"Sonny Days"

This past Friday, in lieu of the threat of Hurricane Rita on Texan and Louisianan oil reserves, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue implored Georgia schools to call "snow days" for Monday and Tuesday of this week in order to conserve energy. All but three of Georgia's school districts followed suit. The problem? The announcement was made at a press conference at 4:00 on Friday afternoon, giving parents less than two days to adjust their schedules so that they could either take time off of work or find babysitters.

ATLANTA -- Hundreds of thousands of Georgia children got a break from classes Monday after Gov. Sonny Perdue asked schools to close for two days as a hedge against possible fuel shortages, leaving many parents struggling to arrange child care.

The shortages that Perdue feared never materialized, largely because Hurricane Rita proved less damaging to Gulf Coast refineries than initially expected.

Two mothers brought their grade-schoolers to the Capitol on Monday for a "teach-in" on the steps, just yards from Perdue's office.

"It's certainly caused a lot of problems for working parents today, and it causes problems for these kids who need to be learning and not just hanging out, watching the Cartoon Network at home," said mother Randy Faigin David of suburban Atlanta.

Perdue saw a sudden surge in popularity for putting a hold on state taxes on gas in response to post-Katrina gas gougers, but I wonder how this recent action will affect his re-election campaign.