Do we take Labor Day seriously?

Among all of the paid holidays of America's working people, Labor Day is probably taken the least seriously of all. Oh, it's true that there are parades in some places -- especially big union towns -- and there are tributes to labor by politicians in newspapers, TV and radio programs.

But -- for most working people -- the best thing about Labor Day is that it's a day off without a lot of other responsibilities. For the day or for the long weekend, working people can get away from their jobs and go to the lake, cook out in the back yard or simply hang out with family and friends.

That doesn't mean, though, that Labor Day is not needed or appreciated. While working men and women may not use the official day off to observe the holiday in ceremonial form, they are taking a much deserved break -- which perhaps is the best celebration of all.

America is many things and much has gone into the nation's unmatched record of material success. But no one can dispute the tremendous importance of labor in helping the USA achieve the levels it has.

We see it every day in our hometowns. At work, all of us have a role ... everyone of us. What makes our towns tick is that each of us has distinct responsibilities, and we contribute our unique talents to create an interdependent community, nation and world.

That's why the devastation on the Gulf Coast is so staggering. When we see the suffering of those whose daily lives have been torn asunder, we realize how much all of us need the security and stability of our jobs and our daily routines.

On this Labor Day, 2005, we need to give thanks to all the working men and women who have done their part to make America the special place that it is. We also need to offer our prayers of support for the working men and women who -- in the final analysis -- will be the ones to lift New Orleans, Biloxi and the Gulf Coast region out of the horrors wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

Gifts of food, money and materials will help. So will the government. But, when all is said and done, when the Gulf Coast rises from the ruins, it will be working men and women -- doing their part, day after day -- who will truly make the difference.

We may not take Labor Day seriously enough in America. But we do take labor seriously. Working men and women have made this nation the great place that it is. And, in New Orleans and other places of adversity, it is American labor that gives us our best hope for recovery .