Crossing the Great Divide

Love the picture…call me a cynic but I don’t think any human being alive could possibly live up to all of the promises like BO made or the expectations. There are going to be alot of disappointed fools in this country and I won’t be one of them.

As for school funding, they better start monitoring the waste and excess at schools because they aren’t lacking funding, they are sorely lacking discipline of students and accountability. Money isn’t going to fix that. Our local school district pilfers property owner tax dollars for in ground swimming pools and baseball stadiums then wants more saying the school buildings are falling down. Responsible leadership would have fixed the buildings not built a pool! Our state governor didn’t cut school funding but won’t increase it from last year. They aren’t happy…they want more. Guess what…we have no money! Cut back like the rest of us.

As for health care, when they run the illegals out of the country, perhaps we can afford to take care of our own.

Evocative cartoon, Pat. However, O’s feet do not touch the ground (as shown graphically in the previous thread’s Obamessiah Ascension vid). I doubt we will see him struggling up any steep inclines. If he can’t fly with angelic wings, don’t expect him to do any tedious hiking.

I hope so for my friends who are out of work or need medical attention but have no health care insurance. I hope so for the sake of our schools, struggling to educate our future generation without adequate resources, and for our disintegrating infrastructure.

Pat, I feel bad for you, being that you are a creative person but choose to remain stuck in backwards thinking. You need to be born again in the spirit. BO will not solve medical attention by socializing medicine with mandating health insurance coverage for those employed. He will not educate people by mandating remodeling school facilities. And he will not give us a more efficient transportation system by mandating road projects. Obama is not proposing solutions to our systemic problems by adding increase public expenditures. Most of the changes in your life today, look around your house or your office, did not come to you because of a government mandate. None of the new health care technologies did. Change comes because private citizens and enterprises take risks according to their needs for remuneration. Obama’s risk money he does not have to spend in order to get votes in 2012. The reason for the 2 trillion deficit for 2009 is to design projects that would mature in 2012 just in time for the next election and not to heal, cure, educate or create safe roads from one county to the next.

Wake up Pat to what makes hope and change work, motivation. Obama is motivated by pathological narcissism.

Pat, I too hope for solutions for many of these problems.
The initial lists that I saw from the stimulus package, however, had the top three items as expansions of current welfare programs…to the tune of 75B plus each.
The infrastructure allowance was 85B.
We need good jobs, and now!
If BO continues to “crow” about himself, and shuts out the republicans, we will go no where.
I hate one-party rule, and expect this country to suffer under this one!

Change usually comes because of necessity. Discounting the last 100 years most change through millennia did not involve remuneration. Most scientific advancements came about as a result of curiosity not how much anyone could profit. Unfettered capitalism is what got us into this current financial mess. That’s just a cynical view and one that Corporations want us to buy into.

Pat your caricature shows the normal way of thinking about problems, which is the wrong way or left way of thinking. It wants to solve problems by uniting or closing the gap and bringing unlike sides together, often by force or legislation. It is the sinful way of solving problems.

Problems are solve by dividing and separating. You only mix what compliment each other and not just willy nilly mix everything.

Work is created by separation. An efficient health care system works by separation. Education works by separation. Infrastructure works by separation.

The problem with the left is that they reject separation in favor of mixing irreconcilable parts. We have a leftist administration now in power. They will push to mix irreconcilable concepts and the end result will be disintegration of moral and morality.

Unfettered capitalism

Immorality and injustice is what brings destruction. Lust.

I think you are right ooowawa!

LOVE the cartoon PAT~ like always it’s fabulous!

(where’s that blasted compilation book I so want to purchase?)

watching obama on fox news right now,

he is giving another campaign speech, boring,

can this guy even talk without cards or teleprompter, and without sounding like he is campaigning, ugh,

BOTH R correct!

I think this mess took a combo of a few nasty traits!

