Happy Labor Day, Not Politics of Unions Day!

It feels like Monday's day off is needed more than most. It has been a nonstop year, full of challenges and hardship for virtually every American, and it is not over yet. We could all use a day to take a step back, get away from everything, and think about what matters most.

Labor Day is dedicated to the men and women who are the core of America; the goodhearted, hard-working folks who do not ask for much yet do more than what is asked of them. This year America’s workers deserve extra thanks.

We all know someone who fits this bill. The nurses and doctors and ambulance drivers. The grocery shelf stockers, the factory workers, the farm hands, the meat packers, the truck drivers. The police officers and firefighters. The teachers in the classroom and the home. And so many more.

We especially like how this small-town, southern newspaper editor put it in his Labor Day column: “On Monday, let’s pause to say ‘thank you’ to the American workers who keep this nation running — especially this year. They don’t hear it very often.”

On top of the thanks, Labor Day is a great day to put politics aside. Our culture already expects too much from politics. This year especially, we have seen how the constant back-and-forth can divide us at a time when the nation needs unity.

This conservative activist in Washington, D.C. has the right idea: “Imagine a single day when all the noise stops, when there is no back and forth between your uncle and cousin on Facebook, no CNN on airport televisions, no Fox News alert on your phone. Imagine candidates and pundits dropping politics for a full 24 hours.”

Even if politics does not stop for the day, Americans can still choose to tune it out, connect with old friends or make some new ones, and celebrate the best of our country. It would be good for the heart rate. And it would be great for America.