When you change political parties, don't you end up with two sets of people that don't want to re-elect you?
What do you do if you have an allergic reaction to allergy medicine?
Isn't people assuming that I am pro-illegal-immigration racial profiling?
Isn't people assuming you're a racist if you're anti-illegal-immigration a type of racial profiling as well?
Why is it when I take a survey and select that I am of Hispanic dissent, and the survey then asks me what my country of origin is, I have to select "Other" and type in "The United States of America"?
How many other people have a great grandmother that was born in the United States?
Is it not also racial-profiling when people come up to me, start speaking to me in Spanish, then get upset when I cannot understand them? How about when I am at Wal-Mart, wearing a blue shirt, and people think I work there?
Was it really all that crazy after 9/11, when 15 of the 19 hijackers were determined to be from Saudi Arabia, to start stopping people that "looked" Saudi? Would it have made more sense to start stopping everyone with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin?
What about when a crime is committed and the suspect description is a "male Hispanic" so law enforcement starts looking for a male Hispanic...Is that racial profiling? What else are they supposed to do?
Are you going to tell me in all of your life that there has never been a single time when someone has stopped you because it "looked" like you didn't "belong" there? (You must have never driven an old beat up car through Newport Beach before, then.)
Can I share just one night's worth of questions without offending too many people?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sending A Proposal To UPS Via FedEx?
I am not going to sit here and say that I completely cover every eventuality every time, but c'mon, business world, pay attention to the details!
In a recent Inc. Magazine article in which writers asked decision-makers from some of the world's toughest customers how to get your foot in the door if you are a small business, Kathy Homeyer, director of supplier diversity for UPS, offered the following advice:
"The biggest no-no is not knowing our competition. People will say, 'I've got this really exciting proposal I want you to look at.' I'll say, 'Go ahead and send it to me.' Then, they send it to me by FedEx. It happens everyday. Just be smart. Know the company you are pitching to and know their likes and dislikes. You get such brownie points with me when you come in with a UPS envelope and have an account all set up. It's just the little things like that, the icing on the cake."
In a recent Inc. Magazine article in which writers asked decision-makers from some of the world's toughest customers how to get your foot in the door if you are a small business, Kathy Homeyer, director of supplier diversity for UPS, offered the following advice:
"The biggest no-no is not knowing our competition. People will say, 'I've got this really exciting proposal I want you to look at.' I'll say, 'Go ahead and send it to me.' Then, they send it to me by FedEx. It happens everyday. Just be smart. Know the company you are pitching to and know their likes and dislikes. You get such brownie points with me when you come in with a UPS envelope and have an account all set up. It's just the little things like that, the icing on the cake."
Monday, May 17, 2010
Stupid Banks, Leave Me Alone Already About Your Damned Overdraft "Protection"!
They email me once a week. They send me a letter once a week. Leave me alone already, Chase!
An amazing improvement in banking is going to happen on August 15, 2010. Banks will no longer be able to honor debit card transactions that exceed the amount that you actually have in your account without your permission. This means that a $1 purchase will not overdraw you and come with accompanying $34 overdraft fee (well, that's what Chase's letter says they charge - your bank might charge even more). Many Americans have felt the sting of that $35 candy bar, but from now on, unless you tell the bank to authorize transactions in this manner, they can longer stick it to you like that.
So, in accordance with the new credit and debit card laws enacted by the U.S. Congress, I received a letter in the mail from one of the banks I have a debit card from, Chase, telling me that I needed to make a choice...Overdraft, or nor overdraft? A declined $1 purchase, or a paid $1 purchase with a $34 overdraft fee? Needless to say, I quickly went online and told Chase where they could stick their overdraft protection and their $34 fee.
Here's where Chase started really getting on my nerves. Since electing for NO OVERDRAFT, I have been getting email after email and letter after letter warning me of the serious, life-altering mistake that I have made. Naturally, Chase is worried because they are about to no longer be able to literally steal millions and millions of dollars from its customer with these b.s. overdraft charges on debit card purchases $34 at a time. They've never made a dime off of me in fees, and the emails and letters continue!
"When you don't have enough money to make a purchase or pay for something unexpected," the most recent letter exclaims, "Chase Debit Overdraft Coverage may allow your everyday debit card transactions to be authorized at our discretion."