And a LOT of people turning a blind eye to it!
DEMS & REPS BOTH

I don’t care who started it. Who started sin? DOH!

I just want it to stop!!! If voting is the ONLY way to make it stop I guess we’ll just have to keep peeling away at the edges until we get down to the original group that have frigged everything UP!!

And keep a close eye on local elections. (of course)

Bravo to those fighting the corruption up close & personal. That can NOT be easy! Or safe, I imagine.
:-/

turn the damn channel

QUICK!!!!

lol

I was in the breakroom here at work, I got out of there fast.

A fox news lady was arguing w a Dem about Obama’s pork stimulus. He said Dem’s supported Bush’s spending, Repubs should do the same. The lady kept arguing w him that it wasn’t going to produce any jobs, they had no data on if it would even help the economy….the guy wouldn’t anwer her, just kept saying they needed to be bipartisan. Sounds like another Obama troll.

The masses listen to his words in awe, but are too stupid to question them. It is a huge mistake to think he speaks the truth. Haven’t we learned anything from the past 8 years?

I agree….

ipotter said:

“Haven’t we learned anything from the past 8 years?”

Obviously not. What we should have learned was never take anything at face value, Dems or Repugs. I’m begining to think that civic responsibility = being a born again skeptic.

Show me, don’t schmooze me.

Hate to post off topic but this is important. From michellemalkin.com (I know, I know):

“House GOP leader John Boehner’s office reports that the left-wing voter fraud/illegal alien/housing entitlement racketeers at ACORN “could get billions” more in federal taxpayer funding from the Democrats’ stimulus bill.

Incredibly, the Democrats’ bill makes ACORN eligible for a $4.19 billion pot of money for “neighborhood stabilization activities.”

Folks, if this is true…. I am speachless.

3rd friggen try to post (putting up my name would help) lol

but pouring more money into a corrupt org (acorn) is INSANE! Those groups should already by OUT OF BUSINESS and their leaders investigated.

Continuing to brainwash mostly black inner city kids to HATE WHITE AMERICA is not only WRONG but could be very dangerous (and mostly for them).

jmo

wodiej, I don’t know the state or school district you are referring to, but far too many schools do not have money, let alone money to waste. I live in Ohio and the disparity between the richest school districts and the poorest is scandalous. And the second legislators try to balance the funding out the richest districts cry foul and they have the money to pay for high priced lobbyists to make sure the rich districts do not lose any money. And so it goes.

Until the late 1990’s there was one school district in south eastern Ohio that did not have indoor toilets. So don’t go making broad generalizations about schools and teachers wasting taxpayer dollars.

And many teachers spend their own money for classroom supplies as well.

typos argh!

bck l8tr

{{{{{HUGS TO NOQTR}}}}}}}

practically the ONLY SANE PLACE left on the NET!!!

tyvm

Enjoyed the graphic, Pat. That climb would be steep for the most skilled and experienced climber. Along with you I hope for all our sake’s that Obama scrambles to the other side.

But then, I read an article over at Politico on the economic situation and I begin to feel sick all over again. Link is below. Hope and change cannot be the continuing mantra. More like grit and courage.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17951.html

Yes, bert, it does matter where you live. If you live in a poor district, your schools are barely able to function. Drive over to a rich area and you see things like high schools with 2-3 gyms, seperate drama theaters and internet cafes…sickening. And you’re right. Many teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies. My boys’ teachers even buy midmorning snacks for the poorer kids in class so that they can concentrate on their school work. We donate when we can as well.

payback for installing our new “leader”

I know thta most at No Quarter are trying to go with the “for the sake of our country,let’s hope Obama is successful” theme. I however hope he falls far and flat and with a very loud thud and the US suffers greatly for it. I love America, but call it tough love.

If Obama gets to BS through and get credited with success due to other people busting their butt to make him look good then these are the kind of clowns we will continue to have “lead” the country. I want this experimental president to fail miserably sot hat people learn a sad, but very important lesson and never, never do this again and never, never just take some hopey-changey BS message as gospel!

