Thanks to all the hard working South Dakotans out there and to our Labor Unions for Labor Day!

Americans have celebrated their work since at least 1882, when 10,000 workers paraded through the streets of New York. President Grover Cleveland signed a bill in 1894 designating the first Monday in September as the national Labor Day holiday. This year, the nation's labor force included at least 155 million people older than 16, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics information released in May. There are 7.2 million teachers, 1.7 million CEOs, 773,000 hairstylists and cosmetologists, and at least 234,000 roofers, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Here's a look at some other interesting labor statistics provided by various government agencies:

83% - Percentage of workers ages 18 to 64 covered by health insurance for all or part of 2007.

77% - Percentage of private-sector employees who received a paid vacation as an employment benefit.

17 million - The number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m., representing 13 percent of all commuters.

10.4 million - The number of self-employed workers.

7.7 million - The number of workers who hold more than one job, accounting for 5 percent of the American workforce.

4 - The median number of years that workers have been with their current employer.

Washington Post

Monday, September 7, 2009

"I hope for an America where we can all contend freely and vigorously, but where we will treasure and guard those standards of civility which alone make this nation safe for both democracy and diversity." - Sen. Ted Kennedy

Sen. Edward Kennedy, the patriarch of the first family of Democratic politics, died late Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. He was 77.

In a statement, Obama says: "An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time."

For the full report, click here

For more about Sen. Kennedy's life and work, click here.

 

 Tim Giago spoke with Sen. Johnson over coffee and bagels recently.  Among the conversations, Senator Johnson wanted all of his friends in Indian Country to know that his health is coming back strong and that he is working very hard in their behalf to bring stimulus money to the reservations for law enforcement, housing, health, education and jobs.  Senator Johnson has been my good friend for 30 years and as his friend I will attest to the fact that there is no one better, no one more qualified, and definitely no one in the U. S. Senate more knowledgeable about the issues facing every Indian Nation in America.

Read about the issues Tim and Tim spoke about here.