What Labor Day SHOULD Mean

Today is Labor Day, a day for Americans to celebrate and honor the real working-class individuals who made America the legendary country many of us remember. Labor Day is meant to celebrate the struggles of those who stood up for and were part of the working class, whose sacrifices have given large numbers of people in America and worldwide lives that are more that just simply existing.

It was never exclusively the rich - the "job creators" as Republicans try to call them these days - that brought about the long-term stability and prosperity of the working class. It was working men and women, and organizations like labor unions, that caused those in power to finally take the concerns of working people seriously.

Sadly, in America today, Labor Day has ceased to have much meaning at all.

Of course, when you have a political and social system that's been unjustly set against those who truly work for a living, by those who don't have a clue on what it is to do an honest day's work (or what an honest day's work is truly worth), you get the kind of inequality in the workplace Americans currently face every day.

Many of you are among those workers who don't know what it's like to be part of a workforce where employers didn't treat you like a number, like a replaceable part, just another money-sucking expense. Today we offer you a few facts to help you understand who and what Labor Day is supposed to celebrate - and why some would like this holiday and its meaning to be forgotten.

If your pay, or your work schedule is based (even loosely) on the idea of a 40 hour work week, big business bosses didn't do that for you. Organized labor and collective bargaining did that. Corporations have fought the 40-hour work week for years, and they usually break that rule whenever they can get away with it.

Unions gave you the eight hour day and the 40 hour work week, and by doing so gave you the weekend you just finished - or may still be enjoying.

The minimum wage you started earning as a young worker? Labor unions helped to get that for you, too.

Even though pension plans and access to health insurance have been shrinking more and more over the last thirty years, the basic ideas of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would never have happened without the support of the working men and women of organized labor. Our general system of retirement planning and health insurance in America would also never have been possible, were it not for men & women of unions fighting - and, sadly, dying at times - for Americans to have those benefits that we now too often take for granted.

Without working class Americans & their unions, children would still likely be working in factories, as they do in many other places in the world.

Today, if you are lucky enough to have the day off, we simply ask that you think about the reality of working life in America - and around the world - and realize a key fact.

No matter what economic class you currently live in, or what you think of labor unions and the American working class, without them, your life and the lives of millions of people would be drastically different - and likely MUCH worse.

Enjoy your day off (if you're indeed lucky enough to not be working today) - and remember those who made it possible for you to have any days off in the first place.

Friday Funday: Fall Is Here... Or Close Enough

As we're fairly sure at least some of the people in your life - or at least in your neighborhood - have made you aware, football season begins this weekend.

In fact, if the football nuts you know love just about any kind of college football, we're sure they were watching some less-than stellar games last night - and they still probably had a grin a mile wide on their faces. For fans of the NFL, the preseason action has already been going for a couple of weeks, with the regular season beginning next Thursday night.

Of course, for HuskerNutz, the REAL season begins tomorrow, at home in Memorial Stadium against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs (short for mockingbirds).

We're well aware there will be more than a few changes in store for Husker fans this year.

For one thing, no tailgating on the East Side of Memorial Stadium this season. Or probably next season either, due to stadium expansion construction. Husker road games won't take us to familiar haunts in Manhattan, Boulder, or Ames this football season. No Eskimo Joe's this year, either.

We do have our own TV network, now - that we share EQUALLY with the rest of our new Big Ten conference family, so seeing the game on TV shouldn't be a problem, whether we're in Florida, DC, or at home in Nebraska.

Some things remain the same - like HuskerNutz worrying about the status of popular players, or how our quarterback will take the stress of leading the team. Of course, our favorite colors on Husker game days are still scarlet & cream - although nearly any shade of red & white will do. And as always, we're certain the Tunnel Walk will send shivers up and down our spines.

It's OK to look back fondly on some of our former Big 12 and Big 8 conference-mates - including the Husker's only TRUE rival, the Oklahoma Sooners. We're proud of our history with them - and even more proud that some of our former conference brethren have found the courage to stand up to the bullies in Texas burnt orange, and make their own move towards brighter futures. To the Aggies at A&M, and the Buffs of Colorado, we can only say 'Good luck' in your new directions.

