructive efforts in hopes that voters will blame the Democrats for the economy in November."
Did it ever occur to this rag that these demonizing Republicans are duly elected officials? As with their Democrat colleagues will have to answer to the voters in November. All 435 representatives and one-third of the Senate. Many of the so-called efforts to help the economy are merely pork barrel pet projects and both parties are responsible for this stuff.
Grow up LV Sun. Fortunately, the public has better sense and more intelligence than this patronizing elitist page gives them credit for.
Happy Capitalist Day !!!! Next imprisonment for Debt !
If Government can't provide jobs what was WW2 ?
The rhetoric is flying this morning.
The Pullman strike caused Grover Clevland to declare Labor day. The Pullman company lowered wages in the Panic 1893 but refused to lower rents in it's company town of Pullman Ill. Clevland brought in troops and killed a bunch of wages slaves and felt bad about it,so he declared this holiday. Lets make Reagans busting of the PATCO union a holliday instead or perhaps the Republicans overturning of the Wagner act. Happy Capitalist Day !
BTW--if the Dems. are so worried about obstructionist Republicans, why have the Dems tried to force a vote to repeal Senate Rule 22--the fillibuster and cloture rule?
Harry, here is a project for you!
Correction--why haven't the Dems tried to repeal Senate Rule 22?
Harry. Oh Harry where art thou?
LBJ would have found a way to get past the filibuster. Either your pregnant or not. Either your for labor or not. Card Check now !
During the Depression the Republicans threw up 100 amendments to overturn the Wagner Act after the War they finally gutted it when they overrode Trumans veto of the Taft Hartley Act.
In the 50's and 60's the Republicans purged the Unions of any progressives by painting them as "communists".
The working men and women of America in the manufacturing plants, in the construction companies, in the coal mines, in the oil fields, on the farms, in our schools and colleges, on our ships, and within our military made this count great through their hard work, both mental and physical.
Those people were the backbone of America, they carried the weight of the future and did an excellent job until they were prevented from doing so, starting with the Reagan mis-administration and continuing on into the Bush Sr. and bush jr. mis-administrations.
We the people must fight hard to return those days when there was a living wage for the working men and women in America, when tax rates were progressive and not give away's for the rich and very rich.
The rich and very rich along with their "Hatchetmen" republicans declared war on the middle and working classes and they won, but they got too greedy and tried to defraud the world but it blew up in their face.
Now the rich and very rich along with their even more extreme "Hatchetmen" republicans are after everything the working men and women have.
The situation needs to be remedied--homeowners that are underwater need help now, not the totalitarian, corrupt, and incompetent Wall St. Fraudsters!
Americans that have lost jobs and their way of life need help, not the Wall St. Fraudsters!
We the People, do not necessarily have to storm the ramparts, but we the people should let it be known that we can storm those ramparts and change things drastically, if the need arises.
I salute the working men and women of the USA!
This week an extremely weakened version of the Percora commission flys into Vegas. I believe that skewing wealth to the elites contributed to the real estate meltdown. Would this happen if we had an effective labor movement ?
The Liberal economic plan was to spend much more federal money on all the things Libs have been wanting for decades and call it 'stimulus.'
Four years later we get a big surprise. It turns out that reckless spending hurts rather than helps an economy. Turns out ObamaCare is another reckless liberal experiment that increases the cost of healthcare and health insurance premiums while lowering the quality of healthcare. Who knew spending $2.5 Trillion MORE on healthcare would make it cost more? Who knew that taking $1/2 Trillion out of Medicare would make it less stable?
It turns out that Obama's signing of the $410 Billion Omnibus spending bill and the $817 Billion 'stimulus' bill within weeks of his inauguration would scare the hell out of businesses and consumers and actually choke off a nascent recovery.
While Sharon Angle is definitely the least attractive candidate I've ever voted for, she beats the hell out of more of the same liberal experiments.
We should have had a jobs bill that word "stimulus" reeks of failed trickle down economics ! A cat food commission instead of an unemployment commission. Surely we should change the name of this day to capitalist day.
We can call labor day "Rich Doctor Day" ; them large COBRA payments are so nice thanks to them ! W and Obama think alot of them too ! I see more physicians on CSPAN than I do when I'm sick.
To the Republicans hospitals take mastercard and Visa not chickens.
I salute the unemployed men and woman of America ; lets start rioting we deserve much better than this !!
I can't see how a well read person could be a Republican unless they were already very wealthy.
We need a day for Parasites as they cannot relate to Labor day.