If you're in a real emergency and you need some serious help, that debit card is not going to buy you a ticket home, or a $500 part for your car. The overdraft "protection" that Chase is offering is not going to be enough money to help you out if you are in a real jam. The overdraft "protection" offered to you by these banks on your debit card is designed to make money for the banks from your mistake, or your misfortune.
For any reason, if you overdraw, they will authorize it - oh, you better believe it - but it's not to help you! It's to generate revenue for the bank.
While Chase now limits its $34 dings to three per day, that is not always the case at every bank. Sometimes, there are no daily limits to fees. Imagine if you started your day overdrawn without knowing it and you went in the morning and bought coffee or breakfast. Then, later in the day, you buy a magazine at the book store and lunch to eat while you're reading that magazine. Even later in the day, you stop at the grocery store on the way home, stop and get your dry cleaning, stop and buy pet food, and finally buy dinner at a take-out place.
Oh, you'd better believe your bank is going to pay for your debit card purchases, my friends. In the course of the day, they'll loan you the money because you owe them $34 x 7 transactions to the tune of $238. Don't believe me? Ask around. We've all got at least one friend that has fallen victim to this debit card overdraft "protection" b.s. Again, I have to point out that some banks are starting to limit the number of transactions per day they will ding you with a fee, but for Chase's three times a day limit, that is still $102.
America, don't overdraw - know what's in your account, but more importantly, if you make a mistake and don't know how much you have in your account, don't give these banks the right to gouge you with their overdraft "protection" by agreeing to let them keep this revenue generator on your debit card!
Also, there is a loop hole of which you should be aware. It's hidden in the fine print of your notices, so they hope you get bored with reading the Bank-ese before you get to it, but even though you may COMPLETELY OPT OUT of overdraft "protection", if you have recurring automatic charges set up to bill to your debit card and one or more of those recurring charges causes you to be overdrawn, the bank does still have the right to pay it because your recurring payment has authorized them to do so, regardless of what you have and have not agreed to in terms of Overdraft. So, don't put your recurring automatic charges on a debit card. Put then on a credit card instead.
Again, the bottom line is that the best thing you can do is always know exactly what is in your accounts at all times, know what transactions are hitting the bank automatically, and be conscious of all of this when you are out and about town spending money with your cards. Needless to say, we're not perfect, so in the case of an unexpected event, make sure you've declined that overdraft protection so the bank cannot take you for hundreds of dollars in fees.
Oh, and by the way, Chase, if you're reading this - stop emailing me and stop sending me letters, trying to scare me into giving you free money!
An amazing improvement in banking is going to happen on August 15, 2010. Banks will no longer be able to honor debit card transactions that exceed the amount that you actually have in your account without your permission. This means that a $1 purchase will not overdraw you and come with accompanying $34 overdraft fee (well, that's what Chase's letter says they charge - your bank might charge even more). Many Americans have felt the sting of that $35 candy bar, but from now on, unless you tell the bank to authorize transactions in this manner, they can longer stick it to you like that.
So, in accordance with the new credit and debit card laws enacted by the U.S. Congress, I received a letter in the mail from one of the banks I have a debit card from, Chase, telling me that I needed to make a choice...Overdraft, or nor overdraft? A declined $1 purchase, or a paid $1 purchase with a $34 overdraft fee? Needless to say, I quickly went online and told Chase where they could stick their overdraft protection and their $34 fee.
Here's where Chase started really getting on my nerves. Since electing for NO OVERDRAFT, I have been getting email after email and letter after letter warning me of the serious, life-altering mistake that I have made. Naturally, Chase is worried because they are about to no longer be able to literally steal millions and millions of dollars from its customer with these b.s. overdraft charges on debit card purchases $34 at a time. They've never made a dime off of me in fees, and the emails and letters continue!
"When you don't have enough money to make a purchase or pay for something unexpected," the most recent letter exclaims, "Chase Debit Overdraft Coverage may allow your everyday debit card transactions to be authorized at our discretion."
If you're in a real emergency and you need some serious help, that debit card is not going to buy you a ticket home, or a $500 part for your car. The overdraft "protection" that Chase is offering is not going to be enough money to help you out if you are in a real jam. The overdraft "protection" offered to you by these banks on your debit card is designed to make money for the banks from your mistake, or your misfortune.
For any reason, if you overdraw, they will authorize it - oh, you better believe it - but it's not to help you! It's to generate revenue for the bank.
