Politico cartoonist and illustrator Matt Wuerker, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning (a finalist in 2009 & 2010) and Herblock Prize in 2010, offers a rich visual style and keen eye on the political circus, served up with cartoons that are not just funny but also artful.
© Matt Wuerker - All Rights Reserved.
Wit of the World by CartoonArts International
Lalo Alcaraz by Lalo Alcaraz
Comments (81) (Please sign in to comment)
4my10851cs said, 2 months ago
it’s not wall st. that has to pay minimum wage it is small business. So if you have 10 employees you get rid of one or two and make the others work harder.
ConserveGov said, 2 months ago
Minimum wage jobs are for teenagers and people who only want part-time work for as little effort as possible. Perfect fit for each other.
Anybody that works hard and shows up on time everyday will not be making minimum wage for very long unless they choose to.
Once again Dems think the government should decide how much people should make.
Peabody-Martini said, 2 months ago
@ConserveGov
The argument gets made by those who aren’t in touch with the realities on the ground that the minimum wage is only for teenagers and part time workers. The reality is much different. These are people who are trying to support not only themselves but often family as well.
mickey1339
said, 2 months ago
@Peabody-Martini
“These are people who are trying to support not only themselves but often family as well.”
The intent of the minimum wage law was for unskilled entry level workers, part timers and students. Although It serves that purpose, just like Social Security was made to be a supplement to retirement savings people have become dependent on it as a full time support. If they have a family and are only making minimum age they should be able to qualify for other support like food stamps and rent assistance
feverjr said, 2 months ago
Rockngolfer shared an excellent video on this very topic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM
ghostkeeper said, 2 months ago
@ConserveGov
Tell that to the ‘associates’ at Walmart! You know, that great corporation that is such a good employer one out of every five employees has to use food stamps.
ghostkeeper said, 2 months ago
“If they have a family and are only making minimum age they should be able to qualify for other support like food stamps and rent assistance”
Great. So instead of employers paying a living wage, employers can offload costs onto city, state and federal governments. Hey, that’s what Uncle Sugar is there for, to look after people—and “corporations are people, my friend.”
narrowminded said, 2 months ago
Fairness legislation. Progressives rail against conservatives trying to legislate morality, yet see no problem in forcing their childish, short sighted view of fairness upon society. Hypocrites.
saywhatwhat said, 2 months ago
@narrowminded
“Morality” is private. Economic “fairness” is for the benefit of society as a whole. If you read Marx (with an open mind), you might understand that the socialist revolution he predicted — the proletariat taking control of the means of production — didn’t happen because democracy developed in the hundred years from 1850 to 1950 to a point where the revolution wasn’t necessary. Progressives starting with Theodore Roosevelt through FDR and (even to some extent Obama) have saved capitalism from itself.
That’s what this is about. Whether this particular legislation is the most effective is another question, and not such a simple one.
Rockngolfer said, 2 months ago
@feverjr
Thank you for passing that on to people who may have missed it.
cfortunato
said, 2 months ago
The REALLY bad thing about the low minimum wage is that we have working people on public assistance in order to survive. So WE are subsidizing their EMPLOYERS. We have to make up the difference in the wages they refuse to pay while they benefit from the labor.
By paying people less than a living wage to do NECESSARY work, we GUARANTEE a permanent underclass, and guarantee that working people will be on welfare.
Ms. Ima said, 2 months ago
The ONLY reason to raise minimum wage is so the unions can demand roughly the same amount total raised for their members. More money for the unions, more money donated to the dems, it’s a vicious circle with the little guy staying poor. But then again, minimum wage is for starting jobs and not for people with careers.
StCleve72 said, 2 months ago
@ConserveGov
I disagree. I think you may be a bit isolated from the reality of low paying jobs.I volunteer in a free health clinic and see grown-ups who work for 8 or 9 an hour in factory and warehouse jobs. They work hard but sadly, these are folks that have been pretty much beaten down from the start by parents, teachers, circumstances beyond their control as children, and see no way to improve their lot in life, They’re certainly psychologically downtrodden. I don’t think that government can change this dynamic of a chain of mental and emotional poverty, but unless as a society we change it we will be pulled down by it. Of course the government and more successful people can just let them die and starve to death if we follow a social-Darwinistic philosophy, but then we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves what kind of society are we? If a chain is as strong as its weakest link, then we have to ask ourselves how strong are we, don’t you think? If one sees them as less human than they are, if one has no empathy for people like these, if one thinks they’re just dirt under their shoes, what does that say about that person? I certainly hope that haughty/fortunate type person doesn’t consider him or herself a Christian.
SkepticCal said, 2 months ago
Why not make the minimum wage $20 per hour? Then, we would all be rich.
.
Or, unemployed. We love you Uncle Sugar.
Harleyquinn
said, 2 months ago
@Peabody-Martini
With this economy you might be more right then you know. Thing is Obamacare is making the min. wage job that 2nd and 3rd job just to make ends meet. Thing is Full time Carer jobs are going away. Have more then 50 employees get rid of 5 of them and replace them with 10 part time maybe even temps. Have a large work force? well better hire about 3 new min wage workers, no one is getting more then 25 hours a week. All because employers are afraid of what Obamacare is going to do to them in 2014.