As we began looking at topics of interest for today, we had to laugh - heartily - at Paul's cartoon. Rarely has there been a more succinct statement of where our country sits on the issue of taxation these days. It's a massive change from the sane policy position of an America long past where - instead of peddling themselves as a speaker at a political event for one party or the other - Supreme Court judges might impart a simple bit of wisdom like, "Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society."
As we head into Autumn - the season of change - we're noticing how many more things around us also keep changing.
Another Lincoln legend, Barry's Bar and Grill, is closing after the Husker Football season closes. It's a place we've enjoyed many times over the years, both during football season and other times of the year.It wasn't that long ago that Barry's was rated as the #2 best bar in the nation for pregame football festivities. We've even held our North Central Chapter National Cartoonists Society meeting in Barry's Outback. We thank Lou Mary, Mike, and the Hambeltons for allowing a bunch of crazy cartoonists to take over their bar on a weekend when the Huskers weren't playing at home.
The changes aren't just happening in businesses, the weather, and the trees. Online, one of the tools we use - Facebook - is changing once again. Many people, including our own web monkey, aren't exactly thrilled with that development.
Sadly, a rock radio station we've enjoyed in DC also recently changed formats - temporarily - to another right-wing talking head repeater. We're aware the change is due to radio companies buying each other out, and not because right-wing talk radio is doing well (it's not). Still, it's not a change we're in favor of.
Not all changes are bad, though.
Apparently, household income in Nebraska grew slightly between 2009 and 2010 - which is an improvement for Nebraska. After nearly a decade where the income of middle class Americans fell by almost ten percent, we'll cheer a positive change in the status of working people any where we can find it.
Even the perception of beer as unhealthy has been changing. A group of scientists and brewers in Europe has apparently just released a study that says beer can be good for your health.
Of course, this last story of change came from one of our readers who lives in Denver, where the Great American Beer Festival is going on this weekend - so we're not quite convinced he's pointing us to an unbiased study.
Still, as seasons go, while we might complain and grumble a bit about the changes we see, the autumn rains, or even the chill in the air, we generally like fall. Our staff in our Palm Beach location even tells us they wish they could come back up to DC or Lincoln and enjoy the colors and brisk weather of autumn.
We'll see if they're still so intent on coming up and enjoying the weather when January comes around.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Excuses
We've never been big on excuses here at The Daily Felltoon. If we screw up, we'll cop to it - and if someone or something else fails in our production chain, we'll let you know about that too.
Sadly, we know we're not the norm these days when it comes to that kind of integrity. There are examples-a-plenty, from DC, New York, and many areas across the Northeast today.
The excuses from DC are sadly the exact same ridiculous problems, caused by the exact same arrogant and ignorant politicians, that almost blew up the world economy at the beginning of August. Once again, the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have purposely tanked another Continuing Resolution (in Washington-speak, a "C.R.") - and once again have put the Federal government on the verge of shutting down.
Long and short, Democrats wanted to help their fellow Americans in the Northeast who are still trying to recover from Hurricane Irene and the unusual earthquake near DC. Republicans, meanwhile, were trying to use the temporary spending bill to push ideological measures down everybody else's throats.
Of course, this is after the top Republican "leaders" in Congress tried to bully Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke into doing NOTHING to help the economy.
These are the same DC Republicans who excuse their own abusive and destructive actions with the same lies they've been telling for years.
To add injury to insult, in addition to dealing with the usual excuses and lies coming from that corner of Washington, folks in the Northeast may find themselves paying more this year for pumpkins for their jack-o-lanterns, or for pumpkin pies.
Hurricane Irene didn't just leave flood damage from New Jersey to Vermont She also destroyed a large number of pumpkins in the Northeast - meaning Northeastern produce buyers have been desperate to find pumpkins anywhere else in the country they can bring in.
Maybe they should try growing them in trees, like they do in Iowa.
Sadly, while these stories have all received some media coverage over the last twenty-four hours, the national media - which is primarily based out of New York City - has almost completely ignored a massive story right on their own streets - literally.
