From the Brain of Dr. Nicki: To Outsource or Not to Outsource, That is the Question!?

It's here again. Labor Day.  But what the heck is it anyway? Authorities tell us: "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

Are you feeling it? This celebration of American worker contribution? I'm not. I get worried. I'm probably stepping right in it when I say, outsourcing disturbs me. I know, I know -- its money-saving. Essential. Profit-generating. Lowers our individual consumer costs. But at what cost do we lower costs.

I'm not pretending to be wise about these matters and seldom do I focus my attention on what might in psycho-spiritual circles be termed...well...minutia. But every once in a while, if the holiday calls for it, I find myself mulling over some disturbing trend. Outsourcing to me is such a trend. And like many trends, we've already gotten used to it. It's now status quo. We've stopped questioning the way things are going. We've gotten otherwise distracted.

I'm a big fan of mom and pop operations. The little folks, for instance, that rose up out of the economic downward slide rubble of 2008/9. We seemed to rediscover our resolve then. Reclaim our noteworthy American grit.

Feel free to argue with me. Correct my naive position. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Made-in-America shouldn't be a big deal anymore. I only know for all our nonsense, political chaos, ridiculous pomposity, often flagrant ignorance, I personally still get a special sense of pride for being an American.  

One of the great things about America, by the way, is that so many cultures weave together to offer to each other a plethora of viewpoints, stances, and capacities. Celebrating our differences while elaborating our commonalities wants to be our intention.

So on this Labor Day I declare - congratulations and thank you to all those American workers who've contributed to our better life! Go forth and prosper.