The WAY to WOW Shows
Make Labor Day Meaningful!
September 1, 2025
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[0:02] Who are you and where are you going? What do you want? [Music] Hello and welcome to this special edition of the Way to Wow shows for Labor Day. It's uh Monday, September 1st, and um this is um the beginning of the fall holiday season basically. So although summer isn't officially over for about another three weeks, uh Labor

[0:39] Day has I mean it used to mean things like going back to school, although I think most schools have been in session for already at least a week or two. Uh but uh it it kind of kicks off the fall. This is my favorite time of year. Uh and and although we're having our hottest week so far of the summer this week here in Los Angeles, hopefully the weather's going to cool down as we head into late September and October. And then we'll have nice cool weather for uh for Halloween and Thanksgiving and then

[1:15] on into the Christmas holiday season and the new year. So, last year I when I talked about Labor Day, I talked about the history of the holiday. And this year I I'd like to talk about why it's meaningful to celebrate Labor Day uh in a in a country that uh has a capitalist free market economy or not not purely so

[1:52] of course. Um so there used to be a time when um Americans or a lot of Americans were opposed to Labor Day because it's smacked of communism. So Mayday historically is is Labor Day in countries in countries like the Soviet Union and such. Uh but I think that there's there are many good reasons uh here in the United States for us to take a day to honor labor. Uh I

[2:28] especially given some of the trends in our society where uh it seems young younger people especially are struggling to find their place in society to establish productive meaningful lives. And and so I I came up with uh five uh ideas as to why Labor Day remains important in America. So, I thought I'd share those with you. And then, as as is

[3:04] my custom, uh I'm going to read uh a uh a speech. In this case, is a speech by Ronald Reagan uh that he gave for Labor Day on in 1981 on September 4th. and and um Reagan, you know, who was Ronald Reagan, who was known as the great communicator, I think, as as always, has some thoughts that are uh worth hearing on this day as we attempt to make Labor Day not just a

[3:41] time, not just a day off and a time for barbecues and gathering with family and friends, but a meaningful day in the calendar. And by the way, I hope you all put your flags out for for Labor Day. I put mine out this morning a little after 7 a.m. So, I think the first and and perhaps the most important reason to celebrate Labor Day is it celebrates the dignity of work. and not, you know, we tend to think of labor as manual labor

[4:17] or maybe factory labor, things like like mining or, you know, harvesting timber, things like that. But of course, in contemporary America, only a small percentage of people are engaged in those types of jobs. So most of us are involved in service activities. I know my business as an independent trustee and probate administrator. I I perform services and a a do

[4:53] professionals at large and even people who work from a company that uh at least ostensibly has a large manufacturing component to it. I'm thinking of a company for example like Apple. So Apple makes computers and iPhones and iPads and earbuds. So they they manufacture all these although they don't I don't think they manufacture any of them here in the United States. But the vast majority of people who work for Apple do not engage in the actual manufacturing

[5:29] of those products. That's setting aside that the the manufacturing is generally speaking done by contractors. I think even if those contract employees were added into the mix, my my guess is that a company like Apple still would be a majority of people not directly involved in the uh manufacturing uh process. Even for a say an automobile manufacturer like Ford for example um my my guess is that um maybe only

[6:04] half of Ford's employees are engaged in the manufacturing process itself. Nonetheless, there is tremendous dignity for the human spirit in engaging in work at work that is honest, that is productive, meaning adding value to our society. Now, there's no honor in being a drug dealer. Drug dealers, they may work hard. I don't know. I've never been one, never known any, at least to the best of my knowledge. uh but but they are they

[6:41] are parasites on our society and they make their wealth by flaunting the law. So, um, I I I would argue that people involved in illegal activity, no matter how hard they work at it, are not part of the celebration of the dignity of labor because much of their activity is undermining the value that we as individuals and as a society gain from engaging in honest, productive labor.