The Occupy Wall Street protests are now going into their fifth day - yet there's been no major media exposure for an event that most of the national networks could cover by sticking a camera out their sixth- floor studio windows. So far, the event has turned out considerably smaller numbers than the twenty thousand that protest organizers had hoped for. Still, the numbers for this protest are already far bigger than many ridiculous Tea Party protests that major media outlets have blanketed before - and the protestors are vowing to camp out indefinitely.
All this, yet... all that the major media outlets are giving the public on this story are excuses why they're not covering the story.
There are many things we can excuse in life - like the possibility that we may not be able to enjoy pumpkins in our DC location this Halloween.
However, the actions of Republicans in DC or the inaction by major national media in New York are things we just can't excuse - and we hope you don't either.
Sadly, we know we're not the norm these days when it comes to that kind of integrity. There are examples-a-plenty, from DC, New York, and many areas across the Northeast today.
The excuses from DC are sadly the exact same ridiculous problems, caused by the exact same arrogant and ignorant politicians, that almost blew up the world economy at the beginning of August. Once again, the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have purposely tanked another Continuing Resolution (in Washington-speak, a "C.R.") - and once again have put the Federal government on the verge of shutting down.
Long and short, Democrats wanted to help their fellow Americans in the Northeast who are still trying to recover from Hurricane Irene and the unusual earthquake near DC. Republicans, meanwhile, were trying to use the temporary spending bill to push ideological measures down everybody else's throats.
Of course, this is after the top Republican "leaders" in Congress tried to bully Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke into doing NOTHING to help the economy.
These are the same DC Republicans who excuse their own abusive and destructive actions with the same lies they've been telling for years.
To add injury to insult, in addition to dealing with the usual excuses and lies coming from that corner of Washington, folks in the Northeast may find themselves paying more this year for pumpkins for their jack-o-lanterns, or for pumpkin pies.
Hurricane Irene didn't just leave flood damage from New Jersey to Vermont She also destroyed a large number of pumpkins in the Northeast - meaning Northeastern produce buyers have been desperate to find pumpkins anywhere else in the country they can bring in.
Maybe they should try growing them in trees, like they do in Iowa.
Sadly, while these stories have all received some media coverage over the last twenty-four hours, the national media - which is primarily based out of New York City - has almost completely ignored a massive story right on their own streets - literally.
The Occupy Wall Street protests are now going into their fifth day - yet there's been no major media exposure for an event that most of the national networks could cover by sticking a camera out their sixth- floor studio windows. So far, the event has turned out considerably smaller numbers than the twenty thousand that protest organizers had hoped for. Still, the numbers for this protest are already far bigger than many ridiculous Tea Party protests that major media outlets have blanketed before - and the protestors are vowing to camp out indefinitely.
All this, yet... all that the major media outlets are giving the public on this story are excuses why they're not covering the story.
There are many things we can excuse in life - like the possibility that we may not be able to enjoy pumpkins in our DC location this Halloween.
However, the actions of Republicans in DC or the inaction by major national media in New York are things we just can't excuse - and we hope you don't either.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Winning At All Costs
As our longtime readers know, we generally despise the use of the 'politics as sport' metaphor that seems to run rampant through the media. A couple of times a year, though, we drag out our best sports and politics cliches from the old locker, and give it our best college try - which is what we're doing today. That's more than we can say for the current Republican Party.
To say the GOP is looking ugly for 2012 has nothing to do with their appearance.
To start with, President Obama's latest plans to tackle both jobs and the debt already have the support of significant majorities of Americans. Even worse for partisan Republicans heading into an election year, Congressional poll numbers are sinking somewhere below the Ohio State football team's poll numbers - and Americans are more unhappy with Congressional Republicans than they are Congressional Democrats.
The GOP playbook also seems to be all out of winning formations. It's obvious the go-to Republican technique of saying no to everything won't work anymore, with the trigger threat hanging over their heads. Bigotry and class warfare also seem to be headed for the bench.