While Chase now limits its $34 dings to three per day, that is not always the case at every bank. Sometimes, there are no daily limits to fees. Imagine if you started your day overdrawn without knowing it and you went in the morning and bought coffee or breakfast. Then, later in the day, you buy a magazine at the book store and lunch to eat while you're reading that magazine. Even later in the day, you stop at the grocery store on the way home, stop and get your dry cleaning, stop and buy pet food, and finally buy dinner at a take-out place.
Oh, you'd better believe your bank is going to pay for your debit card purchases, my friends. In the course of the day, they'll loan you the money because you owe them $34 x 7 transactions to the tune of $238. Don't believe me? Ask around. We've all got at least one friend that has fallen victim to this debit card overdraft "protection" b.s. Again, I have to point out that some banks are starting to limit the number of transactions per day they will ding you with a fee, but for Chase's three times a day limit, that is still $102.
America, don't overdraw - know what's in your account, but more importantly, if you make a mistake and don't know how much you have in your account, don't give these banks the right to gouge you with their overdraft "protection" by agreeing to let them keep this revenue generator on your debit card!
Also, there is a loop hole of which you should be aware. It's hidden in the fine print of your notices, so they hope you get bored with reading the Bank-ese before you get to it, but even though you may COMPLETELY OPT OUT of overdraft "protection", if you have recurring automatic charges set up to bill to your debit card and one or more of those recurring charges causes you to be overdrawn, the bank does still have the right to pay it because your recurring payment has authorized them to do so, regardless of what you have and have not agreed to in terms of Overdraft. So, don't put your recurring automatic charges on a debit card. Put then on a credit card instead.
Again, the bottom line is that the best thing you can do is always know exactly what is in your accounts at all times, know what transactions are hitting the bank automatically, and be conscious of all of this when you are out and about town spending money with your cards. Needless to say, we're not perfect, so in the case of an unexpected event, make sure you've declined that overdraft protection so the bank cannot take you for hundreds of dollars in fees.
Oh, and by the way, Chase, if you're reading this - stop emailing me and stop sending me letters, trying to scare me into giving you free money!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Changing American Landscape
Deliver Magazine recently reported that the 2010 U.S. Census will find 309 million people living in the United States. The magazine, which provides insight for direct marketers, reports that the concept of the "Average American" is being replaced by a "complex, multidimensional society that defies simplistic labeling," according to demographics expert Peter Francese. Here are some of the facts about America's changing landscape:
In the two largest states by population, California and Texas, and in all of the 10 largest U.S. cities, no racial or ethnic category holds a majority.
Only 22% of U.S. households are made up of a married couple with children.
There are 50 million people of Hispanic descent living in the U.S. They are the nation's largest and most rapidly growing marketing category.
By 2015, white non-Hispanics will no longer account for a majority of the births nationwide.
85% of the nation's growth in population over the past decade occurred in the South and West.
5 million U.S. residents moved from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West in the past decade. Is that why my roads and beaches are 300% more crowded than they were when I was growing up?
2/3 of the immigrants who arrived in the past decade (about 10 million) settled in the South and West.
3/5 of all U.S. residents live in the South and West today.
In the two largest states by population, California and Texas, and in all of the 10 largest U.S. cities, no racial or ethnic category holds a majority.
Only 22% of U.S. households are made up of a married couple with children.
There are 50 million people of Hispanic descent living in the U.S. They are the nation's largest and most rapidly growing marketing category.
By 2015, white non-Hispanics will no longer account for a majority of the births nationwide.
85% of the nation's growth in population over the past decade occurred in the South and West.
5 million U.S. residents moved from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West in the past decade. Is that why my roads and beaches are 300% more crowded than they were when I was growing up?
2/3 of the immigrants who arrived in the past decade (about 10 million) settled in the South and West.
3/5 of all U.S. residents live in the South and West today.
Monday, May 10, 2010
How Faux Is Your Faux Fur? Chances Are It's Not 100% Fake...
In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed a law that banned the sale of dog and cat fur in the United States.
This law was designed to stop Chinese manufacturers from a practice of sneaking in cheaper dog and cat fur into garments labeled as "faux fur".
While commendable, the problem is that the U.S. Congress, as it usually does, left a bit of a loophole. Any garment trimmed with $150 or less worth of real fur can be sold without any label, therefore, giving manufacturers in China the ability to substitute faux fur with real dog and cat fur and not have to put a label on the garment stating that they had done so. Without a label stating that a garment was made using real animal fur, American consumers just assume that the garment was made with faux fur.
