Auchtoon!Comics and Comments from John Auchter
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, October 6, 2008
When the McCain campaign announced they were pulling out of Michigan, my first thought was, “Wow, we really can’t catch an economic break, can we?” Michigan has been having a difficult time attracting investors, but, dang, when even our votes are apparently of no value…..
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, September 29, 2008
So much to write about, so little time. Perhaps later. In the meantime, this week’s comic is painfully self-explanatory….
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, September 22, 2008
These days there is so much low-hanging fruit for editorial cartoon ideas, what with the election, the financial meltdown, the bumbling Congress, etc. This week’s plum that I couldn’t quite get to: Certain Republican Representatives from Michigan posturing wildly on the bailout package, voting against it and claiming it would take us on a ride to downtown socialism — but then within days all quietly voting in favor of a bailout for the Big Three auto companies. This is their free market capitalism? Really? But so it goes.
The comic above was kind of a reflection on, well, there are actually good things going on, too. Recently, business leaders in West Michigan organized a policy conference to not only discuss the economic future of the region but also to try to do something with it. Richard DeVos gave a keynote speech that was stunning in its clarity. He basically said, “Don’t stand around expecting somebody else to come here and save us. The people of West Michigan need take responsibility.” He was calling people out, challenging them to open discussions and develop relationships, trying to move things forward.
It’s true that I have had some misgivings with Richard DeVos and have questioned his judgment in previous comics, and I was somewhat let down that the Conference ended up rating “eliminating the Michigan business tax” and “turning us into a right-to-work state” as their top goals. But I think — and this is an odd thing for an editorial cartoonist to say — that sometimes it’s okay to acknowledge the positive. As another example, there were moments in last night’s vice presidential debate when my intestines didn’t actively hurt. There, that was positive….
As an editorial cartoonist I try, I really, really try to stay away from hackneyed stereotypes. You know, like nefarious politicians in the pocket of well-funded special interest groups sneaking suspect legislation through the system under cover of a larger crisis, say, a Wall Street meltdown. But then this happens:
Last week the US Senate managed to approve something called the Orphan Work Act. Didn’t hear about it? Well, frankly, that’s by design. I’ve read quite a bit about it, and I’ve included some links below if you’d like details but the best summary I’ve seen is this: It’s one of those laws that in attempting to address a minor problem creates a major one. Say I draw a comic and it gets published. Some time later, a magazine or book publisher finds it through Google, but my name has been removed and it isn’t immediately obvious that I’m the author. To them, it’s “orphaned.” As is now under copyright law, the onus is on them to find out who the author is and I have decent legal protection if they go ahead and republish without permission. With the Orphan Work Act, the onus would be on me to find the unauthorized work, and in the unlikely event that I did find it, my legal recourse would be limited and prohibitively expensive.
So off to the House it goes. Hopefully it won’t make it through. If you have time, contacting your representative would help.
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Family magazine, September 2008
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, September 15, 2008
Remember earlier this month when John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate and the ensuing frenzy? Remember the fawning over the firecracker governor of Alaska, her tough speeches, he strong stances, her fresh appeal? You know, before the financial markets melted down. It seems so long ago. Good times.
But this is America, and we move on. It has become pretty clear pretty quickly that Governor Palin’s pick was almost entirely without merit. It’s not so much that she isn’t qualified to run the country, it’s that there are so many other Republicans, female Republicans who are way more qualified. It took me a while to identify my feelings on this but I think it’s very much the same how I felt when Bush 41 picked Dan Quayle to be his running mate in 1988 — that handsome, socially conservative young fella who the women folk will adore. Is he honestly ready to step in at any moment as President? Heck, no, but he sure is handsome. And for God’s sake, don’t let him talk to the press….
So my commentary above has to do with our governor, Jennifer Granholm, accepting an invitation to stand in as Sarah Palin to help Joe Biden prepare for the upcoming Vice Presidential candidate debate. (Assuming, of course, John McCain doesn’t unitarily suspend that, too.) I thought it’d be funny for her to use some newly practiced skills to defend her record, which isn’t great to say the least. But my favorite Palin-related bit was from an excellent comic strip called, “Get Fuzzy.” Satchel confuses Sarah Palin with Michael Palin of Monty Python fame and some of his legendary skits. In particular, the “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition” sketches because it is ludicrous and surreal and very, very silly. Like putting a two-year governor with absolutely no international diplomacy skills an unsteady heartbeat away from the presidency….
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, September 8, 2008
It’s just a little tough to take sometimes. Here we are in Michigan where we build stuff like cars. And for the past 30 years we’ve been building fewer and fewer for a variety of reasons — stupid decisions, greed, globalization, missed opportunities, laziness, bad timing, stuff like that. It’s finally gotten to the point of requesting some help from the government — a little something to, you know, meet all the new federal mandates and keep people employed. This being an election year, the funds have been promised. We’ll see.
In the meantime, government money is pouring out to mortgage loaners, investment bankers, insurance companies. Why them? Why do they need the money? Well basically for the same reasons as the automobile industry: stupid decisions, greed, globalization, missed opportunities, laziness, bad timing. But they get the bailout because they had the forethought (or lack of forethought) to have an immediate crisis. Nothing turns the faucet like panic….
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, September 1, 2008
I didn’t watch much of either political convention. Again, as an alleged editorial cartoonist I should probably show more interest for such things or at least lie and tell you that I immersed myself in the speeches to marinade in the subtle flavors so as to detect and then share the truth behind the scenes. But seriously, there ain’t no behind-the-scenes — they’re pep rallies! Pep rallies for the believers and the bought (and the believers who don’t realize they’ve been bought).
I did flip by one night, and I don’t remember which one it was but there was a guy delivering a stilted rah-rah with the repeat phrase, “Yes we can!” So, him: “Quasi-motivational reference to action affecting a positive outcome of a supposed party platform item.” Pause. Then Crowd: “Yes we can!” And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. I watched fascinated by the awkwardness of it all — the D-List speaker straining for legitimacy, the attempts of the camera to catch a delegate with sincere enthusiasm, the tension of a thousand of pundits desperately trying to churn up any sort of opinion before the guy finished. When my dear wife broke me from my spell with a, “change the
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, August 25, 2008
So yesterday, after an ugly, ugly reign of lies and race-baiting and unwarranted chutzpah and nepotism and sheer stupidity, the Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, resigned. Off to jail he goes leaving a trail of destruction. You can check this excellent article in today’s Salon by Edward McClelland for persepective, but for those unfamiliar with the story I can summarize by saying this: After having Republican politicians go on an absolute tear these past few years with sex scandals and ham-fisted cover-ups, Kwame put the Democratic Party right back into contention with his superlative efforts. Kwame Kilpatrick is the clear leader for MVP — Most Vile Politician.
And now, a big shout out to traditional journalism: the Detroit Free Press — you da newspaper! It was the Freep that did the investigative groundwork that eventually brought Kilpatrick down. It was the old-school media doing the hard work and taking the chances. The TV reported and added nothing; the bloggers fumed and added nothing; the Internet aggregated and added nothing. Twas newsprint that saved the day. So go out and shake a reporter’s hand, thank an editor for showing some courage, and above all read a dang newspaper! Because the fact that there ain’t no Beijing Free Press has a lot to do with why those Chinese gymnasts will never have to give their gold medals back….
Originally published in the Grand Rapids Family magazine, August 2008
