Sean, I am so there with you. I just spent fifteen minutes on the phone ranting to a friend who's now in shock because he's never heard me go off before.

Want more outrage? Bush Suspends Minimum Wage in Recovery Area

An Executive Order from the White House Web site:

(b) The wage rates imposed by section 3142 of title 40, United States Code, increase the cost to the Federal Government of providing Federal assistance to these areas.

(c) Suspension of the subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code, 40 U.S.C. 3141-3148, and the operation of related acts to the extent they depend upon the Secretary of Labor's determinations under section 3142 of title 40, United States Code, will result in greater assistance to these devastated communities and will permit the employment of thousands of additional individuals...

And, as to such contracts to be performed in such jurisdictions, I do hereby suspend, until otherwise provided, the provisions of any Executive Order, proclamation, rule, regulation, or other directive providing for the payment of wages, which provisions are dependent upon determinations by the Secretary of Labor under section 3142 of title 40, United States Code

AmericaBlog's reaction:

Let me break that down for you. At a time of national crisis, and the President already having signed $61 BILLION in disaster relief, we as a nation can't afford to pay $9 an hour to laborers? ...

This isn't about employing more people, this is a disgusting cash grab the likes of which has never been visited upon our nation...

Question Mr. President - why are you trampling on state's rights to have a minimum wage higher than your Government's pittance? While pointing fingers at the state for not doing enough for itself? Is it state's rights or not? You can't have it both ways.

Every time I think it can't get more outrageous....

And Sean, I think our differences are more stylistic than substantive. I'm more likely to keep it in.

Michael Brown was recalled to Washington to pick up his medal. Only, he really, really, really screwed up, so apparently they're going to have to create an award above the Medal of Freedom just to honor his greatness.

Or something. "Recalled to Washington" is something normally associated with embassy personnel or players on the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs.

Did a speed edit on a 44-page document today. It's the same publication we've put out for years running, but EVERY SINGLE YEAR there's a period that appears after a URL, and every year I take my red pen and cross it out, and every year the publications person takes it out, and every year it's out of the blue line, and every year it's out of the printed version, and still IT JUST KEEPS COMING BACK IN NEXT YEAR'S PROOF.

Children with a peanut allergy (PA) are faced with food and social restrictions due to the potentially life-threatening nature of their disease, for which there is no cure or treatment.

A little late to the discussion, but I heard there is a vaccine that can be given to a PA child at 6 years old that would increase his/her resistance significantly.

WRT Brown and FEMA, there's no way he remains director after this fiasco. His reassignment is the old "cat on the roof"* to his eventual replacement. And besides, who reassigns the director of an agency in his own agency?

• I'll be happy to relate if you don't know that joke

I'll be happy to relate if you don't know that joke

Is it a hot tin roof?

His reassignment is the old "cat on the roof"* to his eventual replacement.

He's going to quietly resign. They're already floating the story that he was planning to resign at the end of hurricane season long before Katrina.

Wolfram, I love that joke. Feel free to retell!

They're already floating the story that he was planning to resign at the end of hurricane season long before Katrina.

Yeah, right.

What, was he planning on going back to his first love - mismanaging horsie stuff?

In FEMA revelation, Michael Brown fudged his resume

Yep, this is the administration that was going to bring dignity back to the White House.

I can still take cupcakes into Emmett's class and Northern California usually leads the nation in food dictatorship

Funny you should mention that, since I just read that Diane Feinstein wants NyQuil and Sudafed to become controlled substances (only purchasable in person; must show photo ID; must sign a register).

At a time of national crisis, and the President already having signed $61 BILLION in disaster relief, we as a nation can't afford to pay $9 an hour to laborers?

Given that we are paying mercenaries a whole lot more than that to patrol New Orleans....argh! I may be overly suspicious, but I think the administration sees this as a way to get the minimum wage lowered. If they suspend it here and now, it's possible that a precedent will be set, and minimum wage will either stay suspended, stay at the new lower levels, or be suspended whenever the Executive feels like it.