[7:19] And so whether we do manual work, whether we engage in professional services or whether we're involved in administrative tasks at a company, all of those are or whether we whether we're involved in things like teaching or law enforcement, uh fighting fires, all of those add to our society and they give a person a basis on which to build his self-esteem. And so that is the power of the dignity

[7:57] of work. And indeed, I I I I would hope that in today's day and age, that we would recognize that every job contributes to society's functioning and prosperity. Uh whether it's the fellow on the garbage truck picking up, you know, our refues, uh whether it's the crossing guards that are protecting our children when they're going to and coming to and going home from school. I I know when I'm out

[8:32] walking, oftentimes I encounter the security guards. I always make it a point to to greet them and thank them. uh what they do is important uh and and it is dignified important work that every person driving paid attention I guess we wouldn't need crossing guards but that is not the society in which we live maybe when you know all vehicles are whimos and they all scrupulously avo scrupulously obey the traffic laws we won't need crossing guards but until then uh every job contributes to

[9:10] society's functioning and prosperity. Uh and it also it it a labor day affirms the idea that work provides purpose and meaning beyond just uh earning an income. So people sometimes make jokes because when you ask someone or when you're seeking to find out who someone is in the United States or who an American is, they will connect their identity to what they do. I'm a lawyer. I'm I'm a trust and probate

[9:45] administrator. I'm a teacher. I'm a doctor. I I build cars. I'm a factory worker. Right? Whereas in Europe, people don't tend to identify themselves by their work. And uh we can argue the merits of each system, but the fact that we in America get a a good portion of our identif identity from our work, I think demonstrates the importance of work in how we see ourselves as individuals and as a society. America

[10:22] has always attracted people who are ambitious, innovative, want to work hard and and so it's part of our national gestalt and Labor Day I think celebrates that as well. And finally, it it acknowledges the skill, the dedication, the effort required in all occupations. I'll go back to my uh um uh the the um crossing guards. Uh I have

[10:58] personally seen cars essentially attempt to run them down. Okay, it happened just last week. One of the crossing guards I see on a regular basis. The the car just it it ran through the stop sign and came up right up to him. And to his credit, he stood his ground and the car stopped. Thank thank good thank goodness thank god right but uh you know there is a tremendous amount of dedication or that was a a tremendous uh dedication on his part because there were people behind

[11:33] him who were crossing me among them right and as I got to the other side I I turned him I said you know these drivers are crazy he said yeah he said this happens pretty frequently I said I was run down by a car not too far from here and we talked about that for a minute or two. So I think it's important for us as a society to acknowledge the skill, dedication and effort required in all occupations as a way to encourage people to acquire the skills to be dedicated to

[12:08] put in the effort of labor. So that's that's number one. Uh number two, it it em Labor Day embodies America's opportunity mindset and its its mobility. So there has been the idea really since the founding even before the founding of the United States of America that that work can lead to personal advancement. And indeed that is central to the idea of the American dream. It's a shame that we

[12:44] see large groups of people now challenging that uh claiming it doesn't exist, it never existed and that America is not a land of opportunity. This used to be something that we as Americans broadly agreed on. And and the fact that we don't now or or that at least a significant portion of of of people in America don't agree with that I I think is is a tremendous shame because it is the fact that in America if someone

[13:19] works hard they can advance themselves right if we if someone works hard are they going to become you know wealthy as an Elon Musk no probably not I don't but I don't think that that that the ability to, you know, become the richest man in the world is essential to the value of the American dream where a hard work allows for uh social mobility. uh and and the and the fact is I don't think that the goodness of the American

[13:54] dream necessitates that the first generation be able to attain the ultimate levels of society. It used to be understood that the goal was for our children to have better and more opportunity than we have. Now, it seems to be that everybody should have to in order for the American dream to be valid, everybody has to have the opportunity to hit a home run their first time up to bat. And again, I think that's a shame. There there are generational covenants that exist and in

[14:33] order for them to be truly beneficial, they have to bind each succeeding generation. If the promise of America is someone born today uh who for whatever reason uh you know isn't in the upper strata of society either academically or economically or etc is entitled to attain that within their lifetime. There is no reason for that person to

[15:13] build a society where there is greater opportunity for his children because if everybody's entitled to the ultimate advancement, well then everybody's entitled to that. But it's not true. The fact of the matter is uh people in this country either native or coming to this country from another place have differing levels of education. They have differing skill levels. They have different capacities to work. And so our job is to do the

