Dadmocracy: Numbers game

Still imagining the halftime show…

On civility and rooting for your team…

Normally at this time of year, I eschew following politics to devote more attention to the world of football. Now, however, the health care debate in Congress has been fast and furious. All but the most slavishly rabid about politics are sick of the whole thing by now, from what I can see, with most folks now focusing on school, or the new upcoming TV season and college/NFL action.

To me, though, politics is a sport. There are two major teams, and their fans are as blind to the faults of their side as they are blind to the virtues of the other team. There are a few other minor leagues, but they have no clout in the game and are essentially ignored (Libertarians, Constitution & Green parties, etc.).

This has been made especially apparent to me in the wake of President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress last Wednesday, September 9. At a point when the President said, “There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false – the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.” At this point several Democrats in the audience audibly booed the President, but one Representative Joseph Wilson (a Republican from South Carolina) stood up and yelled “You lie!”, a retort heart by all listening and which caused a visible reaction from Obama himself, but more especially a visibly angry Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Immediately the focus of the night was placed by the media and commentators on Wilson. And I saw everyone go back to their teams to either defend or denounce him as was politically expedient. Republicans for the most part denounced the  timing of his statement but not the message. Democrats are shocked, shocked, at the lack of civility demonstrated by a member of the other team. Conservative and liberal bloggers each went wild, and Joe Wilson was the #1 “Trending Topic” on Twitter an hour after the speech. Everywhere I visited on the net, it was either “Joe was right!” or “Joe, YOU LIE!”

The subject soon switched to the question of whether illegal immigrants are, in fact, covered under the bill, HR3200 (all these bills just sound like Terminator models to me). I had a discussion at work with someone who affirmed confidently that illegals would not be covered, and decided to spend some time this weekend researching the issue myself. After a few hours, I came to the conclusion that I am not a member of either team. No, Obama did not lie, he was just plain wrong. But so, too, was Joe Wilson.

It was kind of a relief to me that I wasn’t a blind idealogue on the subject, that yeah, I listen to talk radio but I’m not a brainwashed zombie. I am able to think critically. As Monk would say, “Here’s how it happened” :

Exhibit A: Before this speech even left the lips of the President, the Congressional Research Service issued an 11-page report on August 25, 2009 entitled “Treatment of Noncitizens in HR3200″. The report expressed concern that illegal immigrants would be covered under the public option because there is no mechanism to verify citizenship to be eligible to receive benefits.

Not only that, David Freddoso of the SF Examiner reported on Aug 27 that “House Democrats defeated all attempts in committee to add an enforcement mechanism that would require proof of citizenship or legal residency for those getting subsidies.”

Exhibit B: After the speech, liberal blogs (as expected) were on fire, denouncing Wilson as a liar himself. I did a Google search on the phrase “Joe Wilson lied” and clicked the links on the first 5 pages, all of which contained support from the right and denunciation from the left.  I noticed a common thread throughout all of the posts that claimed that Wilson lied. Which brings us to…

Exhibit C: Out of several dozen websites I visited engaged in defense of Obama’s claim, they all linked to one of two different “sources”: one from Politifact.com, and another from Factcheck.org. Both of these sources refer to a “Section 246″ of HR3200 which they claim excludes illegal aliens from coverage. The problem is, both of these sources fail to examine what exactly “individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States” are being denied.

In a nutshell, according to the CRS report in Exhibit A, illegals are only denied “affordability credits”. What are affordability credits? Lemee ’splain:
-Under HR3200, there will be a mandate for everyone who is not covered under a health plan to purchase insurance through the “Exchange” (the Exchange is all health insurance companies in conjunction with the public option) or be charged a penalty. Some illegal aliens will be required to purchase health insurance, depending on how long they’ve been here.
-If you cannot afford to purchase health insurance, you can get an “affordability credit” that will pay for your insurance premium. UNLESS you are an illegal alien. Then you still have to purchase insurance but are not eligible for this credit. “Section 246″ does not deny coverage to illegal immigrants, it denies credits to those that are too poor to pay the government mandated insurance premiums!

Exhibit D: If illegal immigrants are not covered as the President claims, why did Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D – Montana), the day after the speech, tell Time that his “group would add a proof-of-citizenship requirement for participation in the new health exchange” ?

