May Day, 2019: Getting Better

Portland May Day ICE protest.

May Day is a day devoted to worker solidarity and protest. Often the demonstrations and marches spread to include other causes, such as immigration (see photo right) or the environment.

It seems to this humble observer that the original focus on the worker seems to have been lost, for on the jobs front there is less to complain about than ever.

Despite war and recession jobs are at an all-time high (BLS).

The U.S. private sector added 275,000 jobs in April, according to the ADP National Employment Report released Wednesday, a far greater number than analysts expected.

Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected the private sector to gain 177,000 jobs.

The mighty U.S. economy has created jobs under two Democratic and two Republican Administrations. Neither war, financial collapse, automation, or political rancor has knocked it off its stride.

May Day is marked by complaining about how bad things are. I prefer to celebrate how they're getting better.