THE SPIRIT OF AMERICANISM AS IT CELEBRATES AND CONTEMPLATES LABOR DAY…

THE SPIRIT OF AMERICANISM AS IT CELEBRATES AND CONTEMPLATES LABOR DAY…

Since the great American labor force has been betrayed by Corporate America leaving thousands of American workers jobless perhaps this American tradition we call “Labor Day” is more appropriately celebrated overseas in Canada, Mexico, China or Japan from which over $514 billion worth of goods and services are annually imported. 

Back in the early 1970’s we witnessed the beginning of the mass exodus of labor from America as American corporations discovered cheaper sources of labor abroad.  Nationalism meant nothing to these companies; their interest was solely in profit.  These American companies established their name and reputation on the diligent skills of American men and women and upon the loyalty of the generations of proud American families who also worked for them and who lived within the shadows of their factories.   Nearly every American could boast that someone in their family had worked for some American manufacturing company, but no more…

The Sherman Antitrust and other pro-labor legislation that galvanized Labor Unions around the turn of the century from the 1890’s into the twentieth century forged a powerful but unstable respect from American companies who bided their time until they could find a way to escape labor laws which they felt depleted their profit.  The 1980’s saw the birth of a new concept called “Globalism” a philosophy American corporations whose history could be traced over 100 years used to finally remove what they felt was the shroud of American identity.  American corporations no longer wanted to be seen as American, they owed no loyalty to Americans.  But these corporations that grew to preeminence from the hard labor of American workers and the wages of American peoples still expected the American people to have loyalty to their products, products which began to increase in price as never before even though they were being made in sweatshops and with cheap foreign labor. 

Something else had changed; American products no longer manufactured in America became less desirable at home and abroad.  In the true spirit of globalism the American people no longer felt any loyalty to the products manufactured abroad by American based companies as if in a tit-for tat!  Besides, many foreign manufactured products were now superior to American ones.  With the loyalty of American consumers now exhausted, the 1980’s 1990’s and the first quarter of the Twenty-First Century saw the crash and burn of  American corporations who had enjoyed over a century and a half of American patronage.  The endless mélange of buy-outs, mergers and etc., etc., etc. of these American companies has been a testament to the loss of loyalty by American consumers.  By the close of the first quarter of the Twenty-First Century there will be few corporations that dare to call themselves, “American”! 

Well the American labor force is comprised of more than factory workers; it consists of all manner of white collar workers as well including civil servants.  The meditation that Americans should devote themselves to on this Labor Day Celebration of 2013 would want to be a rethinking of how to consume.  Americans have the power to spend their dollars with companies who are still proud to call themselves American and evince this claim in practice by manufacturing primarily on U.S. soil employing American citizens.  Americans can organise to change government policy heavily taxing imports and creating a greater incentive for Americans to buy American made products and services.  The burning question is will this form of economic isolationism serve to hurt or help us in the long run.  Bottom line, American companies need to produce a better product, one that, by virtue of its quality will attract domestic and foreign monies.  If one thing holds true it is that whilst most people will purchase the bottom line when necessity requires, they will also always go for the premium version whenever economically possible.  The company who makes that premium will always get the dollar whether American or otherwise.  America must strive to be that country and the corporations which have deep roots in America but which have betrayed it’s people must strive to be that company holding quality and humanity before profit!  Such companies must make a choice between making great profit with a mediocre product and making greater profit with a superior one… Just a thought on the nature of Americanism as it relates to the celebration of Labor Day…

By David Vollin