Sometimes, the situation just screams for a United Way agenda item.

At first, the Dilbert cartoon just seems funny:

Pointy-haired boss addressing meeting: "We're poised for success -- we expect huge earnings and increased market share. Next on the agenda: There will be no raises because it will be a difficult year." (Awkward pause.) "Carol, I thought I told you to put the United Way update between those two agenda items."

Carol: "Oopsie."

Sadly:

Canada posts whopping surplus
September 27, 2007

Ottawa - Canada on Thursday announced a budgetary surplus of 13.8 billion dollars for 2006-2007, or one percent of Canada's gross domestic product, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said.

Total debt, meanwhile, fell to 467.3 billion at the end of 2006-2007, and the federal debt-to-GDP ratio is now "at its lowest level in a quarter century," at 32.3 percent, he said.

Combined with income from government-owned corporations, Ottawa thus made its "the largest debt payment in Canadian history," or 14.2 billion dollars, Flaherty said at the unveiling of his 2006-2007 financial annual report.

The government of Canada spent 700 million less than projected in Flaherty's March 2006 budget, and revenues spiked unexpectedly, he explained.

You know what's coming in the very next sentences, don't you?

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned that "recent volatility in financial markets needs careful management," Canada's forestry and manufacturing sectors are facing "tough times," and there is "weakness" in some export markets.

"At the same time, strong growth in other areas is driving up the cost of living," such as housing prices, beyond what many can afford, he said.

So, "we have to keep our spending prudent, keep reducing the debt, and keep lowering taxes for individuals, businesses and families," Harper concluded.

Don't miss next week's episode when Prime Minister Pointy-Haired Boss gives bumbling intern Peter "Asok" MacKay another harmless job just to keep him out of trouble. As always, hilarity ensues.