To top it all off, their fans - Republican voters - don't seem too happy with any of the potential "team captains" running for the GOP 2012 Presidential nomination.
With all those factors against them, it doesn't surprise us at all that Republicans are trying to cheat the system, and change the rules.
The political right has already curbed early voting in multiple states, made it harder to register new voters, rolled back voting rights for ex-cons who have already done their time, and even eliminated voter registration groups like Acorn. Where they can, Republicans have tried to rig federal congressional redistricting processes to make Democratic-leaning districts disappear and give Republicans an unfair advantage.
In Texas, GOP arrogance led to them getting caught already in political hanky-panky.
Republicans' biggest unethical move for 2012 appears to be a direct assault on the Electoral College - from both sides of the ball.
In Pennsylvania, Republicans are attempting to change the way their state tallies votes for President. Their state GOP is trying to sell the idea that a system like Nebraska's and Maine's - a proportional system - would better represent the voters in Pennsylvania. While that may be true, it's also no secret their real intention is to try to use that proportional system to give Republicans more electoral votes overall - an idea that could backfire.
In Nebraska, the state GOP is claiming exactly the opposite as their teammates in Pennsylvania - that Nebraska should go back to being a "winner take-all" state in the Electoral College. The Nebraska Republican Party is even threatening with political excommunication any Republican state senator who dares to stand up for the state's current method of apportioning Electoral College votes.
If these were old-fashioned, sane, moderate Republicans, this kind of unprincipled, amoral spiking the ball would be called what it is - cheating - and would never be tolerated.
Of course, if the current Republican Party was controlled by old-fashioned, sane, moderate conservatives, they never would have gotten themselves into this mess in the first place.
To say the GOP is looking ugly for 2012 has nothing to do with their appearance.
To start with, President Obama's latest plans to tackle both jobs and the debt already have the support of significant majorities of Americans. Even worse for partisan Republicans heading into an election year, Congressional poll numbers are sinking somewhere below the Ohio State football team's poll numbers - and Americans are more unhappy with Congressional Republicans than they are Congressional Democrats.
The GOP playbook also seems to be all out of winning formations. It's obvious the go-to Republican technique of saying no to everything won't work anymore, with the trigger threat hanging over their heads. Bigotry and class warfare also seem to be headed for the bench.
To top it all off, their fans - Republican voters - don't seem too happy with any of the potential "team captains" running for the GOP 2012 Presidential nomination.
With all those factors against them, it doesn't surprise us at all that Republicans are trying to cheat the system, and change the rules.
The political right has already curbed early voting in multiple states, made it harder to register new voters, rolled back voting rights for ex-cons who have already done their time, and even eliminated voter registration groups like Acorn. Where they can, Republicans have tried to rig federal congressional redistricting processes to make Democratic-leaning districts disappear and give Republicans an unfair advantage.
In Texas, GOP arrogance led to them getting caught already in political hanky-panky.
Republicans' biggest unethical move for 2012 appears to be a direct assault on the Electoral College - from both sides of the ball.
In Pennsylvania, Republicans are attempting to change the way their state tallies votes for President. Their state GOP is trying to sell the idea that a system like Nebraska's and Maine's - a proportional system - would better represent the voters in Pennsylvania. While that may be true, it's also no secret their real intention is to try to use that proportional system to give Republicans more electoral votes overall - an idea that could backfire.
In Nebraska, the state GOP is claiming exactly the opposite as their teammates in Pennsylvania - that Nebraska should go back to being a "winner take-all" state in the Electoral College. The Nebraska Republican Party is even threatening with political excommunication any Republican state senator who dares to stand up for the state's current method of apportioning Electoral College votes.
If these were old-fashioned, sane, moderate Republicans, this kind of unprincipled, amoral spiking the ball would be called what it is - cheating - and would never be tolerated.
Of course, if the current Republican Party was controlled by old-fashioned, sane, moderate conservatives, they never would have gotten themselves into this mess in the first place.
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