So now what? Was Wilson right? No, Obama didn’t lie, he believed what he was saying. But Obama was wrong, too. Neither team wins.

Two more quick points: A great number of Dems booed the prez when he proclaimed no coverage for illegals, and now Baucus has confirmed that there will be none in the bill. Is there going to be any infighting in the Dem party over this? I predict some.

Second: Both Wilson and his opponent are raking in tons of cash as a result of Wilson’s newfound celebrity status. His opponent, Rob Miller, has raised $800,000 since Wilson’s outburst, and Wilson himself has raked in over $700,000. I’m wondering, though, whose name people will still remember a month from now. Sorry, Mr. Miller. Wilson has (unwittingly, to be sure) worked this into a huge political coup for himself during his 15 minutes of fame. Wilson is the new Palin.

As far as my opinion goes, though, Mr. Wilson, you are a classless boob and I hate the fact that you are gaining politically and financially from your rude outburst. Mr. President, I am disappointed that you don’t even research the health care plan you are proposing and that you expect us to believe that this country can pay for it. Most of all, I’m glad I don’t consider myself on either of your “teams”. I think I’ll listen to the BYU-Tulane game on the radio now.

UPDATE: Wilson’s now passed the $1 million mark. Sigh.

Taking more of our money is always a bipartisan affair

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Aug 27

From the Deseret News: Tax increases looming for Utahns

“Utah has been named the best-managed state in America. And to keep the state running well, Utah taxpayers may see a $100 million tax hike early next year.

No budget decisions for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, have been made, political leaders emphasize.

But a tobacco tax increase is a “done deal” in the Senate, says Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, as a way to lessen another round of deep budget cuts to vital state programs.

House Speaker David Clark, R-Santa Clara, says all kinds of “options” are on the table to close an anticipated $700 million budget shortfall. Those options were discussed “in broad terms” in a meeting last week with Gov. Gary Herbert and GOP legislative leaders.

This is the first time a tax hike number — $100 million — has been put forward as a partial solution to financial problems in fiscal 2010-11.”

If I didn’t have two jobs, a wife and kids, and a life, I would pore over every cent that our state is spending and find some way to cut the budget before suggesting any kind of tax hike during a recession. When the economy requires us to tighten our belts, government should be leading the way.

Unfortunately, those whose job it is to manage the money they take from us, when getting suggestions to cut spending rather than raise taxes, resort to threatening to cut the salaries of policemen, firemen and teachers in an effort to cut off the debate.

Now, I don’t know if that’s really necessary in order to cut government spending. All I know is that there are a lot of government employees with six-figure salaries trying to convince us that they are being responsible with our money. I haven’t taken a math class in 15 years, but to me that does not add up.

A lack of common census

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Aug 20

From the Salt Lake Tribune: Census count to exclude overseas missionaries — again

“They tried lawsuits and friendly meetings, letter writing and legislation, but in the end Utah’s elected leaders made no headway in their nearly decade-long battle with the Census Bureau.

As a result, the nation’s 2010 population count will exclude Mormon missionaries living overseas.

But the official tally will include federal employees, members of the military and those on merchant vessels who are not currently in the country.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, considers this an outrage.

‘The bottom line should still be fairness and accuracy,’ he said. “If we are currently counting some people abroad and not others, there is just no logic to that whatsoever.’ …

In the most recent Census, taken in 2000, Utah fell just 857 people short of receiving the last available U.S. House seat and this discrepancy in how Americans are counted overseas made all the difference.

This isn’t simply a quibble over statistics. The decennial population count is vitally important for states because a bigger population means more members of Congress and more tax money.”

One look at the comments board on the above article should tell you that opinions on this issue have less to do with its legality than one’s political and religious persuasion. Conservative Mormons want more representation in Congress, liberal people of other or no faiths don’t want them to have it. Seems that’s how it went down in Congress as well.

FYI, the song the kid is singing is a parody of the LDS children’s hymn “I hope they call me on a mission”, in case you didn’t know. A bit exclusionary of me to include it, unfortunately, since you kind of need to be a Mormon for the cartoon to have its full impact. You can listen to the song here.

I am an ordinary bill…burning down the house.

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Aug 13

The debate over health care reform is on. Where once dissent against the government was patriotic, now it’s only for those who are un-American, racists, terrorists, racists, anti-Christs, racists, and my favorite, evil-mongers. I think the Congresspeople getting a taste of the ire of the people is healthy, myself, as long as it stays nonviolent.

