According to Mr. Wikipedia, the 4th of July was not even a federal paid holiday until 1938. John Adams predicted to his wife that July 2 would go down in history as "the great anniversary festival." He died on July 4, just like Tom Jefferson and James Monroe, making it 3 POTUSes in a row.
Anyway, in light of our nation's birthday, Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism makes an interesting discussion of Big Business's support of immigration from 1890 to 1920 as a counterweight to pernicious unionization.
She suggest that instead we celebrate March 1, 1781, the signing date of the Articles of Confederation, or better yet, March 4, 1789, the signing date of the Constitution.
Nowadays, big business very quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) advocates for illegal immigration, or at least gaming the system of the U.S. temporary visa program, to employ cheap, no-benefits foreign labor.
It's funny how things change, and how they stay the same.
By Yves Smith
July , 2012 | Naked Capitalism