[15:53] best we can with the gifts that God has given us in the hopes that our children will be able to go beyond our achievements. Uh that that that is the promise of the American dream. and and within that then we can celebrate stories of individuals who have improved their circumstances uh whether it's someone like a like um uh Booker T. Washington who grew up a slave and eventually founded the Tuskegee Institute whether it's

[16:29] Frederick Douglas who also was born a slave and became the counselor to presidents including Abraham Lincoln. Um whether it's you know my grandfather who came to this country poor from uh from the pale of settlement western Russia and started out with his brothers pushing a junk cart through the streets of I I I think it was some some city back east eventually became one of the leading citizens of Lacrosse Wisconsin.

[17:05] Okay. So we can we can celebrate individual stories within our families and we can celebrate stories of of great people uh like the two I mentioned, Frederick Douglas and Booker T. Washington. And and Labor Day is a time to think about those stories, both the personal ones and the societal ones. Uh next I and and included within this embodiment in America of opportunity and mobility is the idea that our national ideal really says that everyone

[17:43] should have the opportunity to succeed, right? And and that's that's the key word, the opportunity to succeed, right? Not all of us are going to work as hard. My my friend Bill and I talk from time to time about uh people who have greater financial success than we do. And we point out that we are unwilling to make the sacrifices that they that these people have made and that that what we value is

[18:18] is different. And so it leads us to a different level of success and America affords us that opportunity as well. Um and finally it honors this idea of the the American dream, the pursuit of better lives for our families and future generations. So Labor Day embodies again American opportunity and mobility and that's it's an important part of the American dream. Next, it it commemorates the pursuit of better working conditions. Now, of

[18:54] course, this is part of the history of Labor Day. Uh and it's it's absolutely valid. So labor conditions, especially in factories, were in many cases horrible uh starting at the dawn of the industrial revolution and then um moving into the era of the early uh 20th century where the working poor oftentimes worked six and a half days a week and if they got sick they were fired. They worked in dangerous uh conditions where they could be

[19:31] killed. They there there's the um young women who would work in garment factories and they would be locked inside to make sure that they, you know, didn't leave and they worked the whole time and then the building caught on fire and these young women, many of these young women were burned to death. Those are horrible circumstances that the labor movement and and the um as distinguished from the progressivist movement today, the early 20th late 19th century and early 20th century progressivist movement that sought

[20:06] improvement of working conditions. These are all important things for us to remember. So, uh, the historical struggle for reasonable hours and wages for safe workplaces and humane treatment. It's it's interesting to note that, um, my favorite home furnishing store here in Los Angeles, it it was opened originally, uh, it was called HD Buttercup. It it's it's housed in the Helms, the historic Helms Bakery building. It was bought out by a company called Cocoa Republic, an Australian

[20:41] company that really did not understand the American home furnishings market. And so I found out uh two or three weeks ago, three weeks ago now, I guess it is, that um the company is is gone is going out of business. And this store that I've been shopping at for almost since I think it opened eight or nine years um is going to close. All the employees are going to lose their jobs. They're being given no severance pay. They're being being given no assistance in finding new jobs. Nothing. Now, by the standards of

[21:20] a 100red years ago, well, you know, no big deal. But of course, by the standards of today, uh it's it's pretty surprising. typically, especially when you're talking about a multinational multi- yeah, an internationally located company, they provide those kinds of benefits to their employees. Um, so it's it's it's disturbing that this this company is not I've had conversations with a couple of people I know at Cocoa Republic, uh, one of whom I've known for

[21:56] again almost I think the entire time I've been shopping there. uh it it you know so you know as you know I'm not a favor I'm not a fan of of government regulation and government imposition on businesses nonetheless it's disappointing that the lessons of the betterment of working conditions are evidently lost on this company. Um, you know, um, for most of the people there, they are not going to be able to find work in that industry, in the home furnishings industry that

[22:33] will afford them the opportunity to be as economically successful as they have been at HD Buttercup and its successor. And that that that's a shame. So, it's important that we remember the historic struggles that labor faced and the progress that we've made. Um and I think it's also um so along with that and especially today I think it's important too that we we keep in mind that there is an ongoing effort to balance the need of workers with the

