December 25, 2006
God Bless Us, Everyone!
By Stan Dyer
Few people read
Charles Dickens'
Christmas Carol without remembering Tiny Tim's famous line. The holiday season is a very "warm and fuzzy" time of year filled with similar sentiments, memories, and a spirit of sharing that seem almost "corny" any other time of the year. Yet, it is difficult not to think that Tiny Tim's words were meant for America. America has so much abundance, so much freedom and so much opportunity, we tend to take much of it for granted and assume the whole world lives as we live. The whole world, however, is not as blessed as we are, and we need to protect our blessings or risk losing them.
Simple things such as the eight-hour work day, the 40-hour work week, weekends off, vacations, a minimum wage, labor laws, a safe work environment governed by Federal safety laws are a few of the things Americans expect. In many other countries, these things are just dreams that are far off in the future.
Oh, sure, I understand that American companies routinely circumvent legal obligations and human dignity, but those other countries don't even have similar laws to begin with. There are people in this country who routinely work 16-hour days (sometimes they do it seven days a week), and many are paid just as little as their companies can manipulate. Companies call it "improving the bottom line." Yet, in some other countries, people work 24-hour shifts, are paid as little as .09 an hour, and are exposed to unsafe, unsanitary and uncomfortable working conditions. God bless us, indeed!
American companies will continue to outsource to avoid labor laws, higher wages and workers who expect to be treated respectfully rather than as human chattel. Those companies complain about the burden of democracy, adding the tax burden to the list. To top it off, those companies still want to live in this country to enjoy the benefits paid for by American workers, American laws and American taxes. I'm talking about roads and the snowplows to keep them clear. I'm talking about good medicine and the hospitals to use it.
I'm talking about schools, dams, bridges and everything else we need to be the greatest country on the planet. I'm also talking about soldiers and the tools they need to keep us all safe from harm. When companies outsource, all that money, all those tax dollars and all those jobs go overseas to provide the same benefits somewhere else when we still don't have enough here.
Despite being such a great country, America still has a row to hoe. America has issues, and Americans are at the root of the solution. Issues can only continue to be issues if we allow them to be. As the New Year begins, I resolve to continue my devotion to democracy, to be American, to buy American products and to support American companies who keep American money on American shores. I dutifully pay my fair share of taxes in the knowledge that the money benefits all. I know I have to protect my blessings if I want to keep them, and if I want to continue to look out my window on Christmas day feeling warm, safe and well fed. God Bless us, everyone, from sea to shining sea, for now and forever.