On this Labor Day, I would like to pay tribute to all laborers from sea to shining sea. The laborers of this country are truly the bedrock and keep her running like a well-oiled machine. Whether or not there is gridlock in Washington D.C. our country’s laborers roll up their sleeves and get the job done 365 days a year with little thanks and praise.
I would first like to thank our nation’s soldiers serving both here and abroad since they labor to keep our country safe from all enemies both foreign and domestic. Theirs is a thankless job and as we have seen so many of them gave up their lives protecting each and everyone of us. Those who came home wounded are deserving of our support now into the future.
I would like to thank our nation’s first responders since they labor each and everyday responding to any number of emergencies and uphold the laws of this land. So, to our police officers, border patrol agents, correction officers, parole officers’ firefighters, EMTs and so many others, you are the ones that keep us safe.
I would like to thank each and every civil service worker across this nation since it is you who make sure the offices you are working in serve the people well. You are the ones working behind the scenes in federal offices, state offices and the offices of our local municipalities. While our politicians enjoy the spotlight throughout the year and receive various proclamations, this day is your day in the spotlight.
I would like to thank our health care workers who help keep all of us healthy even if some cannot afford health insurance. Today we as a country thank our nurses, our X-ray technologists, our phlebotomists’, our lab assistants, our orderlies, hospice workers, therapists both physical and mental and other health care workers not listed here. Even though they do not get paid, a special thanks to all the volunteers who work in our nation’s hospitals and hospices. You often provide comfort to a patient in their bleakest hour. Keep up the good work.
I would like to thank our grain farmers, our dairy farmers, our vegetable farmers, our ranchers and other workers in the farming industry for their hard work under the sun putting food on our tables. We go to our stores purchasing your goods never thinking of you, but today we do. The barbeque fair that some will enjoy today came from you.
As a seafood lover, I want to thank each and every fisherman, lobstermen and ship’s captains for the wonderful selection.
Speaking of our food stores, I would like to thank the butcher, the baker and yes even the candle stick maker whose products are also seen in our local grocery stores. I would like to thank the stock clerks, the produce clerks, the checkout clerks and the customer service clerks for providing us with a great selection of bountiful food. We must be thankful for the harvest of goods you provide to all of us. A thank you even goes out to the workers who make sure the grocery carts are near the door.
To get these products to our grocery stores, clothing stores, as well as many other stores, I would like to thank our nation’s truckers for delivering these goods. Without you, the food we buy and the clothes we wear would not be on those shelves or racks.
I would like to thank our nation’s postal clerks for delivering that bill and that letter from a far off friend each and every day come rain or shine. As the art of letter writing is dying off, a mailed letter from that friend becomes special. I would also like to extend my thanks to those that work for FedEx, UPS, DHL and other delivery companies that deliver our packages from coast to coast.
I would like to thank our country’s construction workers for their wonderful craft of building the homes that many of us live in. As you cut that lumber, you make it seem so effortless. But, as homeowners try and do it themselves, hit their thumbs with a hammer, scream out in pain, at times they may break down and call in the professionals. The same thanks goes to this nation’s plumbers and electricians who studied many years as apprentices and became the experts in their trade. Today we all thank you.
I would like to thank all that work in keeping our homes, offices, hotel rooms, and public restrooms neat and tidy. Without all of you, our world would be one of chaos. The same thanks to those who work in our nation’s sewage systems and cesspool companies. You provide a valuable service to all of us.
I would like to thank all of you who work on our nation’s roads and bridges making sure they are safe for us to travel. Yes, there was that deadly tragedy where a bridge plummeted into the Mississippi taking the lives of some, but there are other structures being worked on by you and we thank you.
I would like to thank all that work on our cars to make them safe to drive and keep them environmentally sound. If we choose alternative means of transportation, I wish to thank those who work on our trains, drive our buses and work on our ferries.
I would like to thank every worker working in the airline industry from the counter clerks, the flight attendants, the baggage handlers, the security personnel for getting people where they want or need to go. In this post 9/11 world, yours is truly a thankless job as people’s emotions get the better of them. I would like to thank our nation’s air traffic controllers for keeping an eye on our planes and landing them safely. I would love to thank the professionalism of those that fly our planes namely our pilots. As we take off in that plane our prayers are with you that you get us to our destinations safely and as the wheels touch down, some still clap praising you for your expertise.
I would like to thank those that deliver our energy to our homes and businesses. Without you, I could not be typing this column tonight. To our coal miners, a special thanks to you as we pray along side of you as you lost some of your brethren in a coal mine in Utah.
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