Today we celebrate the working men and women of this country, the ones who built it up, the ones whose innovation, efficiency and productivity are the envy of the world.
But as we look around at the situation of working men and women in America today we have to wonder about the nation's unemployment rate continuing to hover at 8.3 percent. We have to wonder about the number of American-based companies whose workforces are largely overseas. Even Apple, whose founder Steve Jobs was touted by Mitt Romney last week as an example of entrepreneurial fortitude and determination, manufactures most of its product in China.
We have to wonder about the reports showing middle class income shrinking in America, and about the rising cost of college education for students who will graduate with a mountain of debt and few job prospects.
This Labor Day is a challenging one for the working men and women, and it should be a challenge for the employers as well, the ones who create jobs. It's time to start creating, taking some risks, and investing in the people we are celebrating today as the backbone of this nation's wealth by hiring a few more of them.