Stop the madness! I want a real leader, not a make believe movie one! If we have to have that then we should have just hired the guy who played David Palmer on 24! LOL! He was cool and black and had some morals, even if it was just acting (which acting is pretty much all Obama does.

My new name for PEBO=President Experiment Barack Obama!

Way to swallow a right-wing talking point hook line and sinker. Anyone who knows anything about ACORN knows the group is and has always been legit. “ACORN-is-bad” is just another straw man conjured up by the GOP in a lame attempt to divide and conquer. It’s sad to see my fellow Democrats blinded by anger over the fact that their primary candidate (Hillary) lost. Take a look at yourselves. You’re taking marching orders from the likes of MICHELLE MALKIN (!) and JOHN BOEHNER(!). I can guarantee Hillary is on ACORN’s side, just like any self-respecting liberal who has done their homework. Wake up, people!

SpaceCat…Way to GO Bot. ACORN is nothing but a criminal enterprise that has been involved in fraud all the way from voter fraud, to money laundering, to Fannie and Freddie, etc. No self respecting AMERICAN, whether liberal or conservative, would back this group of criminals. Sorry, but you need to take the Bot talk elsewhere. The intelligent readers and posters here have done their homework.

Me and wodiej must live in the same school district. And yes- I too am sick of the pools, tennis courts, stadiums complete with night time lighting and indoor tracks. The root of the problem is Fed and State incentives are all to build, build, build new. Communities must match a percentage. Obviously, wealthier communities can afford the match, poorer ones can’t. So again we end up with the haves and the have-nots. Nothing ever changes

During the 2008 campaign most voters said they were concerned about health care and how Senator Clinton had a better plan and Obama jumped to try to convince voters his was better. Well, I just went to the Scorecard cite mentioned above following up on Soertoro/Obama keeping his promises.

Of the 71 promises he made about health care 69 have received no action and only two are “in the works”. One is an “electronic health information systems” and the other is that infamous vetoed SCHIP bill to inure children. Now just how important is an “electronic health information system” if you aren’t going to be “in the system” because you can’t afford health care? Not one insurance reform “in the works.” Not looking good for the uninsured crowd.

Considering how our government now works, do you think We could figure a way to put insurance reform under the Secretary of State’s jurisdiction? Or why not cut out the middle man and just let her run the country like We voted. This Obama guy needs too much coddling.

During these hard times school meal programs are being cut.

The poverty level is rising and children regardless of economics need to have food to learn.

With in my district, opertunities for students can vary, based on the what the principle at that site makes a priority.

Site based management or central control both need to be looked at closely.

Pat, great art work. I have been on a Willy Coyote kick of late and this fits right in with it.

Funny how OBots have no problems with voter fraud when it helps THEIR guy.

outlawales — Obama is a perpetual campaigner. It’s all about the next election.

civic responsibility = being a born again skeptic

Party Unity My Ass

not a party
not a faction

an attitude

Absolutely, oowawa!

Don’t worry CS free health care is coming as soon as we define how the generation after then next two ones will pay for it.

“electronic health information system” will work wonders for everyone, security wise and socialistically. Some groups will get preferential treatment and shall be coded for life from the day they are made visible in the womb. Those with diseases will be aborted. Insurance companies and government will attach a health score to personal files and people would be classified for jobs and work according to their scores. High scores will go to work for WalMart. The higher the score the more expensive to society the person will be. Life will be swell – equality in health care will make everyone happy.

Seeing Pat’s cartoon made me think what we need is a commercial video game, maybe an updated version of “Frogger”, featuring Obama trying to cross a road while trying to avoid getting hit by the cars (read this as all the problems he faces) and simultaneously picking off the flies for nutrition (read this as “fulfilling his campaign promises”).