Anyway, while the health care system is in need of reform, some people think the only way it can be reformed is by having the federal government handle it. Because wow, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the IRS, are functioning fabulously, aren’t they?

Now, I realize there are some problems with the current private system, but doing away with it entirely is not the answer. And that is the plan, in spite of what anyone says to the contrary.

Now, should government be kept entirely out of the picture? I wouldn’t be opposed to something like what Utah Democrat Rep. Jim Matheson suggests, making it state-based (not federal) and only as a last resort for those who cannot afford health insurance.

If my opposition to the current bill seems “fishy” to you, you can always inform on me make your concerns known to the White House by emailing flag@whitehouse.gov. Because I’m sure a thing like snitching on your neighbor to the government has never led to anything bad, right?

When the economy gives you lemons…

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Aug 6

From the Deseret News: Tax Revenues Keep Nosediving

“The recession is starving the government of tax revenue, just as the president and Congress are piling a major expansion of health care and other programs on the nation’s plate and struggling to find money to pay the tab.

The last time the government’s revenues were this bleak, the year was 1932 in the midst of the Depression.

‘Our tax system is already inadequate to support the promises our government has made,’ said Eugene Steuerle, a former Treasury Department official in the Reagan administration who is now vice president of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

‘This just adds to the problem.’”

What was the reason for the giant rush for President Obama and Democrat members of Congress to pass an unread 1000-page health care bill before the August recess, especially since it wouldn’t be scheduled to take effect until 2013? Is it because they don’t want us to find out that we can’t afford it? Maybe; there are a myriad of reasons why the bill is a horrible thing to happen to our country, but this may be just one of many. Treasury Sec Turbo-Tax Tim Geithner said he wouldn’t rule out a tax increase on the middle class to pay for it before Press Sec Gibbs bumbled through a kind of retraction of that idea the next day. But it’s either raise taxes on working families or stop spending all this money. Which choice is the United States government more likely to make? Probably the same as any other addict’s.

Catching up

I haven’t been very diligent in posting toons lately; I’ll start off updating again with the last two weeks’ worth of Clipper toons:

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Jul 9

First off: Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch is pandering to his constituency and he isn’t even up for re-election until 2012! Now he is putting the Bowl Championship Series in senate hearings for antitrust violations because our Utes got hosed by the BCS in the postseason. While I hate the BCS mafia as much as the next guy, I think it’s something college football can work out by itself without nanny government intervention.

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Jul 2

And here’s a little July 4th cynicism for you, to boot!

Slippery when gay

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on May 28

With the recent court decision upholding Proposition 8 in California, I tackled the gay marriage issue this week. Because of the resulting backlash against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when the item was originally voted on, here in Utah it’s a local issue.

How do I personally feel about gay marriage? I’m still working it out. In the meantime, if I was put in a voting booth and had to decide right now if I think government should recognize a same-sex union as legally, socially, and morally equal to monogamous heterosexual marriage, I couldn’t do it. However, do I think homosexual partnerships deserve most of the rights they’re asking for; but the only reason I can think of that they won’t accept civil unions instead of full-fledged Marriage is that they’re not really as concerned about the legal rights as they purport to be, but want everyone to tell them that what they’re doing is normal, moral, and acceptable. America isn’t ready for that yet, I’m sorry.

And what is the loudest response to my position? “You just hate gay people. You’re a homophobe.” Really? Well, all that says is that a) you don’t know what the word homophobe means, and b) you have no interest in understanding how or why I came to have the views I do, but you demand the same from me. I don’t have reason to believe that the majority of homosexuals act this way, just the most vocal ones.

Two of the most awesome guys I know (one an articulate Iraq War vet, the other a former Mormon missionary I served with in Guatemala and Belize) are unapologetic homosexuals, and my friendship with them is not conditional on their sexual activities, as I’m sure my devout Mormonism isn’t something for which they would ever cast me aside. I know I’m totally doing the “some of my best friends are gay” thing, but sorry, they are. We can agree to disagree on the legality and morality of gay marriage without resorting to accusing the other of hatred. And I don’t think the issue, nationally, will ever be resolved peacefully until everyone else puts down their politics and looks the other side in the eye and talks to them for five minutes.

