A self-described liberal, award-winning editorial cartoonist Chris Britt nevertheless delights in skewering deserving politicians of every persuasion. Britt's sardonic, biting cartoons are sometimes controversial, often outrageous and always thought-provoking.
© Chris Britt - All Rights Reserved.
Steve Breen by Steve Breen
Stuart Carlson by Stuart Carlson
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Gypsy8 said, 7 months ago
Great message! And what will Mitt do? He says he will secure America’s values in the Middle East and around the world. But then he goes on to say, “he’ll do it with solemnity, without false pride but also firmly and actively”. And just to be sure, he’ll build fifteen new ships per year to reinforce the message. And it will all be done on a balanced budget without tax increases. You cannot trust this man. We’ve heard this before and it ends in collapse and disaster.
Bruce4671 said, 7 months ago
@Gypsy8
OK fine. Don;t trust Mitt.
So tell me Gypsy8, what are Obama’s plans to get the debt paid off? No I’m not talking a bout his last promise to cut the “deficit” in half which he did not do but how does he propose to pay off the 16 trillion dollar debt?
Right now this country has a revenue of about 2.7 trillion dollars and a “budget” (carried over from 4 years ago so it’s been this way for the entire term) of about 3.8 trillion dollars.
That means we PLAN to spend 1.6 trillion dollars more than we make EVER YEAR.
Cuts? well there are 38.5 billion dollars of cuts involved. REALLY?
Now look at the rest of the world. Can you see any other country that has done this? What are they going through today?
Again, what is Obama going to do? His plan is to continue on with the same thing he has done for the last 4 years. Running trillion dollar deficits and adding 6 trillion dollars to the debt.
Talk about a plan that ends in “collapse and disaster”.
DrCanuck said, 7 months ago
@Bruce4671
^ So your country collapses under either administrations and still you play partisan politics, blaming each other, while refusing to do anything about it.
YOU are Nero fiddling.
PlainBill said, 7 months ago
@Bruce4671
There are three possible ways to reduce the national debt by eliminating the deficit. In simple terms you might be able to understand:
1. Cut spending. Unfortunately, many of these programs serve vital needs – most people would agree eliminating the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force would have BAD consequences.
2. Increase taxes. This has the unfortunate effect of reducing the disposable income of consumers, so the economy slows. (Paradoxically, cutting taxes does not necessarily result in an improved economy, hence the fallacy of the Bush Tax cuts).
3. Increase the tax base. As the economy grows, more taxes are collected. There are two methods of doing this, both have demonstrated successes. The Clinton administration was able to eliminate deficit spending by a careful application of modest, targeted tax cuts AND the rapid increase in productivity of the digital revolution of the late 1990’s. And the Roosevelt administration was able to do it in the 1930’s by projects such as the CCC, WPA, and a number of other ‘alphabet’ programs that got people to work and able to spend money.
1opinion said, 7 months ago
@PlainBill
Would you say WW2 was a large public works program, thousands put to work at companies paid by the government for products.
Bruce4671 said, 7 months ago
@DrCanuck
The emphasis should have been on the “are” not the “you”.
Have you no insight at all? Please review what what said and try again.
Bruce4671 said, 7 months ago
@PlainBill
Sure and I understand what you are saying. But you must stop spending more than you take in – however you plan it – and the balanced approach cuts and revenue increase works.
However, you must start with a plan. A budget is that plan. The current administration has just adopted the budget that existed when they took office and has not addressed the need to lower expenses. Rather, they have maintained the status quo which entails deficit spending at approximately 40%.
So what would you do? Would you put the 12 million unemployed on the government payroll? What jobs will you have them do? Which small businesses would you put out of business with that approach?
No matter who is in charge if the debt is addressed honestly we will all have to sacrifice. Including the president. No more trips to spain for the wife and kids on taxpayer funded transportation. LOL
Respectful Troll said, 7 months ago
The cartoon stands on its own as a truth. It doesn’t matter what the candidates do. What are we going to do to order our elected officials to care for the old who served their country in one regard or another for so long. We also need to care for those who, because of race, poverty, illness, or abuse were unable to serve as much as some feel they should have. If you are only writing in these comment pages, if you never call, email, or send a handwritten letter to your elected officials, you are not participating, and you are not helping that old lady….or man…you will one day become.
