By golly, it had just never occurred to me that following through with a promised statutory pay raise would undermine the "war on terrorism." Still, our leaders must certainly know what they're doing, seeing that they're not against all effective pay raises, notably the virtual elimination of taxes for the very very very rich and the generous removal of the estate tax which so burdens the future security of the spawn of America's multi-millionaires. The argument seems to be that we will win the war only if those famously patriotic folks get more dough, while the rest of us pay with our huge reserves of savings, freedom and blood.

Citing a state of national emergency brought on by last year's attacks, President Bush on Friday slashed the pay raises most civilian federal workers were to receive starting in January.

Under a law passed in 1990, federal employees covered by the government's general schedule pay system would receive a two-part pay increase: a 3.1 percent increase, plus an increase based on private-sector wage changes in the areas where they work.

Bush said Friday the latter type of increase [about 18.6 percent in the D.C. area] will not be given.