Both the House and the Senate are currently working on bills that will close this loophole, stating that garments with ANY amount of animal fur must be labeled. Over 75 million animals are killed around the world for their fur each year, with 2 million dogs and cats being killed in China alone.
Hopefully, this legislation with help to reduce those numbers.
This law was designed to stop Chinese manufacturers from a practice of sneaking in cheaper dog and cat fur into garments labeled as "faux fur".
While commendable, the problem is that the U.S. Congress, as it usually does, left a bit of a loophole. Any garment trimmed with $150 or less worth of real fur can be sold without any label, therefore, giving manufacturers in China the ability to substitute faux fur with real dog and cat fur and not have to put a label on the garment stating that they had done so. Without a label stating that a garment was made using real animal fur, American consumers just assume that the garment was made with faux fur.
Both the House and the Senate are currently working on bills that will close this loophole, stating that garments with ANY amount of animal fur must be labeled. Over 75 million animals are killed around the world for their fur each year, with 2 million dogs and cats being killed in China alone.
Hopefully, this legislation with help to reduce those numbers.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Ours Is Not A New Struggle...
What is the one thing that my Great-Grandmother remembers most about the family business my Great-Grandfather had in the 1940s and 1950s? You guessed it. The ridiculous amount of taxes they had to pay. Ours is not a new struggle, my friends...
Saturday, May 1, 2010
May 1, 2010
Not only does May 1 have a wide array of meanings around the world, the meaning of the day itself is continually being modified and changed, even today.
In recent years, America's labor unions have been using the "May Day" holiday to showcase the plight of illegal immigrants, attempting to stay relevant in an America where an ever-growing portion of the GDP is no longer controlled by union labor.
For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, we may remember May Day as the day the Soviet Union paraded all of its nuclear weapons through Red Square as the Soviets celebrated the might of their workforce and took advantage of an opportunity to show the evil capitalists of the world what would be waiting for them were the stupid enough to invade their territory. It's also functioned as a great way to showcase Kremlin power to anyone within the family who was thinking of questioning their power.
Were you around in America in 1886, May Day would most likely signify the day in which the workers rose up against the evil industrialists and sacrificed wages, and even some, their very lives, to bring the work day down from 16 to 8 hours.
As I personally plow well into my 13th hour on the job for the day, hoping to compile some blog posts for the coming week, I decided to spend just a few minutes researching a bit more about May Day in America.
The U.S. version of May Day can trace its origins back to 1884. That October, after having been unsuccessful in obtaining a standard 8 hour work day for laborers, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution that called for a general strike on May 1, 1886, should the 8 hour work day not be in place by then. When May 1, 1886 finally rolled around, the 8 hour work day was still not in place, so large numbers of laborers walked off the job. There were 10,000 demonstrators in New York, 11,000 in Detroit, another 10,000 in Milwaukee, and at the movement's center in Chicago, over 40,000 workers took the streets. Today, estimates put the May 1, 1886 walk-outs at close to 500,000 people.
Two days later, still on strike, a group of laborers met near the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in Chicago. Most of them had been locked out of their jobs since February in a labor dispute, replaced by non-union workers. While some non-union workers joined the strike on May 1, on May 3, there was still a good-sized non-union work force working at the company. When the end-of-the-workday bell sounded on May 3, union workers surged towards non-union workers and were fired upon by police. Two union workers were killed.
Outraged at this police action, anarchists who had been inciting both sides throughout the past few days, distributed flyers for a rally to be held on May 4 to protest the action of police and strikebreakers. Remarkably, the rally itself was very peaceful, but unfortunately, as the last speaker was finishing up his speech, a pipe bomb was thrown at a police line, killing an officer and wounding a number of others. Police fired on the crowd and an all-out riot ensued.
Eight men were arrested as being responsible for the incident, known as the Haymarket Affair. Seven were convicted and sentenced to death. Two men had their sentences commuted to life in prison, one man killed himself in prison, and ultimately, four were hanged for the death of the police officer.
I've done my best to summarize the Haymarket Affair here, but urge you to read more about it. It really is a long and complicated part of American history.
Despite the setbacks to American Labor Unions with the May Day strike in 1886, the unions continued to fight and many laborers in a number of industries were granted shorter and shorter work days, until, in 1916, the U.S. Adamson Act established the 8 hour work day for railroad workers. This was the first federal law that regulated the hours of workers in private companies. Then, in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act under the New Deal, established the 8 hour work day for all Americans.