Respectfully, and getting old ;)
C.
Dredpiraterobt$ said, 7 months ago
Chris Britt!
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Spectacular, sir.
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I thank you!
Gypsy8 said, 7 months ago
@Bruce4671
You might as well have asked what would Obama AND Romney do to reduce the $16 trillion debt. The answer would be the same for both – ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. The $16 trillion debt will NEVER be paid off, at least not in the traditional way. It will not be paid off, or paid down for a combination of political and economic reasons.
.
I give you a hypothetical situation sometime in the future:
The president calls a state of the union address to present the American people with some unpleasant news and to ask for their support.
“My fellow Americans, it has come to my attention that the bond market is getting just a bit antsy about our gazillion dollar debt and nobody is willing to buy our cra.. er paper anymore. Furthermore, the Chinese are demanding repayment
of $2 trillion annually on their loans until the entire debt is retired, saying that we’ve lived too long in our Fools Paradise, and it is time to start paying our way. Now, we all know how anal the Chinese and the bond traders are about these matters, but if we don’t comply, they will dump our cra… er bonds on the open market, where the price will drop to near zero and interest rates will rocket to never before seen levels. Now, those Commie traitors are not going to boss me around, so we’re only going to repay $1 trillion per year until the debt is retired. But to do so will require some rather stringent sacrifices by the military, and the American people in the areas of health care, education, social services, infrastructure, and a few other trivial areas that basically only affects what we eat, drink, and breathe.
Furthermore blah, blah, blah….. And God bless the troops defending our freedoms, and God bless America.
.
Seriously, is any president going to come up with a budget that requires sacrifice by the American voters to retire debt to the Chinese? Not a chance, unless he wants a short political career.
.
I have more confidence in Obama taking a more sustainable path, but that’s another story.
Radish
said, 7 months ago
The cartoon is right, our priorities are upside down.
DrCanuck said, 7 months ago
@HOWGOZIT
HOWGOZIT said, “You won’t hear from Dr Canuck on this matter any further, Bruce.”
Actually, you’re probably right as I have NO IDEA what Brucie is mumbling about.
MortyForTyrant said, 7 months ago
It’s not about Dems or Reps, not about Romney or Obama, it’s about society and sociology. America has somehow lost it’s bearings in terms of “how much do people think about America”. If you ask any man on the street he will claim to be a patriot, but how many of them actually served in the military? Or even voted? How many Americans still read a newspaper every day and UNDERSTAND what is written therein or even think about what they just read and and what it means to the country?
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America has become a instant-gratification nation, a nation of entertainers and entertained, a nation of poor people and robber barons. There are so many deep splits across society that the divide between left and right is almost negligible. How many years since the civil war? And still the confederate flag flies on buildings in the south. How many years since the Civil Rights act? And still there is racism and discrimination against black people.
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And now, in post-neo-con times, the thought that all form of government is somehow “bad” and that it’s “every man for himself” has taken hold. Great! So that means that every town gets their own nuclear warhead? And 1/81th of an aircraft-carrier? I would have thought that the terror-attacks of 9/11 would have melted the American people into a hardened compound, but quite the opposite was the case. I don’t understand that! We here in (western, semi-capitalistic) Germany were able to “swallow” a whole communist nation without as much as a hiccup, but you guys drift apart further and further every day, with every post, every debate, every lie.
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I really fear that the “American Experiment” has come to an end and – as with all failed experiments – will have to be swilled down the drain…
Respectful Troll said, 7 months ago
@MortyForTyrant
Rome at its end was a Bread and Circus empires who expended its wealth on wars and self indulgence. Its own armies turned on it long before the ‘barbarians’ came in. We are still a great nation, but we do not have great leaders in our legislatures…national or state..in quantity or quality to set aside the issues on which we disagree in order to fix the things we can agree upon. For instance, a bill that would have given more money to US embassies and consulates worldwide, including the one in Libya, was filibustered in the senate because it was coupled with other legislation the Republicans and some Democrats opposed. Another good argument for a line item veto. That would really make the buck stop at the president’s desk.
Respectfully,
C.
Chillbilly
said, 7 months ago
Old people have the most experience pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.