In 1940, the FDR Administration passed the Fair Labor Standards Act which reduced the American workweek to forty hours, and of which, employees who worked more than forty hours in a workweek were thereby entitled to overtime pay, at a rate not less than time and one-half of their regular rate of pay. In consideration that 1940, was generations ago, and also in consideration that America prides itself upon being the epitome of how great a capitalistic system is for those that live in America, it seems more than surprising, that there has not been a concentrated effort by the governance of this nation, to reduce the hours so being worked for Americans – especially when we take into fair account of how much more productive American workers have become over the ensuing years, as well as also how much labor is currently being aided by machines of all types. In other words, the richest nation in the world, which has automated so many tasks, and utilizes well the power and efficiency of labor-saving machines, has somehow decided that Americans should just keep on working forty hour weeks, as if this is somehow sacrosanct when it surely is not.
Look, the bottom line of whether or not capitalism is indeed as great as its champions so insist that it is, has got to be reflected not just in the wealthiest of this nation, getting ever wealthier; but rather it should be seen in the fact that those that are its laborers, or its servants, are not only compensated at a fair and living wage, but that the amount of time that those that work for these enterprises, is reduced appropriately so that more time of the workers can be devoted to other interests, other priorities, and for the general relaxation of such.
To somehow believe that each of us is meant to work, day in and day out, for years upon years, in order to achieve some semblance of the American dream, without taking into fair account, that part of that dream should consist of necessary and desirable things that are outside of the work purview is misguided. Rather, if America truly desires that other nations emulate their capitalistic system, then they need to prove to the general world population, the superiority of such a system, by demonstrating that Americans not only have the desired accouterments of home ownership, car ownership, vibrant communities, and a strong infrastructure, but that the people so laboring also have a suitable amount of time to actually enjoy and to appreciate what they so have.
Indeed, just as there was nothing written in the stars, that said that a progressive society, needed to have its people work from sunup to sundown, or from Monday through Saturday for eight to ten hours a day – so it has to be said in this era of hi-technology, the least that should be expected of those that work within America enterprises, is that they should receive what so represents their current pay so stipulated for forty hours of week, be earmarked to that same pay for thirty-six hours of work. No doubt, there would be some hue and cry, from various business enterprises, but when so implemented, it would be relatively quickly discovered that productivity was no worse, and the satisfaction of the average American, significantly better.