The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Department of Labor is moving full force ahead to push a new rule that would make it tougher to regulate workers' on-the-job exposure to chemicals and toxins. The newspaper's second graph goes into the fact that the DOL did not disclose its proposal in public notes of regulatory plans that it filed in December and May (which is a requirement). The paper reports, "Instead Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's intention to push for the rule first surfaced on July 7, when the White House Office of Management and Budget posted on its Web site that it was reviewing the proposal, identified only by its nine-word title."

So ... as the Post goes on about the shocking (hardly) news that in its final hour, the Bush administration is pushing for more anti-worker legislation, working people are left scratching their heads; wondering what the fuck? Why what the fuck? Because as the article states in the fourth paragraph (and below the fold on most computer screens), "The department's speed in trying to make the regulatory change contrasts with its reluctance to alter workplace safety rules over the past 7 ½ years. In that time, the department adopted only one major health rule for a chemical in the workplace, and it did so under a court order."

You can go read this article, if you are interested, but the long-short is this: In its final days the Bush administration is, once again, trying to give working people one last kick in the ass and simultaneously give a gift of thanks to big business.

I won't go as far as saying this country really sucks, but I will say that we need a department of labor in this country that is there for labor, not against it. Will Obama deliver?