"Here in America, you get to write your own destiny."
On Friday, we began the Labor Day weekend with news that unemployment has increased to 9.7 percent. If you add in the figures for underemployment, the percentage of Americans who are not working as productively as they'd like is now almost 17 percent . As Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor, says: "Bottom line: almost one out of six Americans who need a full-time job either can't find one or is working part-time." So on Labor Day, the day we honor the achievements of labor, many of us lit up the barbecue feeling a bit queasy about our future prospects for employment. Today, the work week begins anew (for those of us who are gainfully employed.) And today, we sent our children off to school where they may or may not get to hear a highly controversial speech given by the president of the United States. The president's intention from the start was to "challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their lea...