Tom the Dancing Bug: How the Free Market Works

Crashin' Some Cars and Stickin' Some 'Celerators, Yo!

I'm just realizing (after seeing several of these) that the "suck accelerator" has also become a meme in political satire that relates directly to the car crash meme. It won't have the staying power of the car crash because, let's face it, a lot of this country's politics looks just like a car crash. As long as there are cars with people in them there will be car crashes while Toyota will shrink massively until it gets back its reputation for quality... or they'll go bankrupt, either way the stuck accelerator thing will end, but until it does, I'll post cartoons about it:

Crash Meme - Is This a Come Back?

After a good, long run last year the car crash meme seems to have lulled. Will the complete wreck known as the Democratic Party bring it back? The totaled health care reform? Or maybe the actual fucked up and fatal Toyotas with their stuck gas pedals will be all it needs. Stay tuned.

Car Crash Meme Bubbles Back For a Moment

It's been a long time since a good car wreck metaphor in a cartoon. I wonder why. Of course I am not counting the Tiger Woods cartoons.

The Crash Meme Continued

The old car/airplane/train wreck meme is reappearing in the comics pages only this time the vehicles/people have generally already gone over a cliff or they have hit the ground.

More Wrecks

The meme has morphed slightly. Now instead of the car wreck, it is the airliner/birds/ditching theme. The "America as car wreck" theme was occurring at the same time as the jet crashing into the Hudson cartoons but for the last couple of weeks it's been nothing but jets and the geese have become flying elephants:





I've also been seeing a lot of Titanic themed cartoons but they seem a bit strained to me. Too many people escaped the sinking of the Titanic to be similar to what's happening financially in this country.

Obama Almost Criticizes Bush

Our President-elect made a speech today (find the whole thing here) and he actually criticized the preceding gang of thieves and murderers that have been running the show the last few decades:

We arrived at this point due to an era of profound irresponsibility that stretched from corporate boardrooms to the halls of power in Washington, DC.

As always with a Democrat this criticism is circumspect and sidelong but he almost comes out and says what we all know to be true: The Republicans screwed up the country and Bush & Co. were at the head of the line for the gang rape. Now if he'll just figure out how we're going to take our nation's wealth back from the greedy bastards that have stolen it.

809? No. $800 Billion

A nice little spoof that has been worming its way around the 'net:

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

DEAR AMERICAN: I NEED TO ASK YOU TO SUPPORT AN URGENT SECRET BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH A TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF GREAT MAGNITUDE.

I AM MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AMERICA. MY COUNTRY HAS HAD CRISIS THAT HAS CAUSED THE NEED FOR LARGE TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF 800 BILLION DOLLARS US. IF YOU WOULD ASSIST ME IN THIS TRANSFER, IT WOULD BE MOST PROFITABLE TO YOU.

I AM WORKING WITH MR. PHIL GRAMM, LOBBYIST FOR UBS, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY. AS A SENATOR, YOU MAY KNOW HIM AS THE LEADER OF THE AMERICAN BANKING DEREGULATION MOVEMENT IN THE 1990S. THIS TRANSACTIN IS 100% SAFE.

THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT URGENCY. WE NEED A BLANK CHECK. WE NEED THE FUNDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE CANNOT DIRECTLY TRANSFER THESE FUNDS IN THE NAMES OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. MY FAMILY LAWYER ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD LOOK FOR A RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY PERSON WHO WILL ACT AS A NEXT OF KIN SO THE FUNDS CAN BE TRANSFERRED.

PLEASE REPLY WITH ALL OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, IRA AND COLLEGE FUND ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND THOSE OF YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO WALLSTREETBAILOUT@TREASURY.GOV SO THAT WE MAY TRANSFER YOUR COMMISSION FOR THIS TRANSACTION. AFTER I RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION, I WILL RESPOND WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT SAFEGUARDS THAT WILL BE USED TO PROTECT THE FUNDS.

YOURS FAITHFULLY MINISTER OF TREASURY PAULSON

Speaking The Truth

Why is it that only a satirical news program on a cable comedy network has the balls to show these people repeating their lies (or contradicting themselves within hours as McCain did earlier this week)?

What's Wrong With America: Military Industrial Complex

There is a vast (yet loose) conspiracy that sucks our tax money into a void of unaccountability. How is it that we spend more than half of our nation's tax revenues for the mechanics of war... or worse?

Figments (Doonesbury)

Click on the cartoon to see it full sized.