Labor Day is supposed to be a celebration of American working people. But this Labor Day, millions of men and women have little to be cheerful about because they don't have jobs.
The situation is not getting better as the unemployment rate remains around 8 percent.
Part of the high rate dates back to President Barack Obama's original "stimulus" targeted alternative energy companies. Some of those jobs also lasted only as long as federal funding was available. For example, one of the nation's major solar energy companies, Solyndra, filed for bankruptcy protection last year after chewing through a $535 million federal loan guarantee.
Conservatives, including both Democrats and Republicans, want to free up the private sector to create jobs. One way to do that would be to eliminate costly federal regulations, including the national health care mandate. Another would be to provide some assurances to businesses that taxes will not increase. Uncertainty about taxes and new regulations clearly has hampered creation of new jobs.
That is not a good sign on Labor Day - and it certainly isn't cause for celebration.