This is a truly fascinating story. I am more and more amazed with the more that I read. Most fascinating, clearly, is how the push and pull of outside influences helped to shape American labor policy. As many of you know, despite my interest in this segment of history, I continue to be troubled by the roles of labor unions and their leadership in the American landscape today.
As a six-month member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (1990, when I was 15 years-old) who gave well over 50% of the first paycheck I earned in my life to a labor union, let me be the first to stand up and say that while I understand there is a role for unions today in some circles, I tend to agree with the fact that, in many cases, they are just no longer needed.
Following my first job at Lucky's Grocery Store, during which I was required to be a member of the UFCW, I have gone on to what I believe to be a rather good career and a decent wage and decent work load, despite the fact that I have spent close to 20 years now as a non-union worker. I've watched strike after strike over the years and partially agreed with some, but honestly, for the most part, completely disagreed with most of them.
I think my biggest problem with labor unions is the political spin they tend to put on things. I think union members tend to believe that unions care much more about them and their families than they really do. Unions claim time and time again that strikes are not about the money, but I tend to disagree with that statement.
Unions use political posturing and political pressure to in turn get union members what they want so union leadership will appear to care, all the while, relying on the workers themselves for their own salaries.
The recent large May Day rallies that are put on by the labor unions, anarchists, and communists that sucker workers into marching for their "rights" have really helped to solidify my position on the labor unions and their May Day holiday. As I felt with the UFCW strikes over the years, these large May Day rallies are exploitation of a group of people and a cause for the political and monetary gain of union leaders. I just wish more people could see through the smoke and mirrors.
My research also led me down the path of another face of May 1. Did you know that in the United States of America, May 1 is officially Loyalty Day? The holiday was first observed in 1921 as "Americanization Day" and was intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labor Day in the US. Labor Day is an internationally celebrated holiday that was perceived at the time to be a communist threat to America. While May Day's modern origins were here at home in 1886, by 1921, the day was being celebrated around the world as Labor Day, particularly by the growing communist world.
Loyalty Day was enacted as an official holiday in 1958 by President Eisenhower and first officially observed in 1959. Today, Loyalty Day is celebrated with parades and ceremonies in several U.S. communities, although many people in the United States remain unaware of it. Although a legal holiday, it is not a federal holiday, and is not commonly observed. Well, guess who is going to start observing Loyalty Day today?
I join a host of Eisenhower's successors who issued official proclamations in support of Loyalty Day, including H.W. Bush, The Great Satan George Junior, Uncle Ronnie, Gerry Ford, and even...are you ready for it?....JFK and Willy Jeff.
So, this year on yet another exploitative May Day, as I have been up for about 20-and-a-half-hours (working close to 17 of them), I am already celebrating the second hour of Loyalty Day! Loyalty to these United States of America. Loyalty to capitalism. Loyalty to the values that built this nation. Loyalty to the law of the land, which I have been known to adhere to on 99.9% of occasions.
In recent years, America's labor unions have been using the "May Day" holiday to showcase the plight of illegal immigrants, attempting to stay relevant in an America where an ever-growing portion of the GDP is no longer controlled by union labor.
For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, we may remember May Day as the day the Soviet Union paraded all of its nuclear weapons through Red Square as the Soviets celebrated the might of their workforce and took advantage of an opportunity to show the evil capitalists of the world what would be waiting for them were the stupid enough to invade their territory. It's also functioned as a great way to showcase Kremlin power to anyone within the family who was thinking of questioning their power.
Were you around in America in 1886, May Day would most likely signify the day in which the workers rose up against the evil industrialists and sacrificed wages, and even some, their very lives, to bring the work day down from 16 to 8 hours.
As I personally plow well into my 13th hour on the job for the day, hoping to compile some blog posts for the coming week, I decided to spend just a few minutes researching a bit more about May Day in America.
The U.S. version of May Day can trace its origins back to 1884. That October, after having been unsuccessful in obtaining a standard 8 hour work day for laborers, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution that called for a general strike on May 1, 1886, should the 8 hour work day not be in place by then. When May 1, 1886 finally rolled around, the 8 hour work day was still not in place, so large numbers of laborers walked off the job. There were 10,000 demonstrators in New York, 11,000 in Detroit, another 10,000 in Milwaukee, and at the movement's center in Chicago, over 40,000 workers took the streets. Today, estimates put the May 1, 1886 walk-outs at close to 500,000 people.
