Clever and unpredictable, Ariail skewers politicians on both sides of the ideological fence with award-winning cartoons drawn for the Spartanburg, S.C., Herald-Journal. A celebrated artist, Ariail is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist (1995 and 2000) and was recently named the 2012 winner of the Clifford K. and James T. Berryman Award for Editorial Cartoons, presented by the National Press Foundation.
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Comments (14) (Please sign in to comment)
Respectful Troll said, 6 months ago
Congress at work. No brains attached. But it is the American people under the axe. We truly do deserve better and we show that by writing to politicians and telling them what we want them to do.
Respectfully,
C.
Ms. Ima said, 6 months ago
The comments on OTaxCare are now coming fast and furious. 2014 will bring crippling taxes on the American worker, those with jobs that is.
DGF999 said, 6 months ago
@Ms. Ima
I hope we survive this year.
ARodney said, 6 months ago
Right, things were SO horrific under Clinton, when taxes were even higher. As my investment advisor said, “taxes are on sale right now. They’re going to go up.” Even the GOP couldn’t have kept deficit spending forever, so let’s be glad we’ve got a fact-based person in the driver’s seat. It’ll be sort of humorous to watch John Boehner trying to force the tea party people to look at the math when their entire justification for their current careers depends on them denying it.
Chillbilly
said, 6 months ago
The issue is a loser for the GOP on the national level: raising taxes on the top 2% is politically favorable today. But in their own districts and states, it’s a loser for GOP members of congress. They’re in the awkward position of putting party first (which they always seem to do) for a losing cause for their party.
.
The Democrats can win this ultimately if they continually and publicly hammer on the fact that Republicans will make EVERYONE pay if the rich don’t get there way. The hostage-taking message is out everywhere other than Fox News. It will be heard by people who don’t rely on Fox News for reality.
TheTrustedMechanic said, 6 months ago
@Ms. Ima
Where are those comments? I mean besides from mindless shills like you without a clue? And just what crippling “taxes” are coming? Please do tell, but first do some research instead of just posting partisan talking points and hollow lies.
Normally I would just ignore you but recently you were showing slivers of rational thought that gave us glimmers of hope. We really do want a coherent and reality based dialogue with our members of opposing viewpoint. But your side must return to facts, truth and reality before we can take you seriously. It is possible, mikefive does it.
masterskrain said, 6 months ago
Congress can fight about tax rates, cuts, entitlements and whatever else they want to until the cows come home, but you have to remember ONE BASIC RULE…if you spend more then you make, you WILL GO BROKE!
PERIOD!
mikefive said, 6 months ago
@Chillbilly
You condemn Republicans by stating that Republicans are “in the awkward position of putting party first” yet turn around and say “The Democrats can win this ultimately…”. This doesn’t seem to promote the bipartisanship necessary to ameliorate our increasing indebtedness but promotes the continuance of the political belligerence of both sides.
♦
In playing with the numbers obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Treasury Department, EVERYONE will have to pay to reduce the deficit because there isn’t enough money available from only the rich. There also isn’t enough money available from everyone to maintain our current level of spending so many oxen will need to be gored. With the House and Senate split, compromise will be the only way to choose which oxen get the ax.
The current “my way or the highway” exhibited by both parties cannot continue.
Jon Ormsbee
said, 6 months ago
The spirit of the editorial is quite telling of our predicament. I figure that given the pork spending boondoggles called earmarks would have been well represented by a pig.
DrCanuck said, 6 months ago
@Respectful Troll
Oh, you’re quite wrong. The American people think Congress is doing a GREAT job. Why else would they have re-elected almost all of them?
TheTrustedMechanic said, 6 months ago
@mikefive
Very well said. Once again you prove my respect is well placed.
The only caveat I have with what you wrote is, the democrats have fought for tax increases (granted only for the wealthy) but the republicans have flat out refused any tax increase at all. So if we must have increased revenues from everyone, which party is closer to the solution? I did not mind terribly bad what I paid last year in Federal income tax. What I minded was romney (as an example, there are many more than just him) paying less than 2/3 the percentage I paid on an income 280 times mine and that he largely did NOT work for. So on that front, yes the republicans are right, we need to expand the base and even out the rates. But they will never allow that because it would hurt their friends and campaign buyers.
But you are correct, we need more revenue, from EVERYONE, and we need to reduce spending, and that includes from the military budget. Two things the republicans have repudiated since I can remember. EVERYTHING must be looked at, trimmed and adjusted. And before you think I am only attacking the republicans, the democrats have not been saints in this arena either. It’s just the republicans have been much more vocal about obstructing the evident than the democrats.
TheTrustedMechanic said, 6 months ago
@DrCanuck
Uh, ‘cuz we’s stoopud?
It is a well known phenomenon that we Americans think their incumbent is doing good, it’s every other congressman that needs replaced. It’s stupid but as the saying goes, you get the government you deserve, you voted them in.
But I voted against all of my incumbents so I did not get the government I deserved.
mikefive said, 6 months ago
@TheTrustedMechanic
I not sure we need to cut the military budget directly. It would probably drop automatically if the pork pushers didn’t force the military to buy $500 million worth of jet engines they didn’t want or make them get twelve personal jets instead of just the three they requested. I suppose it does help keep the unemployment rate down a little, though.
TheTrustedMechanic said, 6 months ago
@mikefive
“I not sure we need to cut the military budget directly. It would probably drop automatically if the pork pushers didn’t force the military to buy $500 million worth of jet engines they didn’t want or make them get twelve personal jets instead of just the three they requested.”
I absolutely agree. The same could be said for many other areas of the governmental budget too.
" I suppose it does help keep the unemployment rate down a little, though."
But isn’t the republican position that taxes kill jobs? Therefore if we naturally reduced the military budget but paring away what isn’t requested and thereby reducing the tax burden and allowing reduced tax rates, wouldn’t that, by republican mantra increase employment through reduced taxes? I know I’m going from the sublime to the ridiculous here and I am NOT attacking your political leanings. I’m just pointing out the deficits in that anti-tax attitude. However I also see where you are coming from and I suspect there was a little satire in you comment too. A truly valid point from both sides.