That’s right: pink slips (Via Don Surber; see also this).

WASHINGTON — Some U.S. Army civilian employees may get pink slips before Christmas because Defense Department funding hasn’t been approved, a defense spokesman said.

President George Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have asked Congress to pass a $178 billion defense funding bill without including a timetable for troop withdrawals from Iraq. The House passed a $50 billion measure that including a time line for redeployment of troops, but the measure stalled in the Senate.

The employees would not be laid off until after Christmas, but some contracts require 60-day notification if the layoffs will be longer than 60 days, Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said in a news release.

“OK, family circle time, kids. Christmas is… well, Christmas is going to be a little tight this year. We’re going to be OK, though: it looks like Mommy can get a new job over at the mall and I’ll just have to stay at work a little bit longer each night for a while. But we all have to pitch in, OK? OK.”

Merry Christmas, Mister Reid.

Moe Lane

PS: I don’t suppose that any of you Democratic Presidential candidates feel like explaining why you’re not ashamed of what your party’s doing to good union people? Believe me, I’m not planning to hold my breath until I get an answer.