"...Instead, they have tried to scare voters by demonizing the efforts to help the economy, claiming they have failed..."
OOO! Those wascally Wepublicans! For four years Reid and Pelosi have made their tough reputations by buffaloing everyone who got in their way. They passed everything they needed to pass to put their program into action. Of course 15-20% real unemployment, empty storefronts and mass foreclosures are just a happy part of the Recovery Summer that Vice President Biden is so proud of. Now the libs at the Sun have put their finger on the real problem...political opposition to the wonderful Demo policies that just about every darned economist says are great! Its not the fault of Big Brother Economics, its those Evil Republicans who want YOU to starve so they can get elected. If you listen to this guff and vote to re-elect the authors of your misery, Harry Reid & Co., you deserve to live behind a dumpster waiting for your next gubmint handout.
HOOKERSHAKY- Its because most hookers are Democrats. If your small business paid taxes and was regulated you would understand.
I strongly disagree. The "progressive" (socialist) big-government policies and agenda of Obama, Reid, Dodd, Frank, and Pelosi have caused and extended the economic problems we have today.
Remember, Reid and Pelosi were in control of the Congress the last two years of the Bush administration, and Barney Frank and Chris Dodd kept insisting that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were in good shape when they were in fact setting the housing bust in motion.
It is insane to believe that you can spend your way into prosperity. Obama and the Democrats have arrogantly forced their agenda upon the people when the vast majority strongly opposed it. The so-called "party of no" were representing their constituents by trying to block the socialist policies of Obama and the Dems. Those constituents have been screaming NO at the top of their lungs for two years, but the elitist Democrats didn't care. In their arrogance, they kept pushing their agenda anyway.
The clear majority of Americans are disgusted by the arrogance of the elitist Democrats and their "shut up, we know better than you" attitude. That majority will put those arrogant elitists, Harry Reid included, in their place in November.
We American union workers will win the day.
STOP REPUBLICAN GREED.
LIVE BETTER, WORK UNION.
Union workers keep the middle class in this
country, stupid.
dipstick said...
"gbigs is back on the bottle, again, sylvia. dont give him any coffee, who wants a drunk thats wide awake!"
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
That's funny! That post gets my vote as the top post of the day!
As we celebrate Labor Day many people of obvious, to them anyway, "superior" intelligence and "education" have put aside their hateful retoric and the blaming of Americas ills on the working man. gbigs and a few friends are here so not everyone has decided to give it a rest. Tomorrow is another day and we can expect the troops of ignorance and oversized egos to be out in force resuming their campaign of calling the working man stupid, ignorant, lazy, skilless, spoiled, shiftless, illiterate, or pick your own derogatory term. If it hasn't been used yet it's only because they haven't gotten around to it.
One thing people of "education" fail to realize is most working people have a shorter life span. Some by a lot. While sitting in your air conditioned temperature controlled cubicle telling yourself how great you are the working people are breathing or absorbing life shortening chemicals and pollutants in blazing heat to numbing cold. Even the ones who manage to live a decent life span have all sorts of worn out and busted body parts along with the painful arthritis it brings. Instead of respecting people for doing these necessary jobs and realizing "there but for the grace of god go I" the "educated" bring out the usual put downs.
As tomorrow dawns and the hatreds come out of the closet and put in the front window think about this. The next exodus of jobs are the educated ones whether they be transferred overseas or your employer hires cheap H1B immigrants by the boatload. This is already in motion and gaining momentum. As you clean out your desk heading into a future of no prospects your ex employer will spout the propaganda that you and your fellow educated professionals lacked skills, education, work ethic, etc,etc. Just like they did with the working people. Have nice day and keep those resumes handy.
odeman, Thanks for a wonderful, truthful post. Keep it up!
All unions must go.
All anti-union, greedy, republican scum-bags
must go.
LIVE BETTER, WORK UNION.
Celebrate mediocrity. Union!
Sing to the tune of joe hill;
I dreamed I saw Ken Lay today alive as he could be
said Ken I didn't die, I went on to pyramidize !
Happy belated Capitalist Day !
Hey gbigs:
That story was more sophomoric than a first year high school student having an internship at USA Today writing it for fun. No substance, no clarity, no usefulness.
My goodness gracious, no wonder the American Taliban got you to join so easily...
I think Corporate Day would be a more appropriate name since that word is used more often by the self dealing Supreme Court elitists. The parasites are the people laying people off not the unemployed.Firing people and counting money isn't, I think, considered labor.