AlterNet: Why You Should Work Less

[marmar]

Why You Should Work Less

By Sean Gonsalves, AlterNet. Posted October 20, 2008.

Americans are working longer hours and taking less time off -- an unhealthy habit that heightens stress and lowers life expectancy.




During his first re-election campaign, FDR came to Bedford, Massachusetts in 1936, stumping for four more years of New Deal.

In the crowd was a young girl with an envelope. She tried to make her way to the President to give him the enveloped note but was turned away by a policeman. Roosevelt told one of his aides: "Get the note from the girl."

The young girl's note read: "I wish you could do something to help us girls ... We have been working in a sewing factory, ... and up to a few months ago we were getting our minimum pay of $11 a week ... Today the 200 of us girls have been cut down to $4 and $5 and $6 a week."

A reporter asked President Franklin about the note. "Something has to be done about the elimination of child labor and long hours and starvation wages," was his reply.

Two years later, Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), establishing the minimum wage and 40-hour work week.

A few years ago, I was invited to the cozy confines of the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Michigan to participate in a weeklong retreat with other writers, activists and thinkers. For hours on end, we talked about the sorry state of the world and what we thought could be done to make it better. Like most of these kind of gatherings, we broke into small discussion groups to probe particular social problems more deeply. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/103777/why_you_should_work_less_/

[Locrian]

1. good article... snowballs chance

Until we get people who can think for themselves, this will go over like "socialism".

The ruling powers LOVE to keep people so busy they cannot think for themselves. And the "tight job market" is a great way to drive wages lower - a buyers market.

When will people learn that they are being played for suckers? That they need to organized and fight for what is right?