I live in a relatively small city, but I think my experience of Memorial Day is fairly typical across the US. The people who have to work today have a job in either a public service capacity (military, public safety, public transportation, media, emt, er, nursing home, etc) or they are independent contractors choosing to work today, or they work for a company that has decided to make money off of the fact that other businesses are closed to honor our war dead.
Public service work is conditional on the employees being available whenever they are needed. It is customary for these workers to earn holiday pay when their shifts fall on holidays. Independent contractors choose when they work. Why are the retail businesses open? There's a little more below.
Why do grocery stores and gas stations and variety stores open on Memorial Day? An arguement can be made that these stores make available fuel or medicine or food that might be needed on a holiday, but couldn't you borrow a can of gas or some asprin or some briqettes from a neighbor? Couldn't you do without milk until the morning? Have we become such mindless consumers, hypnotized by convenience, that we can't plan ahead or do without for a day?
I say close the damn cash register drawer. Turn around the closed sign. Lock it up. Go home to your family and as you enjoy their company, reflect on the families that have been torn apart by the reckless disregard of George Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld and all the other traitorous scum who will never be able to wash the blood of our brave soldiers from their hands. Reflect on the men and women who were told to do a job and died while doing it. Reflect on the empty chair and the artificial leg.
My heart is with those families who have lost someone in this war. I trust that none of them has to work retail today. I think my trust is unjustified.
I guess this is what is meant by letting the market decide.
