Tag Archives: unions.workers

NOW YOU’RE COOKIN’ By Louise Annarino,September 4,2012

Labor Day used to be the day when our industrial town celebrated with a huge parade. Every business seemed to have a float. Like the one I rode on every year with other students from Marjorie Pickerell’s Dance Studio, it was a simply-decorated flatbed borrowed from one of the many farms surrounding our small town. Our dance costumes and silly grins were the true decorative touches. A labor union marched in front of us, and the high school band always followed our float. Its bass drums thundering in my tightened belly, dehydrated from the sun shining mercilessly down on our heads,I could not wait to get down off that float. Too much heat ,for too long is sickening. My dad always magically appeared out of the crowd to lift me down among the crowd. Workers, not outdoor barbecues took center stage for me.

On this super-heated  Labor Day  I thought of all the grills getting fired up and ready to go. It reminded me of the current campaign season. Newspersons continual insistence that there is a lack of enthusiasm among Obama supporters compared to 2008 is all wrong. The enthusiasm of 2008 was for the first African-American president. We knew we were making history. And we loved Barack Obama for stepping Forward to lead the way. Our excitement was contagious. The entire world felt the upending of paternalism and racial domination by the voters who long for the means to fulfill middle-class dreams, and who value diversity. We believed the hopes we felt after passage of the Civil Rights act, Title VII, Title IX and Voting Rights Act were about to be fulfilled. The flames of that initial lighting of our minds and hearts was sky high. Yes, we were fired up!

But, no one can cook on that high a flame. One waits until the flames die down before starting to cook. This is the nature of governance and good cooking: low heat,slow simmer and the right amount of seasoning. in 2008 we were fired up and ready to go. Since then we have been cooking a wonderful meal with something for every taste. We are enthusiastic and well satisfied with our president. It is the guests who refuse to sit at the table with all of us, so many of us are not “their kind”,who threaten to ruin the meal. Don’t listen to them. Don’t vote for them. If they get hungry enough, they will come sit down with us, maybe even help cook during the next four years.

As Vince Lombardi said, “When you get into the end zone, act like you’ve been there before.” Well, we have been here before, in 2008. Don’t expect us to act like we have not. Stop looking for high flames. We are in the end zone now. We are fired up,ready to go and cookin’ it!