Auchtoon!Single Business Tax: A Third Opinion Needed
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, March 20, 2006
Archive for March, 2006
Grand Rapids: Strip Clubs and Other Mysteries
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, March 13, 2006
Friends of Ann Coulter
This week’s comic wasn’t actually this week’s comic — it never made it to print. And while I think it was a very good editorial comic and I expected myself to be filled with righteous indignation that they didn’t publish it, the truth is that I was I mostly disappointed with myself on this one.
The background: Ann Coulter was scheduled to come to town in March to speak at the local chapter of the Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner. This is one of those events where people of a like mind gather to reinforce ideas and beliefs that they share and disparage the evildoers that don’t. So it’s kind of natural that they would invite a guest speaker who could help them with that.
For those of you who don’t know Ann Coulter, she’s a conservative political analyst. Well, that’s her cover title. What she really is is an entrepreneur and entertainer who is exploits kernels of truth for her own gains. She specializes in the sensational and outrageous in pandering to the right-wing. She’s a shill for talk radio. To me, she’s a blond, woman Howard Stern. Obviously talented and occasionally funny, but mostly just relentlessly mean-spirited.
Important point: I want to make absolutely clear that I believe Ms Coulter has the right to do and say and get paid for all the things she does and says and gets paid for. She should not be banned or sanctioned or even protested. It’s her gig. My problem was with the Kent County Republicans who invited her to town and pooh-poohed all the horrible things Ms. Coulter has said and written over the years.
Anyway, I was disappointed because if I had dug a little deeper, I’m certain I could have made the same point without using language that kept the comic out of print.
Discrimination Is Always Stupid
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, February 27, 2006
Two things triggered this comic: One, Robert Dean is stepping down from the Grand Rapids city council to run for a state office. Mr. Dean is black and so there were immediate demands — not requests, not “hey, wouldn’t it be a good idea if” — but demands that he be replaced by a black person. The next was that the Grand Rapids Public Schools recently chose a new superintendent. The final two candidates were men: one black, one white. Both very well qualified. Both with their strengths in philosophies and experience. Unfortunately, certain members of the black community seized upon the fact that the white candidate was, in fact, a Canadian citizen. He had lived and worked in the US for several years as a superintendent, but was not yet an American citizen. They thought that this and this alone should disqualify him. Silly.
Trival Dad
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Family magazine, February 2006