The schools in less affluent areas are really hurting, and those in wealthier areas are demanding (not simply asking) that students’ parents supply an array of extras that the budget will not provide for (crayons, erasers, more paper, paint and brushes, reading books, andthe like). My friend’s bill for her 3 kids for this stuff was over $800!

In poor areas where parents cannot supplement, the situation is dismal. I know for a fact because a group I belong to has adopted two such underserved schools. Parents are mostly farm workers. They have a shortage of everything–you name it, they don’t have it. We have been able to help some with used computers and buying books and craft materials, but we could use thuosands of dollars just to bring these 2 schools up to what would be considered minimally acceptable.

I don’t disagree that there has been waste, but here is California we don’t see it anymore.

LOL!

In California it might help if people close the borders and stop supporting illegals. Just a thought.

lark, I think you may have misunderstood the point fo my cartoon. The rift is primarily Hope vs. Change.

But I did not miss your main point(well, except for one–health care technologies, funded largely by NIH and NSF–have made some really differences in my life and the lives of others. That work would have never been done had it not been for federally mandated money).

But, sigh, many people are so depressed and no one can afford to purchase what they need in order to risk innovation. As one example, my optomitrist has designed an amazing device to affix to glasses (idea under embargo, so I am being general on purpose) but he fears risking his money, what with an elderly mother to care for, a huge mortgage, and not enough savings to qualify as a “cushion.”

I am no expert on hwo to solve all of these problems, but we have to deal with the President we’ve got, not one we wish we had. And, again, the toon is only about the huge discrepancy between promises and their fulfillment. Not how to do it.

LOL!!!!!!!!! What an amusing idea! Would probably be a best-seller!

PatM, I admire the spirituality of your message, your approach is so wise, positive and on point, not only with this post but all of your previous posts. Beautiful. “Word.” Kudos, once more.

I don’t mind pools IF local taxes are voted by a majority of citizens in that specific community for such a luxury. But I don’t know of any state or federal monies that allow pools to be built. Gee, there was not even enough money to fully fund NCLB.

Very nice cartoon, but you made Obama so small that even a breeze could knock him off his promised bath, without congress and the senate or other realities doing it.

This is not about hope and change. This is about promises made and promises that can be kept. This is also about deciding what promises are good for the country and which ones need to be kept unfulfilled, as they would cause more problems then they solve.

What needs to happen is that the public needs to see some kind of action from government so that they will regain their optimism in America and when that happens it will be the people who will make hope into reality. Another thing we need to do is to stop blaming others for our problems, for only than we will stop waiting for others to solve the problems, and we can go about making the kinds of changes and investments that will make this country even more successful. Let us not loose sight of the fact that we are not the only country that is hurting.

Rich

Oh please, ACORN has been pulling the EXACT SAME GAME for decades!

That isn’t some right wing smear job….it is ACORN’s MO.

When they get caught, they throw one of their exploited low level workers to the wolves.

They are predators in their own neighborhoods. Their pay structure supports and encourages the fraud.

And really!? Who doesn’t know how to register to vote!?

It is a scam on so many levels. You should muster up some intellectual integrity on this one instead of claiming all ‘self-respecting liberals’ see the place in the same light.

LOL…good idea!

Candidate Obama would have done well to listen to your advice. Over and over again, Hope and Change, and a million promises were his message, not reality and honesty. Yesterday I read an article by Noam Chomsky entitled “Obama on Israel-Palestine,’ and was struck by his observations…

Barack Obama is recognized to be a person of acute intelligence, a legal scholar, careful with his choice of words. He deserves to be taken seriously – both what he says, and what he omits.

I guess Chomsky boils it down to this regarding Obama, use of nuance?

but the carefully framed deceit is instructive.

On seeing Obama appoint many Clinton people to vital positions in his administration, the saying comes to my mind: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Anyway, since Obama seems keen on appeasing the Repugs, he won’t be able to change too much.

