While many consider Labor Day to be the end of summer, the end doesn’t actually arrive until 15 days later, this year. For all those kids who are back in school and who had to help close up their pools, it is difficult to believe that summer has not ended, but it has not. So be sure to go out and enjoy those last few days of summer, once you have finished your homework.
For those of you who were wondering, Labor Day is a creation of the Labor Movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances during 1885 and 1886. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During that year four more states created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade three more states followed suit and by 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday. On June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September a legal holiday.
There is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners was the first to suggest it. However, many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. Either way, this is a topic that should make for some lively discussions at your Labor Day barbecues.
I know I said I was tired of talking about commercials, but this past week I started to wonder about something. Doesn’t anyone ever have to actually prove the claims they make in these advertisements? I have seen several phone companies claim that they are number one in a variety of areas. There are at least three who claim to be first in customer satisfaction. Now I have not done the research, but is it possible that there was a three-way tie for first? Or is it more likely that two of the companies are confused or just lying?
You see this with a lot of different companies – beer, cars, mattresses, clothing, makeup, etc. Shouldn’t you have to back up your claims and be able to prove them to someone before you can air the commercial? Obviously no company wants to say, “We ranked fourth in customer service, but we try real hard and generally don’t swear at you while you are on the phone.” But if you cannot show data that proves you are number one, can you say you are? Don’t tell me that you are number one, just give me the product at a decent price and let me determine how good you are by myself. By the way, I am still sick of insurance commercials and that’s all I am going to say about that.
Generally, I try not to mention companies, stores, TV shows or other things by name because I don’t want to create issues for them or me, but I am going to name one show. The reason for this is not to complain or make disparaging remarks about the show, but to address a different matter. I watch the TV show Cops and the one thing that strikes me constantly is the stupidity of the suspects. One incident showed a person being taken into custody by police. He was handcuffed and had three officers standing around him. He decides to make a run for it. Even the cops were amazed. One asked him what his plan was, if he got away. “You were handcuffed and we have your ID. How did you think this was going to work out for you?”
I am constantly amazed at the number of people who are passengers in a car that is pulled over. When questioned by police, they claim not to know the driver. He or she just offered them a ride and they took it. Or the driver who has no idea who the passenger is, they just asked for a ride and he said sure. I am also amazed at the number of people who are driving cars that do not belong to them. It belongs to a girlfriend, a cousin, a friend, a relative or whoever and they just never happen to have any ID or any paperwork on the car. They say these things and then can’t understand why the officer has them get out of the car.
The ones that get me are the ones that take me back to when I was a kid. My mother would catch me carrying cigarettes and would ask me what I was doing with them. I always claimed they weren’t mine, that I was holding them for a friend. I could never understand why she didn’t believe me. I saw one episode where police pulled a car over because the driver ran a red light and almost hit a car. When they walked up to talk to him, they saw an open backpack on the seat and saw several bags of marijuana in it. When they asked him about it, he said it wasn’t his and that his friend must have left it in the car. He couldn’t understand why the police didn’t believe him. If stupidity entertains you, this is the show to watch.
This week our fact tells us that in Athens, Greece, a driver’s license can be taken away by law if the driver is deemed either unbathed or poorly dressed. Can you imagine how many drivers would be taken off the road here in the US if they just enforced that law in Walmart parking lots?
Enjoy the holiday and have a good week.
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