Labor Day will greet us on the morrow. As a reminder, this became a federal holiday in 1894 after President Grover Cleveland signed a congressional act into law. Although at first the holiday applied to federal workers, over time all US states, territories and the District of Columbia observed the holiday. I have written over the years that our observance of many of our federal holidays has drifted far from their original purposes. I find this disappointing although I am as culpable as anyone. Consider, for example, how each of us marks Independence Day, Memorial Day or Christmas, and compare this to the holidays' original meaning. Labor Day should recall the struggles to achieve fairness and safety in the workplace that began well over a century ago. And while enormous progress has occurred, the task has not been, and may never be, completed. Celebrate Labor Day! Labor Day, like many other holidays, is a day that one is encouraged to purchase cheaper mattresses,...
A recent article in Cleveland’s primary daily newspaper – which is still printed - discussed an intriguing issue. An Ohio state representative has offered a bill that would require amusement parks to publicize online if any of their attractions are not running. The bill is offered as a consumer protection measure to inform patrons of the status of park attractions before they travel distances and face pricey admission costs. Folks will not be amused to arrive at an amusement park to discover that the ride that brought them there is out of order. Do you think that a family who is notified at the ticket booth that the roller coaster of their dreams isn’t rolling will simply head back to the car head for home? Imagine those happy kids in the back seat! “Hey kids, now we have time to go to the library and borrow some educational books!” We’ll see if this proposed bill becomes law. Amusement park owners may push back on what they feel is government encr...