September 7, 2016:  Labor Day

First, we will catch up with each other after our summer hiatus and welcome any new members who will be joining the Men’s Group. And then we will discuss the real significance of Labor Day. Now often seen as the unofficial end to the summer vacation season, Labor Day was originally a celebration of America’s labor movement. During the 1950s approximately 33% of American workers belonged to a labor union. Today that number is approximately 7%. Did you ever belong to a union? Did it benefit your life and career or hinder it? Has the decline in union membership been good for America, or bad?

 

September 14, 2016:  Our Best Teachers / The People We’ve Met Along the Way

 

We all have had many teachers in our lives, but if we were lucky there were one or two teachers who helped change the direction of our lives. Perhaps they saw a special talent in us, or inspired us in some other way. Today, we will tell the stories of our favorite teachers and/or mentors – and other people we have met along the way who set us on a new life path.

September 21, 2016:  Entitlements 

The Bernie Sanders presidential campaign earlier this year brought socialism back into the national discussion. Sanders’ campaign is over, but he has opened a dialogue about what should be America’s social policies regarding higher education and healthcare. Should a college education be an entitlement? Should healthcare be universal and entirely taxpayer supported? Should all workers have pensions? Should child care be free? We will discuss these questions.

 

September 28, 2016:  Bar Mitzvah / Confirmation Memories

 

Did you have a Bar Mitzvah and/or Confirmation? Do you have any special memories of this time? How did you prepare for those events? Did your family have a celebration? Who attended? Where was it? Today, we will look back at our coming of age events.