Labor Day Weekend

Please join me in thanking the working women and men of Wisconsin who are getting their children ready for the classroom once more. This Labor Day, join with me to both remember the sacrifices these folks make every day for their families and their communities.

The American way of life has been under attack for thirty years. You know the symptoms: increasing concentration of wealth, declining wages and benefits, loss of retirement protections. All the while, the economy itself is doing just fine. Income and wealth disparity is as high as it has been since before the Great Depression. The last recession supposedly ended more than two years ago, but you would not know it walking down Main Street.

There is no single answer to our current economic mess. Many of the answers require courage vision from our leaders, which does not appear to be anywhere in sight. We do hold one part of the answer in our hands, or more accurately, our wallets. Retail consumption currently accounts for 70% of all economic activity in America. The decisions we make every time we spend money is critical to the future working and middle class families. The answer is simple: BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN.

It can take work to find union made products. First stop for every working household should be the Union Label & Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO website. Find out which contractors in your area are union and patronize them whenever you need repairs or remodeling. Shop at local farmers markets or sign up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. Give gifts made by local artisans.

Remember, even though you spend more to for union-made or local products and services, you get so much more. Your money stays in our economy, circulating around and around. That has been the magic of the American Dream. As we grew and flourished in the middle of the last century, we plowed that money back into buying the goods and services we produced. That virtuous cycle it the essence of a strong economy.

We cannot, as individuals, change the world; but only individuals can do their part. We cannot give our children the America we want for them if we continue to fill our homes with massive amounts of cheap foreign crap. The true struggle for economic freedom in America can only be won when me make smart decisions with our hard earned wages.

Happy Labor Day! BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN!