This month, we observe Labor Day. The day when the hard workers of this country are honored for their social and economic impacts on America.

I am a fan of inspirational quotes and sayings. I love it when they pass through my Facebook scrolling, often sharing them. Recently, one that caught my attention focused on how we were not put on this planet to work ourselves to death to pay for the lives we can’t even afford these days.

In Denver, inflation is high. Rent isn’t cheap and mortgages are at a 21-year high.

Unfortunately, our jobs are the only thing that keeps us going. If we want extras — many of us work harder or just go without.

A friend recently posted about getting her paycheck and after paying bills — wasn’t sure she would have much left for food or amenities that month.

The growing issue of food insecurity in this country worries me for many reasons. When I talk to high school administrators and college officials they often mention the fact that they need food pantries with supplies because how can you learn anything when your bellies are empty?

Those students are coming from homes where more families are hungry but maybe without a pantry to get food. The number of hungry citizens is growing.

In America, minimum wage and even those being paid above it — are not making ends meet. There is a disconnect in this country and while there is a lot of talk of equality and diversity — I would argue that the growing separation of the classes is the major problem that needs to be addressed.

According to the website Living Wage, an analysis (as calculated in December 2022 and reflecting a compensation being offered to an individual in 2023) compiling geographically specific expenditure data for food, childcare, health care, housing, transportation, and other necessities, finds that the living wage in the United States is $25.02 per hour, or $104,077.70 per year in 2022, before taxes for a family of four (two working adults, two children), compared to $24.16, or $100,498.60 in 2021.

Last year, Colorado Community Media did an extensive series on housing and how we are affected by the volatile market across the Denver metro area. In that, an interesting conversation we had in the newsroom centered around the cliché of the “American Dream.”

I was once that American Dreamer. I got married. We were at low levels in our jobs, living in a one-bedroom apartment where the neighborhood was not so great.

My husband and I worked hard. We advanced in our careers. Years went on — we bought our first home. We had children. We moved. We bought our second home. All along the way, following that sales pitch that achieving the American Dream means success in our country.

Along the way — Americans and I have started questioning that dream.

Young adults are no longer thinking about marriage, families, and buying that house. Instead, they are in survival mode. They are also starting to set more boundaries at work. They are starting to question the feasibility of owning a home where the mortgage rates are unaffordable, and an HOA appears to have way too many rights.

With Labor Day this month — let’s not think just about working hard. Let’s also think about why we work and it is not supposed to be just about getting by.

Thelma Grimes is the south metro editor of Colorado Community Media.