Supply Chain

Saturday, September 04, 2021 —(On September 20, the full moon, “Harvest”, will rise nearest to earth.)

Good gravy, it’s Labor Day weekend. As a retiree, most often I’m barely aware that a weekend is beginning, much less a holiday one.

Anyway our Labor Day weekends somewhat are drowning, because of upcoming September 11th anniversaries, and this year more so for a couple of reasons. First, it’s the twentieth year after that holocaust, and second, twenty non-winning years of combat are touted as one justification for pulling America’s military from Afghanistan.

That this weekend is a holiday fades as we worry about situations in the Middle East. We hold our collective breath, hoping for the welfare of ordinary citizens, as the Taliban scrambles to organize and create some sort of leadership. Many Middle East countries have economics that are deplorable. Once viable, sparkling cities are suffering, they’re confronted with inadequate supplies of the most-basic necessities, like electricity, gasoline, medicines, and bread.

Labor Day weekends were a way to celebrate America’s vibrant economy, good enough that merchants could close doors and take a holiday. Our affluent country supported employment that allowed jobs and bargaining. America had the ability to process the goods needed by workers to sustain energy and families.

After twenty years in Afghanistan, and just as bad, a couple years coping with Covid and its mutations, this weekend feels less holiday-like. Most shops won’t close their doors. The big stores remain well-stocked but noticeably less so. Declining stocks are blamed on “broken supply chains” that make prices shoot upwards.

I’m finding that a local huge supermarket’s deli counter is being closed during many daylight hours. That market has advertised for deli help, which perhaps isn’t available. Maybe there are other economic reasons behind its non-service deli, but those closings seem odd.

Also seemingly odd is too few job applicants to fill open positions. Maybe so, but one problem might be that our technologies aren’t in step. Candidate searching has used artificial intelligence to review initial applications. AI zeroes in on key words and now maybe less accurately can spot for contemporary needs.

Still though, wishing for a “Happy Labor Day weekend”.

Dear Friends: What’s happening anywhere, sooner or later affects us all everywhere. Diana