Friday, September 6, 2013
Love for Labor Lost
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/02/opinion/krugman-love-for-labor-lost.html. Due 16 Sep 2013. Do the people in the US respect those who labor?? Does the Congress respect laborers, according to Krugman?? What is Krugman's rationale for this problem? Why has "Labor Day" lost it's original meaning?
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ReplyDeleteThis is an article explaining the origins of Labor Day and how it has changed over the years. Labor Day has lost it's meaning because of how people view workers and how they are "takers" instead of "makers". The people in the US and Congress doesn't seem to be respecting laborers since they view them as "takers" and "parasites" who takes advantage of welfare and other similar programs. Krugman's rationale to this problem is that there is an economic inequality in the US and some people, including the working class, cannot pay for the needs of the middle class so they have to rely on these programs to bring in the extra cash.
ReplyDelete-Kevin Thwe
According to Krugman, the chasm between the 1% and the rest of the American population has been greatly exacerbated in recent years. Krugman believes that the Congress did not respect laborers in the Guilded Age, when Labor Day was enstated as "an empty gesture" to appease the masses in the aftermath of military response to the Pullman Strike, and still does not in today's age of welfare debates and "parasites", as the working class is perceived by the Wealthy- and their "friends in Washington". Labor Day lost the meaning of honoring the working classes in several ways. For one, and this is something I have noticed, not something mentioned by Krugman, is that more and more large businesses and Conglomerates still have their employees work on labor day, which to me defeats the purpose. Not only this, but the utter lack of respect for blue-collar workers makes it increasingly arduous to find solid ground for celebration at all.
ReplyDeleteMajority of Americans still respect labor, Based on this article there are two types of people "takers" and "makers". Mitt Romney stated that " I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives". So does congress respect labor ? The answer is a definite no, today many of our politicians can't even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans. Krugmans rationale is " can someone who works for a living be considered the moral equivalent of a bum on welfare?" And he said if you consider someone who works hard trying to make ends meet, but also get some help from the government a "taker" you're going to have contempt for a very large number of American workers and their families labor day's has loss it's meaning just by how it has effected a large amount of Americans, Americans struggling they find that no matter how hard they work, they can't afford the basics of a middle-class existence
ReplyDeleteUS citizens as a whole only respect those who labor in a respectable field. If you're contributing to society through law, business, or medicine, you get respect. People in the US don't respect the people that contribute to society in a lesser way judging by the definition of contribution given by society. For example, working at Taco Bell or Burger King doesn't earn anyone much respect. Congress definitely doesn't respect laborers as a whole. The most wealthy laborers get the utmost respect over the middle-class & lower-class laborers that work also but in a field that pays less. Krugman's rationale is basically “how can someone who works for a living be considered the moral equivalent of a bum on welfare?” Labor Day has lost its original meaning because people in today's society have forgotten the actual meaning of the holiday and the actual meaning of labor. If people work hard, no matter how much they're being paid, they deserve respect for their hard work.
ReplyDelete~ Kim Rose
Period I.
This article starts off by showing how Labor Day has lost its meaning. People associate this day with hot dogs instead of the respect for the labor. "It wasn't always about the hot dogs". According to Krugman many of today's politicians can’t even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans. The congress people view the laborers as "takers" instead of the "makers". Krugman's rationale to this problem is that someone who works really hard to make everything work out, and also gets a little bit of help from the government, is going to be compared to a bum on welfare. Labor Day has lost its meaning because in today's society people try to do everything and celebrate only for themselves. When they see that someone is on welfare, they look down upon them. But no matter how much you make, your still putting forth effort and labor that should be celebrated.
ReplyDeleteUS citizens views on labor have changed drastically over the years. Respect towards laborers has dwindled in the sense that is has shrunk to include less and less working class Americans. Republicans interpret Labor Day as a day commemorating business owners and the wealthy, according to both Mitt Romney and Eric Cantor. Krugman emphasizes that many of today's politicians can't even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans. Conservatives are also encompassing more and more working class families as "parasites" and "takers". Krugman's rationale for this problem stems from the ever present sense of economic inequality in the US. The widening gap between the wealthy and the poor further exacerbates this predicament. Affording middle class existence is becoming a struggle in and of itself, no matter how hard Americans work. "Labor day" has been ultimately stripped of its original purpose and meaning. Its connotation has morphed from revering hard, arduous work, to commemorating business owners who have made it big and ascertained large stores of wealth.
ReplyDelete-Jeremy Petusevsky
Period 1
No, not many people in the United States respect those who labor. The article states that, "For the fact is that many of today’s politicians can’t even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans". According to Krugman, congress does not respect laborers. Krugman states that "In particular, there are evidently a lot of wealthy people in America who consider anyone who isn’t wealthy a loser — an attitude that has clearly gotten stronger as the gap between the 1 percent and everyone else has widened. And such people have a lot of friends in Washington.", meaning that many people in congress, the wealthy 1%, think many working class Americans are losers. "Labor Day" has lost its original meaning because the labor of working class citizens is simply repudiated by our society. American society simply chooses to applaud the labor of those in our society who have been very successful.