Two days later, still on strike, a group of laborers met near the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in Chicago. Most of them had been locked out of their jobs since February in a labor dispute, replaced by non-union workers. While some non-union workers joined the strike on May 1, on May 3, there was still a good-sized non-union work force working at the company. When the end-of-the-workday bell sounded on May 3, union workers surged towards non-union workers and were fired upon by police. Two union workers were killed.
Outraged at this police action, anarchists who had been inciting both sides throughout the past few days, distributed flyers for a rally to be held on May 4 to protest the action of police and strikebreakers. Remarkably, the rally itself was very peaceful, but unfortunately, as the last speaker was finishing up his speech, a pipe bomb was thrown at a police line, killing an officer and wounding a number of others. Police fired on the crowd and an all-out riot ensued.
Eight men were arrested as being responsible for the incident, known as the Haymarket Affair. Seven were convicted and sentenced to death. Two men had their sentences commuted to life in prison, one man killed himself in prison, and ultimately, four were hanged for the death of the police officer.
I've done my best to summarize the Haymarket Affair here, but urge you to read more about it. It really is a long and complicated part of American history.
Despite the setbacks to American Labor Unions with the May Day strike in 1886, the unions continued to fight and many laborers in a number of industries were granted shorter and shorter work days, until, in 1916, the U.S. Adamson Act established the 8 hour work day for railroad workers. This was the first federal law that regulated the hours of workers in private companies. Then, in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act under the New Deal, established the 8 hour work day for all Americans.
This is a truly fascinating story. I am more and more amazed with the more that I read. Most fascinating, clearly, is how the push and pull of outside influences helped to shape American labor policy. As many of you know, despite my interest in this segment of history, I continue to be troubled by the roles of labor unions and their leadership in the American landscape today.
As a six-month member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (1990, when I was 15 years-old) who gave well over 50% of the first paycheck I earned in my life to a labor union, let me be the first to stand up and say that while I understand there is a role for unions today in some circles, I tend to agree with the fact that, in many cases, they are just no longer needed.
Following my first job at Lucky's Grocery Store, during which I was required to be a member of the UFCW, I have gone on to what I believe to be a rather good career and a decent wage and decent work load, despite the fact that I have spent close to 20 years now as a non-union worker. I've watched strike after strike over the years and partially agreed with some, but honestly, for the most part, completely disagreed with most of them.
I think my biggest problem with labor unions is the political spin they tend to put on things. I think union members tend to believe that unions care much more about them and their families than they really do. Unions claim time and time again that strikes are not about the money, but I tend to disagree with that statement.
Unions use political posturing and political pressure to in turn get union members what they want so union leadership will appear to care, all the while, relying on the workers themselves for their own salaries.
The recent large May Day rallies that are put on by the labor unions, anarchists, and communists that sucker workers into marching for their "rights" have really helped to solidify my position on the labor unions and their May Day holiday. As I felt with the UFCW strikes over the years, these large May Day rallies are exploitation of a group of people and a cause for the political and monetary gain of union leaders. I just wish more people could see through the smoke and mirrors.
My research also led me down the path of another face of May 1. Did you know that in the United States of America, May 1 is officially Loyalty Day? The holiday was first observed in 1921 as "Americanization Day" and was intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labor Day in the US. Labor Day is an internationally celebrated holiday that was perceived at the time to be a communist threat to America. While May Day's modern origins were here at home in 1886, by 1921, the day was being celebrated around the world as Labor Day, particularly by the growing communist world.
Loyalty Day was enacted as an official holiday in 1958 by President Eisenhower and first officially observed in 1959. Today, Loyalty Day is celebrated with parades and ceremonies in several U.S. communities, although many people in the United States remain unaware of it. Although a legal holiday, it is not a federal holiday, and is not commonly observed. Well, guess who is going to start observing Loyalty Day today?
I join a host of Eisenhower's successors who issued official proclamations in support of Loyalty Day, including H.W. Bush, The Great Satan George Junior, Uncle Ronnie, Gerry Ford, and even...are you ready for it?....JFK and Willy Jeff.
So, this year on yet another exploitative May Day, as I have been up for about 20-and-a-half-hours (working close to 17 of them), I am already celebrating the second hour of Loyalty Day! Loyalty to these United States of America. Loyalty to capitalism. Loyalty to the values that built this nation. Loyalty to the law of the land, which I have been known to adhere to on 99.9% of occasions.
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