[23:10] needs of businesses. So when we talk about things like minimum wage laws and such. So, one of the things that's happened here in California is a lot of uh fast food restaurants uh have closed locations because the cost structure of such a restaurant is very tight in terms of its um income expenses and therefore its profitability. And so when uh minimum wage is increased to a level

[23:45] that's incompatible with those businesses being able to operate successfully. So now we have a situation where all those people lose their jobs because the company cannot operate uh you know profitably. And so I think Labor Day needs to also keep in mind that there there is hopefully a symbiotic relationship between businesses and labor and that in order for our economy to thrive that the

[24:22] the needs of both need to be taken into account. there's there's a balancing that is constantly having to be examined. Okay. Next, um it showcases American uh economic achievement. So the fact of the matter is um workers of all stripes the way I was talking about at the beginning of the show not just sort of um laborers in ter you know of of that sort but professionals

[24:58] administrative people. So together we built this country. We built the largest, most successful, most dynamic economy in the history of the world. So, I was listening to a podcast last week and it was focused on China's economy and the person being interviewed was is an expert on on China from China's perspective and he gave many many examples of how China excels in engineering and and and

[25:34] and science and and these areas that historically America has been dominant and in which America has been domin dominant and the the uh podcast host kept saying and I think rightly so well yes but China didn't come up with the ideas they re-engineered an idea that they got from somewhere else so China does have worldclass engineers and scientists but they do not engage in the kind of innovation in which America engages in which

[26:11] companies and Of course, it's not the company per se that engages in innovation. It's all of the people who work for the companies who are innovating, right? Companies don't in innovate, people do. And so I think Labor Day should be a time when we recognize this aspect of the of the dynam dynamism of the American economy greater than any economy in the world in that respect too. Not even Europe keeps pace with the with the innovation in

[26:47] which the in which America engages. No, no economy does. Uh, America is the innovation engine for the world. And just like uh we should uh we should honor uh um the the um the skills and knowledge and effort in which labor engages on this day. in order to encourage people to continue to improve themselves and to and to engage in work. So too, we should honor

[27:24] the innovation that has been central to the to the America to American achievement uh so that people will feel um uh encouraged to continue to engage in that uh innovation. So, uh, Labor Day is a time to showcase American economic achievement and in and in particular how um both uh um um well and in in particular how individuals within companies across the

[28:03] spectrum of jobs have engaged in that innovation that that has kept our our economy the strongest. in the world. And then finally, I think Labor Day should be a time when communities unite around shared values. And this is kind of coming back to where I started. It is a shame that uh there is a seemingly growing part of uh uh people in our society who don't seem to see the value

[28:38] in labor, the value in work, uh who denigrate our country as a land of opportunity. And by contrast, I think it would be much better, much healthier for us as individual citizens and as as a society to unite around the belief in the importance of meaningful work and to celebrate the contributions of workers of all stripes to in building strong and thriving communities.

[29:14] and to take a moment to appreciate what we accomplish together as a society when we work together. So, so those are why I think that Labor Day remains relevant in contemporary times and some thoughts that you know maybe you'll share one or two of them with your friends and family later today um at your barbecues or or whatever uh you know social events uh in which you may be engaging uh to to mark this day.

[29:51] So now I'm going to read um Ron President Ronald Reagan's message on the observance of Labor Day that he gave on September 4th, 1981 and uh share uh share with you President Reagan's thoughts on this day. Samuel Gumpers, one of the first labor leaders in this country, said that Labor Day was a time to pledge ourselves to an even greater effort in the coming years. In the coming year, Samuel Gumpers knew

[30:28] that the key to a prosperous future is to have faith in it. And that's why for him, Labor Day stood for a celebration of tomorrow's promise and possibilities. Today, as we set our minds to a new season of work, we begin what I hope will be a new age of the American worker, an age in which all of us again are free to prosper. Together, we've swept away many government created obstacles to our prosperity. In our fight against inflation and high interest rates, we enacted the largest