I don’t think he is pleasing the Republicans (I refuse to call my party Repugs) too much. I think we would prefer not to spend what little money we have left on abortions in Africa. I also think we would prefer not using our 401ks to make sure, as Pelosi says, “we provide a comfortable life for illegal aliens.” That’s not what we Republicans think are priorities. We also don’t think it’s a great idea to welcome terrorism in this country by closing Gitmo and housing terrorists in our backyard. Doesn’t seem real genius to us. We would have liked Obama to do SOMETHING about the economy, rather than sign a bunch of lunatic fringe insane left crap executive orders that do nothing to help us heal. But, that’s just us “Repugs.”

As a refugee from 20 years in the public school system I have come to the conclusion that school failure is a surreptitious national policy meant to keep education levels low and make the population easier to control.

This goes hand-in-hand with turning the public school system into a nanny state. kids I worked with showed upo for free breakfast at 7, free lunch, free after school programs and free dinner. The parents were all too happy to drop the little darlings off at 7am and pick them up 12 hours later at 7pm, just in time for bed.

OTOH, most teachers i knew would rather work with the disadvantage kids than the spoiled, bullying, arrogant offspring of the upper classes. At least they didn’t have to deal with obnoxious teens staring you down and coldly informing you they had more money in their trust fund than you (the teacher) would ever see in their lifetime.

Of course you did have the problem of being threatend with gun and knife wielding kids in the public schools.

Comment by I Want A Do Over | 2009-01-26 17:00:14

I don’t think he is pleasing the Republicans (I refuse to call my party Repugs) too much. I think we would prefer not to spend what little money we have left on abortions in Africa. I also think we would prefer not using our 401ks to make sure, as Pelosi says, “we provide a comfortable life for illegal aliens.” That’s not what we Republicans think are priorities. We also don’t think it’s a great idea to welcome terrorism in this country by closing Gitmo and housing terrorists in our backyard. Doesn’t seem real genius to us. We would have liked Obama to do SOMETHING about the economy, rather than sign a bunch of lunatic fringe insane left crap executive orders that do nothing to help us heal. But, that’s just us “Repugs.”

War criminals, fascists or bad LOSERS may be better. You prove again Rethugs to be nothing but dirty filthy liars. Nowhere did Nancy Pelosi ever say anything of the sort about illegal aliens.

Tax $s are not funding abortions in Africa, however ABSTINENCE ONLY AID PROGRAMMES HAVE NOT STOPPED AIDS. Full education and advice without gags will help. What is it with filthy Republicans anyway? Why is the life in the womb many many more times as valuable than outside?

GITMO is an affront to democracy. It says to those we go to war with you can torture without trial Allied Soldiers, it is fine America does it. You have the blood of Bigley on your hand.You are not welcoming terrorism in the US by closing GITMO, no other President had an equivalent and no other President was incompetent enough to allow not one by 3 planes to hit US targets. Bush did not keep America safe, he put it in very real danger.

Do something on the economy? Err right.. After Bush gave it all to the banks after putting America in so much debt the World can not carry it any more. In fact it was never imagined that the debt could get so high. The incompetence of Bush has done one thing. There will be at least two two term Democratic Presidents.

“Lunatic Fringe stuff”? Right. See you in 2012.

Your mentally deranged party will be ousted from Congress and the White House in 2010 and 2012. No worries there. If you don’t like it, Venezuela awaits your kind. Chavez loves you people.

I’m disappointed in you UK,
Your rabid hate of Bush has no bounds!
I too hated Bush at one time, but I don’t blame everything especially 911.
I guess if Bush had shut down the airspace or enacted profiling at airports you would criticize him for that.
The terrorists found a way to attack using suicide which was a first. We have subsequently learned from that and it hasn’t happened since.
I lived in the UK eight years in the 70′s. Back then it looked British..Now with your surveillance society and placating to terrorists on your home soil and the bombings that you have experienced you are in no position to criticize the attacks that have happened here in America.
Shame on you!

