Honoring Those Who Made the American Dream Possible

Andy Snyder|September 4, 2023

Today, we celebrate the workers.

It seems like it may be the only time we celebrate workers these days.

The rest of the time, they’re a data point that moves the market… or they’re a campaign promise… or a social signaling cue… or, worse, an obstacle to overcome.

Stocks rise and fall based on how many workers are out of a job.

Politicians clap as they give bottom-rung workers a raise. Higher wages, they figure, equal more votes.

Companies quietly cheer as they automate their new production lines. Labor is a manufacturer’s greatest expense. A good man is hardly considered an asset these days.

And, most recently, we forgive the loans of folks who yearn to keep the dirty blue off their collars… slapping the hard-working laborer in the face as we do it.

Few times in our nation’s history have we needed to sit back and ponder the notion of labor and the hard work that got us where we are more than we do today.

Few times, after all, has the idea of hard work been as shunned by the dogma of the day.

Most folks hear Labor Day and think of the end of summer, kids going back to school or perhaps getting a good deal at their local used car lot. Very few folks think back to the Haymarket Riot or the killing of dozens of workers who refused to work until conditions approved.

It was as controversial then as it would be today.

But those protestors brought more to the nation than unions and collective bargaining agreements. They did more than build our cars and stack our steel. They brought the eight-hour workday. They got kids out of factories. They gave us weekends. And they created the idea of a working class that can afford to live.

Without a doubt, they made the American Dream possible for the masses.

It’s a concept worth pondering these days.

Many think today is a throwaway holiday not worth closing our eyes and thinking about. They’re wrong. There’s a reason we’re to take the day off today. There’s a reason we’re to ponder and celebrate the actions of those who walked before us.

Life in America hasn’t always been what it is today.

If we don’t honor and recognize it, we’re bound to lose it.

By all appearances, our nation is at a turning point.

Some critical thinking about it all could do us a world of good.

Lord knows they won’t teach it in college… no matter how big of a loan is forgiven.

Note: We have a big announcement coming on Wednesday… and it could have a huge impact on your financial future. It involves the biggest story of the year… and how everyday investors can take advantage of it. Stay tuned.