Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for December 06, 2022

does the Monkey get Top Billing?

Don’t know about the organ grinder but that bag of cash says it all

Oh, look! I see a Congress … I mean a monkey!

As a democracy, the people decide who holds the cherished offices.

Then the lobbyists take over from there.

The real problem is that most smart, sane, and competent people would rather have their flesh ripped by weasels than put themselves through an election and then have to consort with the rabble in Congress.

Republicans believe it is the natural order of things.

I expected a clown show.

So the organ grinder and the monkey work in tandem; no-one’s in charge…

And certain legislators are like wind-up toys that squawk and clash their cymbals however their corporate sponsors want them to.

In the U.S. we have the two competing oligarchies which in itself separate us from the one oligarchy in Russia and/or China

While teaching a government class I had a textbook that began saying it was going to recognize the differences between theory and practice and cover both. I was thrilled the first time I read chapter one that described the difference… But then discovered the authors ignored it for the rest of the book (and in all subsequent editions. New edition every six months so the students couldn’t resell their copies and new students would have to buy the new edition).

If by Orange you mean Trump, the rich won’t need lobbyists when they already own the president.

I believe our government is a reflection of the voters.

Members of Congress should be made to wear the emblems of their sponsors exactly like the racing suits of racecar drivers. Until then use a website to find out which contributer are backing them and their philosophies. It is enlightening to say the least and the more a politician or issue hides their backers the less it is usually good for citizens. Citizens ought not to serve the government. It should be the government that does what the citizens ask within the limitations of the Constitution. And yes children once upon a time there was a balance of power and a system of checks and balances until the GQP and their nepotism and cronies got involved

Lobbyists have been ‘schooling’ pols and others since before we became a new nation. In earlier years they might have been termed advisors. Same purpose, to influence decisions of the powerful in favor of the rich. So might as well start early and get potential candidates accustomed to it.

Shouldn’t he also have a dog and pony show with bright lights?? lol

A corporatocracy… and kleptocracy of the owner class…

I’m confused. If the lobbyists bribe those in power, why does this guy have a monkee?

I see the $$ bag for payola, but, …

Saying, “Shut up. I’m talking to the organ grinder, not the monkey.” has started more than one fight.

A Dopey Joe government appointee. The one on the hurdy curdy wearing the red suit and cap holding the tin cup. Hey, wait! Isn’t that Barry Hussein Soetoro? Why, yes. The Count does believe it is. The ears and snout that look like a 1957 Studebaker with the doors open are a dead giveaway.

The problem with America is that we have the finest politicians money can buy, but will they stay bought?

PACs play both sides of the street. I worked for a candidate once who was challenging an incumbent for a U.S. House Seat. The Boeing Corporation gave his campaign $1,000. They gave his opponent, who was much more likely to win, $10,000.

You can tell how long ago that was by the paltry amount spent. Nowadays, even House races run into the tens of millions of dollars.

It’s a good thing inflation isn’t as high in the economy as it is with political races, otherwise we’d be burning wheelbarrows full of money to stay warm.

As one that has spent a bit of time in DC going to different offices in the Rayburn, Longworth, Russell, etc., if you want to keep the belief that your senator/rep has your best interests, stay out of Washington.

This is the song that he’s playing… https://youtu.be/fnb7EqfykF4

(wonders about the “REAL WORLD” mentioned in this cartoon)

Looks like we have a choice of 2 senile old fools.

“Punish the monkey and let the organ grinder go” is, of course, an old expression. It is well-expressed in this Mark Knopfler song. https://youtu.be/Aj3Jxemfik0

This reminds me of the scene in Back to School where Rodney Dangerfield’s character attempts to explain the realities of what it takes to run a successful business to the professor who’s teaching a more idealized business model.

… and the more you give the more you close the gap.

Q: How come corporations are cutting way back on lobbying expenses?

A: They’ve decided that, long-term, it’s cheaper to own than to rent.

Bring pork barreling back.

Actually with gerrymandering the politicians decide how to cut up their state to get their party elected to the house. There are 435 house seats, in the last election ONLY 38 were considered “competitive”. This is why term limits don’t work change names but not policy.

Which is why we have-the- best- government- that- that-money-can-buy

If you bodily throw the first lobbyist out of your office,will they bother to come back?

My wife was a lobbyist for the National Guard Association in Washington State. The National Guard could not be active in politics, but its members could be. She had ZERO budget and had to use other means to convince the ultra-liberal state government (one of the governors refused to allow the Adjutant General to wear his uniform in the state capitol) to support the membership.

She managed to get an education bill through by enlisting the help of veteran’s groups (mostly retired WW II vets) who had nothing better to do than call their representatives.

She watched as an aide approached the head of the committee on the floor and then came to see her. The aide said, “The senator wants to know if you’re the one responsible for blocking up our telephone lines.” My wife said yes. “The senator says that if you call the dogs off, she’ll hear the bill.”

Another time she was at the state capitol in the wake of a storm that knocked out electrical power in many parts of the state. She was called into a representative’s office who asked her, “You’re a nurse. I got power out in a nursing home which is also the center for meals on wheels. How do I keep those people safe.” My wife dialed her phone and said, “General so-and-so, I have someone here who would like to talk to you about a generator.”

Yet another time she got an appointment in exchange for some TP in the women’s room at the state capitol.

Those with the most money decide who is elected.

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. —Yogi Berra, et alia

Ah yes, the monkey and lackass show!!!

To paraphrase Shakespeare, “First we kill all the lobbyists”