Tom Kirvan
Legal News, Editor-in-Chief
Legal News, Editor-in-Chief
My father, like so many others who lived in Metro Detroit during the late 1930s and early 1940s, worked for a time at the massive Ford Rouge Plant, an auto-making complex that employed more than 100,000 workers.
Built in stages over an 11-year period from 1917-28, the industrial complex was a monument to vertical integration, designed to take in raw materials at one end and to turn out a finished product at the other.
In effect, it was a self-contained city on 2,000 acres, operating its own internal railroad with 100 miles of track, a dedicated bus network, a multi-station fire department, police force, hospital, and 5,000-strong maintenance crew.
My father held several jobs there during his two-year tenure before he was whisked away for Navy service during World War II in North Africa and Europe. He described his stint at the Rouge Plant as “grueling,” “eye-opening,” “suffocating,” and “hazardous,” terms that didn’t paint a pretty picture for those worked there during a time when the nation was climbing out of the depths of the Great Depression.
All that he and others endured in exchange for a “living wage” made him especially mindful of the importance of Labor Day, an observance that has long been viewed through a variety of lenses.
He chose to see it in its purest form as a holiday that commemorates the efforts of those who fought for workers’ rights during the labor movement of the late 19th century, a hard-won campaign that eventually produced such benefits as the 40-hour work week, paid time off, sick leave, and safer work environments.
Others, of course, view it simply as the unofficial end of summer, a time when the “lazy, hazy, crazy days” give way to football and flaming fall colors that follow the start of school for students of all ages.
For those with a financial focus, the holiday serves as the runway to the all-important fourth quarter of the business year, a three-month segment that can make or break dreams of grandeur.
This year, it might be best to frame it as a golden opportunity to count our many cherished values, concepts that are embedded in our way of life and often are overlooked and taken for granted.
First and foremost, take time to treasure the relationships we enjoy with family and friends, recognizing the important roles they play in our daily existence. Friendships are vital to our mental and physical well-being, widening a safety net that can boost happiness, reduce stress, and contribute to a sense of purpose and belonging.
Second, reflect on our fundamental freedom of choice, offering us the opportunity to live where we want in pursuit of a career of our dreams. Relatedly, we also are privileged to read and watch what we want, to worship what and where we please, and to vote without fear or favor.
Third, we should be especially grateful for our system of justice, which guarantees that no person will be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. This Fifth Amendment guarantee dovetails with the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial before an impartial jury of our peers.
The Fourteenth Amendment, of course, is another constitutional pillar, guaranteeing equal protection of the laws, which has figured prominently in a series of landmark cases outlawing racial and gender discrimination.
In conceptual terms, equality is one of our most cherished ideals, providing equal opportunities and fair treatment for all Americans, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or socioeconomic status.
In practice, unfortunately, it has proven to be an elusive concept due to deep-rooted prejudices that have dogged our country from its slave-holding beginnings. We can only hope that someday Thomas Jefferson’s proposition in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” will be more truth than fiction, thereby adding a layer of dignity and humanity to all Americans.
In that vein, we should treasure the fact that we live in a land of opportunity, a place where the time-honored “American Dream” is more than a fanciful notion. Countless immigrants have proven it real, capitalizing on the freedom of opportunity to succeed in search of a better life. Collectively, their labors should serve as beacons of hope for those who believe in the value of our democratic institutions, which serve as vanguards for the cause of freedom and liberty around the globe.
Built in stages over an 11-year period from 1917-28, the industrial complex was a monument to vertical integration, designed to take in raw materials at one end and to turn out a finished product at the other.
In effect, it was a self-contained city on 2,000 acres, operating its own internal railroad with 100 miles of track, a dedicated bus network, a multi-station fire department, police force, hospital, and 5,000-strong maintenance crew.
My father held several jobs there during his two-year tenure before he was whisked away for Navy service during World War II in North Africa and Europe. He described his stint at the Rouge Plant as “grueling,” “eye-opening,” “suffocating,” and “hazardous,” terms that didn’t paint a pretty picture for those worked there during a time when the nation was climbing out of the depths of the Great Depression.
All that he and others endured in exchange for a “living wage” made him especially mindful of the importance of Labor Day, an observance that has long been viewed through a variety of lenses.
He chose to see it in its purest form as a holiday that commemorates the efforts of those who fought for workers’ rights during the labor movement of the late 19th century, a hard-won campaign that eventually produced such benefits as the 40-hour work week, paid time off, sick leave, and safer work environments.
Others, of course, view it simply as the unofficial end of summer, a time when the “lazy, hazy, crazy days” give way to football and flaming fall colors that follow the start of school for students of all ages.
For those with a financial focus, the holiday serves as the runway to the all-important fourth quarter of the business year, a three-month segment that can make or break dreams of grandeur.
This year, it might be best to frame it as a golden opportunity to count our many cherished values, concepts that are embedded in our way of life and often are overlooked and taken for granted.
First and foremost, take time to treasure the relationships we enjoy with family and friends, recognizing the important roles they play in our daily existence. Friendships are vital to our mental and physical well-being, widening a safety net that can boost happiness, reduce stress, and contribute to a sense of purpose and belonging.
Second, reflect on our fundamental freedom of choice, offering us the opportunity to live where we want in pursuit of a career of our dreams. Relatedly, we also are privileged to read and watch what we want, to worship what and where we please, and to vote without fear or favor.
Third, we should be especially grateful for our system of justice, which guarantees that no person will be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. This Fifth Amendment guarantee dovetails with the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial before an impartial jury of our peers.
The Fourteenth Amendment, of course, is another constitutional pillar, guaranteeing equal protection of the laws, which has figured prominently in a series of landmark cases outlawing racial and gender discrimination.
In conceptual terms, equality is one of our most cherished ideals, providing equal opportunities and fair treatment for all Americans, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or socioeconomic status.
In practice, unfortunately, it has proven to be an elusive concept due to deep-rooted prejudices that have dogged our country from its slave-holding beginnings. We can only hope that someday Thomas Jefferson’s proposition in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” will be more truth than fiction, thereby adding a layer of dignity and humanity to all Americans.
In that vein, we should treasure the fact that we live in a land of opportunity, a place where the time-honored “American Dream” is more than a fanciful notion. Countless immigrants have proven it real, capitalizing on the freedom of opportunity to succeed in search of a better life. Collectively, their labors should serve as beacons of hope for those who believe in the value of our democratic institutions, which serve as vanguards for the cause of freedom and liberty around the globe.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