ReplyDelete-Anita Pizzirani (Pizza) Period:1
Respect towards labor from the American people has been significantly reduced as time has passed. Fewer then ever working class citizens are still respected. In the eyes of Republicans such as Mitt Romney and Eric Cantor, Labor Day is a holiday to celebrate the rich and powerful. People are now labeled "makers" and "takers." Congress has also stopped respecting laborers, finding no problem considering people as "parasites." Krugman's rationale for this problem focuses on the economic inequality that is present all across the United States. Labor Day has lost its original meaning. It seems as if the holiday only commemorates the rich while the blue collar workers usually don't even get the day off.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Krugman, congress doesn’t really respect normal everyday laborers. He even states that congress “can’t even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans.” Eric Cantor, the House Majority leader even said himself that Labor Day was celebrated to honor only business owners. Now a days Congress evaluates the population with a majority of “takers”, people who compare to parasites, and “makers”, people who produce for themselves and don’t rely on others. There is a new definition of “takers”; working families that don’t pay income taxes but do payroll taxes. Congress is rewording what they’re saying and hoping people will catch onto the right word. American’s who work hard and receive aid from the government are also considered “takers”. Labor Day has lost it’s original meaning because today, opposed to back then, we don’t really take time to appreciate laborers.
ReplyDeleteMany people in the U.S. do not respect those who labor. And According to Krugman, neither does congress. Krugman even said, "...many of today’s politicians can’t even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans." His rationale for this problem is that people who work hard but still struggle to make ends meet on their own, should have access to financial help from the government and not be compared to "a bum on welfare". Labor Day has lost its original meaning in that it doesn't celebrate those who labor anymore, and instead, our working class gets labeled depending on how much help they are getting from the government to live and no credit for how hard they actually work.
ReplyDelete1)The people in the U.S. do respect those who labor based on who you speak to. For Example, if you talk to a congressman they give praise to the business owners people like Eric Cantor. As well as people like Mitt Romney who complains that Yet even as the number of Americans on what we used to consider welfare has declined, the number of citizens the right considers “takers” rather than “makers”.
ReplyDelete2)Congress considers those who are on well-fare or assisted living "parasites" even if they are working class families.
3)Krugman's rationale for this problem would be, Saying that they can use some help shouldn't make us think any less of them, and it certainly shouldn't reduce the respect we grant to anyone who works hard and plays by the rules.
4)Labor day has lost it's meaning instead of what it used to be which is a celebration of the American Labor Movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of worker, to being about ho-dogs, parades, and lazying around on a day off of work.
The U.S. does lack adequate respect for the American worker. Krugman boldly exposes the fallacies of accusations against "lazy" workers who can't support themselves. Congress hardly respects the working class, despite claims to fight for their causes. As Labor Day was made, Congress used it as "a lame appeasement" to quell the Pullman Strike. Since then, it has become a half-hearted attempt by Congress to recognize laborers because it appears we are unable to do so the other 364 days of the year. Labor Day has lost its original value because workers are viewed, economically, as a human resource. In reality, they should be viewed as people. This was excellent article by Krugman to expose the Labor Day weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteLaborers are hardly respected in modern society; they are seen as the one's that didn't make it. Krugman notes particular scenarios where congressmen have said that Labor Day is in celebration of business owners rather than laborers. Krugman notes the negative rhetoric that is proliferated by conservative politicians who are opposed to the working class. Propaganda and misinformation has stigmatized the working class and made "laborer" a title to be ashamed of, according to Krugman. This problem has stricken Labor Day of it's original purpose as a holiday where laborers would be respected, and has instead become another ritual holiday where very little is commemorated at all, and has made it an opportunity to stay home and barbecue.
ReplyDeletePeople don’t value Labor Day as much as they have done in the past. The main cause for this is because of how people now see the workers as “takers” instead of makers. Labor Day is now a day for the rich and powerful and doesn’t even really acknowledge the blue collar workers as much as it use to. Most of the laborers in today’s world don’t even receive the day off in order to acknowledge there importance in society. Congress has now no respect for the laborers and now sees them as being parasites. They see them as people who have been taking advantage of welfare and other programs. Krugman’s rationale for this problem we are facing is that it focuses on the economic inequality that is present all across the United States.
