Kelly J. Bullis: We’ve lost the meaning of Labor Day

OK! My doctor says I gotta control my blood pressure better. But when we get to certain holidays, the way the average mostly younger person just flippantly treats it as another three-day weekend without celebrating its purpose, well, I need to go pop another pill!

Labor: Defined as “productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain. Also, A body of persons engaged in such activity, especially those working for wages.”

Labor Day: Defined as “honors the American Labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws and well-being of the country.”

So, in today’s circus atmosphere of welfare, food stamps, and even long-term unemployment payments, the meaning of “labor” to many has lost its purpose.

Today’s unemployment rates seem to be low, but there are a lot of folks who figured out that by faking “disability” they could get Social Security payments early, as well as food stamps, and welfare payments. It has been estimated that the average person on welfare is taking in over $40,000 a year in benefits ... for not producing one hour of labor!

In the meantime, I have plenty of clients who are begging, screaming, and crying for qualified employees.

If a person is not qualified, there are plenty of programs at the community colleges to get anybody up to minimum levels to become employed so they can participate in the great American past time called “trading labor for money.”

In the past, our country was able to become the most prosperous nation on earth for one reason ... labor! We worked! Hard! We produced! We were efficient! Is that potential sleeping today and needs to be awakened? Yes!

Let me end with the amazing accomplishment of the World War II generation of workers. During the 3 1/2 years of World War II, the U.S. produced 22 aircraft carriers, eight battleships, 48 cruisers, 349 destroyers, 420 destroyer escorts, 203 submarines, 34 million tons of merchant ships, 100,000 fighter aircraft, 98,000 bombers, 24,000 transport aircraft, 58,000 training aircraft, 93,000 tanks, 257,000 artillery pieces, 105,000 mortars, 3,000,000 machine guns, and 2,500,000 military trucks. Many weapons were designed, tested, and mass produced by the tens of thousands in that short 3 1/2-year span of time. Now that’s productive labor that was focused on a specific goal. To win the war!

Did you hear? Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”

Kelly Bullis is a Certified Public Accountant in Carson City. Contact him at 775-882-4459 and on the web at BullisAndCo.com and Facebook.