Bush imposed gag orders have not helped womenn.
GITMO has not solved terrorism.
A $trillion on nothing has not helped the economy.
When someone is trying to push a meme that the economy is the fault of illegals – then for the sakes of all, you call that person out.

OK..I missed that part about the illegals.
Be careful about blaming Bush.
Obama and every administration world wide has inherited a situation unprecedented in history. A one of a kind event!
I don’t blame Obama
however, I do believe he spooked the markets with class warfare talk.
Whether it be Brown in the UK, the leadership in Ireland or Obama or where ever their will be a time when the MOB will rise up and blame the incumbent in office.
my suggestion…Look forward not back.. Something might be gaining on you and who you supported.

Yes, it depends on where you live, but it has a lot to do with your choice of where you live. I couldn’t have kids, so I adopted two of the little buggers. I busted my butt to live in a good school district, it wasn’t always easy, but it wasn’t hard to give up lottery tickets, dinners and nights out, shopping sprees, etc. Of course, there wasn’t anytime to do those things, because we were busy learning to read, write and do arithmetic. My daughter is now in her 2nd year of college on an academic scholarship and my son so far is set to go to on a scholarship as well. It took commitment on the part of my husband and I and on the part of the kids. But they had to get that sense of self-discipline somewhere. By the way, I never went to college, but I did manage to work my way up in my job and I work everyday to keep it in order to pay the taxes and maintain my home in a good area.

And abortion and and and.

Fair play, I recognise you as one of the reasonable ones on here and have said so. I no more blame Bush, Blair, Reagan, Clinton or Thatcher for everything than I give them credit for everything. I am somewhat libertarian. Let each person find their own way to heaven or hell. Which is why I am now so far removed from the US Republican Party as can be. It is not for the State to interfere in my business (which it does) or more so my bedroom activities.

Nor should a Government dictate what should be done with a womans body and then once it has, punish her for that baby.

Obama is no Socialist. He is not even left wing. Margaret Thatcher is further to the left than Obama.

I will ignore the silly person above. The banking industry got bigger than the Governments of the World combned. Parties in power benefited from that as people felt wealthier and nothing was done to tackle inflation as it was disguised (1993 in the US, 1998 in the UK). Now we face an unprecedented collapse. If it was your manufacturing firm Government would let you go. As it is a new global banking system , that is bigger than all of the economies combined and has allowed people on modest salaries to buy stupidly expensive cars, Government does not know what to do except keep feeding the banks money. How much more though?

Gordon brown as said some good things lately. Eg that trade must continue (as against Obama’s anti trade) & that this banking crises is a way to change things. also that it may very well lead to a different world order.

Anonymous Says:

Very descriptive cartoon and good questions, Pat.

Just who is this man, Obama?

He has raised the hopes of millions of people, and the skepticism of critics, yet we have to give him some time and space to see whether real changes will be made in the months ahead and how many promises he can keep. To be sure, if he makes it across the shaky bridge, the climb up the precipice will be no walk in the park, given the fact he can do little without great cooperation from the legislative branch and given the fact that many people would like to see him fail.

Reading through the comments to your cartoon, it is clear that there is no consensus about who Obama really is, the problems he has to deal with or whether there is any chance for success.

What came to mind while reading the negative and few positive comments about Obama and the problems he has to deal with was the story about the blind men and an elephant that supposedly originated in India. Probably the version most familiar in western culture is the 19th Century poem by John Godfrey Saxe:

“The Blindmen and the Elephant

It was six men of Hindustan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind)
That each by observation
Might satisfy the mind.

The first approached the Elephant
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side
At once began to bawl:
“Bless me, it seems the Elephant
Is very like a wall”.

The second, feeling of his tusk,
Cried, “Ho! What have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ‘tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear”.

The third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Then boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake.”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Hindustan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right
And all were in the wrong.

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!”

Ok nice image up top