Auchtoon!

Originally published in the Grand Rapids Family magazine, November 2007

Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, November 19, 2007

We began the year celebrating local boy made good, Gerald Ford, and close the year lamenting local boy made bad, Blackwater founder Erik Prince. This, of course, is painting a very cartoonish picture. Ford wasn’t all good; I’m guessing Prince isn’t all bad. But for the purposes of how it all reflects on our corner on the world, it’s a pretty stark contrast. Amazing how two people can take a God-centered, patriotic, family-value upbringing and then head off in completely different directions….

Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, November 12, 2007

When certain municipalities and universities try to continue granting domestic partner benefits in the face of a Michigan constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, that’s called whining.

When certain businesses and chambers of commerce try to continue exemptions for various service industries in the face of a new Michigan sales tax increase, that’s called democracy.

See the difference? Neither do I….

Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, November 5, 2007

Anybody — with the exception pandering Republican presidential hopefuls — will tell you that government has a necessary role in economic development. To me, that role is one of physician: Government is there to encourage healthy growth while performing periodic examinations to check for trouble. Simple enough. The system makes sense and has every possibility of working. No need to stop going to the doctor. (Conversely, there’s also no need let the doctors take over completely. Re: pandering Democratic presidential hopefuls.)

So if there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with the system, what’s the problem for Michigan businesses? Well, they have had (and continue to have) an extraordinarily incompetent doctor. And having reached the age when annual physicals sometimes involve cavity searches, nothing brings that image home like sandpaper gloves…..

Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, October 29, 2007

It’s always a goal to distill my editorial cartoons down to as few words as possible. And every once in a while — when the subject is universal and the supporting image is iconic — I’m able to get there….

Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, October 22, 2007

Watching my kids going through the latest round of standardized testing for school these past few weeks, I was inspired by their lack of inspiration. “Did you learn anything at school today?” “Nah, we had MEAPs*….” Sigh…

* Michigan Educational Assessment Program

Originally published in the Grand Rapids Family magazine, October 2007