Tomorrow is the dawn of a brand new Husker football season, in a brand new conference, with new teams to play, new towns to visit, new people to introduce our traditions to - and new traditions that their fans can teach to us, a willing audience of the best fans in college football.

No matter where you go this season, whether the Huskers win or lose, we hope you display your Husker pride with honor, grace, humor, and humility.

There's truly no place like Nebraska.
Now let's go show everyone how to be players and fans of the highest caliber.

Enjoy your weekend.
And Go Big Red!

Getting Bumped

Somehow, the title of today's cartoon and commentary make perfect sense. Originally, we'd thought of talking about school being back in session, which led to thoughts of how testing is bumping actual teaching of the curriculum of schools across the country.

That subject got bumped when we were floored - almost literally - by the actions of Nebraska's Gov. Dave Heineman. Heineman shocked many of his fellow Republicans across the country when he came out AGAINST the Keystone XL pipeline on Wednesday. Heineman wrote a letter, calling on President Obama and Sec. Clinton to deny TransCanada the federal permit needed to drive the company's tar sands pipeline through the Nebraska Sandhills, over the fragile resource of the Ogallala aquifer.

Anyone who understands the process knows the filthy pipeline is likely a done deal -which makes Heineman's actions at this late date little more than political window dressing. He'll pass the blame on to the Legislature for not acting sooner to block the pipeline. Then Heineman will to try and cover his heinie with this last-minute opposition. Later, when the pipeline has a "leak" and destroys the water supply for all of Nebraska, at least his political behind will be covered - or so he appears to think.

As sad and disgusting as that story is, it still got bumped for the real story of the day - a story we have very passionate feelings about.

We can't even begin to say how annoyed and angry we are, primarily at the Speaker of the House, but also a little at the President's staff, after the events of Wednesday afternoon.

In case you'd been away from the media for the last few weeks - like Congress, who STILL are on their five-and-a-half week vacation - President Obama announced in August that NEXT week, the first FULL week of September, he was going to make a speech to the nation about jobs and the economy.

Since one of the primary problems in job creation in America right now is a do-nothing Congress that has the power to do much more than it has, the President decided he needed to address Congress AND the American people with his jobs message on Wednesday evening. The first day back to work for our representatives in Washington, after their five-plus week vacation is Wednesday, September 7 - NEXT Wednesday.

The President's staff knew that the next GOP Presidential Primary debate was also scheduled for that day. From all appearances, the White House had received proper assurances from the television networks that THIS President, like all Presidents before him, would be given preferential treatment as befits the office, and the GOP debate would be delayed slightly to allow the President to speak first.

The way the President's staff presented that knowledge to the country, however, left them open for the political disrespect they should have expected from the Republicans and John Boehner.

Sadly, like clockwork, the arrogance of the Republicans exploded as expected, with Speaker Boehner - for the first time in the history of the nation - declining the President's "request" to speak to Congress.

Agreeing to the request of the President is supposed to be a mere formality. When a President requests something of you - especially something as simple as showing up to perform the duties you were elected to do, after MORE THAN A MONTH OF VACATION, it is not, in our minds, a request.

The amount of disrespect shown by Republicans for the office of the President - let alone the disrespect they show the man who currently commands that position - by unilaterally rebuffing the man WHO IS ALSO THEIR PRESIDENT, is a disgrace. Their actions dishonor both the Congress and the country they betray when they claim to work for its benefit.

The President should have simply TOLD Congress that he WILL be addressing the nation from the floor of Congress next Wednesday night at 8 PM, Eastern time. Period. If the insolent, arrogant, ignorant, disrespectful, worthless Republicans in Congress didn't want to show up at that time to do the work they were elected to do, that would be their problem to live down to voters hungry for results in 2012.

Instead, once again, President Obama caved, an action we have seen far too much from him. Even if he's now moved his speech to Thursday, at least he's ready to get back to work.

America needs to get back to work. If Congress isn't, they can be replaced. After all, it's happened to millions of American workers over the past few years. Unlike the Republicans in Congress, THEY were ready and willing to perform their jobs, given the opportunity.