[31:03] budget cuts ever considered by the Congress. We produced the first real tax cut for working men and women in nearly 20 years. We slowed the pace of federal rulemaking. We saw to it our money supply followed a pattern of slow, stable growth. These dramatic changes in economic policy. The tax and budget legislation I signed a few weeks ago are the dynamic result of millions of individuals coming together committed to preserving a society where we can each seek our own goals assured of the

[31:38] freedom to climb as high as our own drive, ambition, and talent can take us. Let me make our goal in this program very clear. jobs, jobs, jobs, and more jobs. I see the creation of 3 million more jobs by 1986 in addition to the 10 million already expected. I see an era in which wage earners will be taking home more money and real dollars and an era in which fewer of us will be looking for work. Our policy has been and will

[32:13] continue to be what is good for the American worker is good for America. We built this great nation, but built it to surpass the highest standards ever imagined through the hard work of our people. I would match the American worker against any in the world. The people whose labor fuels our industry and economy are among the most productive anywhere. But too many Americans don't have a job. And too many who do don't have the tools

[32:48] they need to compete. Past stagnated policies have made it too difficult to modernize and too risky to expand. Our people, our workers have cried out for change and in the last seven months have achieved an historic reversal of the failed policies of an era gone by. We returned to the principles that made us great. Legislation now in effect has dawned a new age for American workers, an age in which once again we are free to achieve all that we can. To cite one example,

[33:24] the recent legislation passed by the Congress as part of our economic recovery plan makes it possible for American workers currently participating in company pension plans to expand this coverage with their own individual retirement plans. This is only one of many new exciting possibilities open for American workers. All of us may must take advantage of the incentives for savings, investment, and hard work that have been restored. I urge American workers who traditionally

[33:59] saved to make their families secure to do so again. I urge American investors who traditionally took risks to make a profit to do so again. I urge American workers to save and invest because I believe that when our economic program takes full effect. Americans again will be rewarded for working extra hours or assuming more responsibility. In a few short months, we've accomplished much. But merely signing legislation is not going to bring about

[34:35] an instant cure. We're only beginning a recovery that will take many long months. We're only beginning to emerge from an economic crisis still gripping the rest of the world. In Poland, where the grocery shelves are bare, the state ideology dictates more rationing of scarcity while workers take to the streets in protest over these restrictions. It is a stifled economy. A government official there said the crisis of depression is deepening in Poland and they still do not have a way out.

[35:12] Well, as President Eisenhower told us once, a crisis can be deadly when inert men are smothered in despair. But a crisis can be the sharpest go to our creative energies, particularly when we recognize it as a challenge and move to meet it in faith, in thought, and in courage. We must act today in the name of generations still to come. As we work to solve our economic problems, let us tap that well of human spirit. We'll find

[35:48] more than strength of numbers and strength of resources. We'll find strength of individual determination. We will find the strength of mutual trust. For too many years now, we've trusted numbers and computers. We've trusted balance sheets, organizational charts, policies, and system. We've placed trust in rules, regulations, and government dictates. Well, I think it's about time that we placed trust in ourselves and in each other.

[36:24] I am confident in our ability to work together to meet and surmount our problems and accomplish the goals we all seek. Now, I know that we can't make things right overnight. But we will make them right. Our destiny is not our fate. It is our choice. I ask all Americans in these first crucial months of recovery to join me with confidence as we strike out on this new path to prosperity.

[37:00] And I would echo President Reagan's request. Let's dedicate ourselves to pursuing the hard work of growing our country, of setting things to right. I'll maybe go just a teeny bit political here for a moment. Protests are not going to do it. Each of us needs to work to build this country.

[37:37] We need to work so that we can work together with other people so that we can build a business, hire our fellow Americans, so that we can gain the wealth that will allow us to reinvest in our economy to build newer businesses, ones that we can't even imagine right now. If we do that, if all of us dedicate ourselves to the hard work,

[38:14] we will be unstoppable. And we will for succeeding generations make good on the legacy that our forebears gave to us to make the opportunity for each generation greater than that which we had ourselves. So, I wish you a happy and a meaningful Labor Day, and I hope you will enjoy it with family and friends. Thanks so much for watching this special edition of the Way to Wow shows, and I look forward to

[38:50] seeing you uh again later this week. Marie, darling, you are my bell. Courage at all times, my friends.