Welcome to this Sunday’s Third Degree: Tough, Brief, Weekly Interrogations on matters public and private that force thinking and response. Today we target: Labor Day

  • Labor Day tomorrow, do last days of summer summon a Job-like entreaty: How long must we endure prickly problems?
  • Is one Labor Day response: “Fuggetaboutit, it’s a frigging holiday; let your liver do the work?”
  • Will drink dull certain senses but reality remains?
  • Despite potential, Labor Day, self-induced fog, should the problem of elitism, or cluelessness, flog major concern about wearing white after tomorrow?
  • 100 years ago, how did Coco Chanel address such prickly style sanctions with effect to today?
  • Does normal September with its annual, record number of births make Labor Day a literal occurrence for new moms across America and present prickly naming, sleeplessness and rearing up problems?
  • Does the Labor Day start of apple season remind: Many good apples in the barrel can be spoiled by a few rotten ones?
  • Are prickly problems often caused by such mixing of good and bad apples?
  • Are apples merely metaphor for language and ideas, at a glance appealing, but wormy on the inside?
  • Best to be wary of pronouncements with variable definition, often without boundary, artfully disguised to wolf-like lure sheep?
  • Despite the welcome, Labor Day start of football season, do burdened spirits and finances prick our sense of well being?
  • Is government incompetence and control the pricking thorn or is that unfair?
  • Are elected and appointed government employees supposed to solve problems as a priority? Are they doing that?
  • Have we the people ceded too much or too little power to “them”?
  • Should working for the government, federal, state or local, preclude union membership? Why or why not?
  • How or should the legacy of Labor Day figure in?
  • Can you suggest understandable and affordable solution (or mitigation), to persistently, prickly problems that trouble you?
  • Is there a constructive, investigative role that media should or does perform or is that a problem?
  • What sources of news/people can be trusted? Are you sure? Why?
  • With the precious days of autumn about to dwindle down, is there time for a waiting game?

Socrates reminds: “The unexamined life is not worth living”. The answers and actions are yours?