I am not a hater, I am not an ignoramus, and I am not a member of the Taliban because I disagree with you on a moral/social  issue. Put down your “Prop H8″ sign and come let’s talk ’bout it.

Cooties – “Infestation” part 180

Little miss bossy…

Birthday time

My son’s 7th birthday was yesterday, and my wife threw him a Magic Tree House birthday party; I was assigned to do the invitation and some Egyptian hieroglyphs. Here’s how the invite turned out. Man, the kids, they’re getting older; that means I am, too…now get off my lawn.

Classic Cartoonista – Mayday

Since doing this cartoon 2 years ago, my stance on illegal immigration has softened a tad. I still think we should be killing more of the drug-runny ones, but I’m a little more torn on the “I’m leaving my violent third-world slum to give my family a better life” folks. Anyway, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo! I don’t give a crap about what it celebrates, but we’ll be eating some good Mexican food de todos modos. Ciao.

Cooties – “Infestation” part 179

Stealthy stealth…

Bringing home the bacon

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Apr 30

I knew every other editorial cartoonist in the country would be making a cartoon about the swine flu this week, so I resolved not to do so. This one just seemed to appropriate to ignore, though…

Cooties – “Infestation” part 178

Only her mortician knows for sure…

Sketching it out

I recently joined a drawing group called Sketch Out, where we do not too time-consuming exercises to help us beef up our drawing skills. The first exercise was Characters in Motion, and in honor of this last weekend being the NFL Draft, I drew some good gridiron action, fleshing it out with Jake from my Cooties strip diving for a touchdown. All of my main characters are sporting NFL logos from their favorite teams on their shirts. I tried to match teams up with their personalities (or at least as the teams were when I was young enough to keep up with football):

Jake – Steelers; the unstoppable Steel Curtain
Sam – Eagles; keepin’ it real Philly style
Carmen – 49ers; legendary coolness under pressure
Nate – Bills; optimism despite disappointments
Lori – Dolphins; they’re so cuuuuute!

Cooties – “Infestation” part 177

Cooties is updating again! And still going way too slowly in my opinion. I think I may start bringing some drawing stuff to work every day and using my break time to work on the strip. I think if I do that and make smaller updates like this one, I can make Cooties a daily strip and get this story done. I am seriously considering this…

Green jobs

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Apr 23

This is me restraining myself. Earth Day, like the whole issue of global warming “climate change” has become too politicized to have any rational discussions about anymore.  So I won’t try here.

I woke up as an extremist today.

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Apr 16

Hey ma! Guess what? I’m now officially a “right-wing extremist” according to the Department of Homeland Security! And any of you may be, too, if you are against expansion of government programs, abortion, gay marriage, or are a member of the U.S. military. The just-released DHS report expresses concern about the possibility of increased “extremist activity” now that we have a black president and the economy is suffering, but doesn’t document anything to back up its claims.

Obama’s been in office for three months and his administration is already putting out stuff like this? judging from the media coverage of the Tea Parties, I think it’s only going to get worse…

How the cookie crumbles

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Apr 9

So, with two Mormons possibly running for president in 2012, the secular left and the evangelical right can each pick a candidate to vilify. There’s that unity Obama promised us, I guess…

Dadmocracy – Don’t touch that dial

Man, that is one rude bug…

Classic Cartoonista – let’s get ready to proteeeessssst!

Originally posted Mar 29, 2007

LDS General Conference is next week, which means those lovable protesters come to town to yell obscenities at Mormons waiting to get into the Conference Center and inform them that they’re going to hell. I love the smell of hate in the morning, don’t you?

There were rumors that gay-rights advocates were going to riot in downtown Salt Lake City during Conference this year, but it appears there will be something more constructive going down instead. Which may torpedo my plans for this week’s Clipper toon, but we’ll see…

Out with the old…

Previously published in the Davis County Clipper on Mar 26

Yeah, not too happy with Senator Bennett over here. He and Hatch both need to be kicked out of the Senate.

Cooties – “Infestation” part 175

Wheelchaiw twacks! Be vewwy vewwy quiet…

Classic cartoonista – manna from the gub’mint

Previously published in The Utah Statesman in Sep 1999

It’s interesting how my thinking has changed over the past 10 years. This is not a cartoon I’d come up with today…

Dadmocracy – Pesky wee folk

Faith and begorra!