To labor.

Here is to all the people who get up and go to work day in and day out to provide for themselves and their families and, as a result, make our great American economy function better each and every day. Nothing in society works without the dedication, grit, steadfastness, loyalty, brains, brawn and virtues of the workers.

And when many of us are enjoying time off on this extended weekend, let’s be mindful all the people who have to work when we visit places such as gas stations, restaurants, retail stores, hospitals and clinics, police and fire stations and even the vendors up at the Minnesota State Fair. Even on Labor Day itself, the day we honor the working joes and janes, there are people who don’t get to enjoy the holiday.

 

To infringing on freedom of religion.

It is plainly unconstitutional to require Amish in America to comply with laws requiring modern conveniences of septic systems or electric pumps. There ought to be no bones about it. The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, printed in the upper right corner of this page, doesn’t say, “except for septic systems.”

We hope the courts of Minnesota recognize this freedom as they hear the case of Fillmore County’s Ammon Swartzentruber, who faces a misdemeanor charge for failing to get a building permit for his home in Harmony. Yes, he should have applied for the permit — that is true — but going forward we hope the courts can require Harmony, Fillmore County and other permitting agencies to come up with alternative building solutions that recognize the people of our country have a firm and well-established right to their religion. If that had been in place and duly recognized, Swartzentruber would not be in court.

It’s disappointing to hear that Amish families lost a similar case in Eau Claire County in Wisconsin all over what paperwork boxes they should check, and we hope wiser judges in appellate courts understand what is a government violation of a person’s conscience.

 

To being pro-active on the issue of sex trafficking.

The Albert Lea Police Department and U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs Diagnostic Center collaborated to produce a months-long study at the likelihood of sex trafficking in Albert Lea and how local law enforcement could recognize its presence.

The biggest thumbs up is that the report didn’t find a sex trafficking ring in Albert Lea— only the potential for one. It’s a nuance possibly lost on some folks, and surely there will be people six weeks from now saying something somewhere about how Albert Lea is filled with sex traffickers. To be sure, it is not. The study found a low volume of incidents.

That said, Albert Lea’s potential stems from being between places with problems of sex trafficking — Rochester, Mankato and the Twin Cities — and the chance of the traffickers finding our crossroads at two freeways handy for exchanges, meetings or even sexual abuse of victims.

It’s good to be pro-active in prevention of such a horrible crime.