ReplyDeleteIn the recent decades, with the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor, Labor Day’s meaning, and social regard for laborers for that matter, have drastically declined. Now, those who labor are viewed in contempt by the upper class for not being able to succeed and accumulate wealth, and for wasting away government money that’s blown on welfare which could have been used to fund bailouts in the business world. Labor Day is no longer about respecting the workers, but simply serves as another day off. According to Krugman, while the holiday was originally meant as a strategy for appeasing the working class and avoiding further strikes, at least people had the decency to fake it, whereas now people don’t even bother to make much show of respect, fake or real. He thinks congress blatantly does not respect laborers with their self-serving acts that benefit only the wealthy. After the economic crisis hit, their bailouts supported the wealthy and not much was done to make to make it easier for workers. Krugman states congress doesn’t even bother to offer empty gestures of help to boost morale. He cites an example where Eric Cantor, House majority leader, thought of the holiday as a day to celebrate business owners’ success. Krugman thinks the increasing lack of respect for workers stems from improper casting of people as “takers” and “makers.” An increasing amount of people think of those who actually work and follow the rules to be the same burden as those who don’t work at all simply because they take help from the government. These people who work are accused of being “takers” and therefore respect for them has gone down.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the efforts have always been half-hearted, Labor Day first became a day to "honor" the nation's hard-workers after the Pullman Strike incident. Since the gap between the rich and the poor has widened, most Americans' respect for the citizens who work more than a few jobs to pay the month's bill, and simultaneously receive government aid, has declined greatly. As Krugman put it, the wealthy considers those who aren't as well-off to be "losers". Even the Congressmen of today have the same notion of those who seek support from "welfare" programs. Krugman blames this on the misconception that those who slack off and solely depend on government programs are the same as those who work extra shifts while receiving a little bit of support from the government. This has led to the unfair labeling of "takers" and "makers" in America. As long as officials such as Eric Cantor (the House majority leader) continue to advocate the belief that low-class workers are lazy and incompetent, the respect for the workers of America will only dwindle down to nothing.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Krugman, the people in the US do not have much respect for those who labor, and even congress has lost all respect for the workers of America. Krugman's rationale for this problem is that the amount of people who receive help from the government, even though they are working hard to make ends meet, are considered "takers" rather than "makers," which gives off a negative connotation that would lead to the loss of respect for hard working American citizens. Labor Day has lost it's original meaning because it originally was meant to honor those who worked and now congressmen and women alike cannot even fake respect for the working Americans.
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ReplyDeleteThe people in the U.S. nowadays have been viewed as parasites, or takers, of the society. They are the ones who are unable to make a big fortune and yet rely on the aids they can get get from the government. The Congress, however, has a different perspective; they realize the fact that no matter how hard the middle-class workers work, they can’t afford the basics of a middle-class existence. So to the Congress people, it is only humane to provide middle-class people some government aids. In Krugman's perspective, he sees that it is true that there is a social inequality among us. The Labor Day has lost its original meaning because it was originally made to appease the strikers back in the 19th and 20th centuries.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Paul Krugman’s article the original motive behind “Labor Day” was a congressional act to dispel tension between the US government and the American worker after the government became involved in violently putting down the unions. The majority of Americans, as Krugman states, are laborers who ensure the wheels of the economy stay greased. Therefore, the people of the US respect those who labor, since they themselves are laborers. However, according to Krugman, the political conservatives such as Eric Cantor believe that Labor Day should be a celebration of the successful entrepreneur. Other politicians, like Mitt Romney, believe that there is a high percentage of Americans who are dependent upon and believe they are entitled to government subsidies. He says that he could “never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” The conservatives believe that there are “makers” (the entrepreneur) or “takers” (Americans on government subsidies). The respect for the American laborer has been lost, according to Krugman’s rationale because the growing disparity between the wealthy 1 percent and the other 99% of the population brings with it a conviction by the wealthy that anyone who isn’t wealthy is a “loser.” The original meaning behind Labor Day was as a celebration of the traditional American worker who worked hard, paid taxes, and built the infrastructure that made America great. Businesses were closed and the laborer was rewarded with a day off from hard work to eat, drink, and celebrate their contribution to their great nation. While most Americans still share the spirit of Labor Day because they are the laborers, Krugman’s concern is the those 1% of wealthy Americans will continue to disrespect the 99% of others who helped get them there.
ReplyDeleteWhile some people in the U.S. respect those who labor, a majority of citizens do not. According to Krugman, congress does not respect laborers. “..many of today’s politicians can’t even bring themselves to fake respect for ordinary working Americans,” says Krugman. There are two groups of people, “makers”, those who take responsibility and work for their money, and “takers”, those on welfare that use the government’s money. Although the number of people on welfare has gone down, Americans consider nearly half of the population to be “takers”. The meaning of Labor Day has changed overtime as the attitudes of American’s have changed. Those who consider “takers” to be undeserving fail to see the reality of a situation; some working American’s just make ends meet. The growing gap between the poor and the wealthy also contributes to the loss of its original meaning.
ReplyDeleteI think people do not resoect labor day as it should be respected. Labor Day is a holiday to celebrate the rich and powerful. People are now labeled "makers" and "takers." Congress has also stopped respecting laborers, finding no problem considering people as "parasites." Krugman's rationale for this problem focuses on the economic inequality that is present all across the United States I do not think that people respect or politicians respect Labor Day as it should be. People work on Labor Day when it was originally designed to take a day off and be thankful
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