HnC Vault: Let Them Eat Poi

Originally published December 28, 2009



As average Americans struggle with double-digit unemployment, and the Democrats prepare to launch the most expensive (and economy-busting) legislation in a half century, Barack Obama will be vacationing in a $4000-a-day mansion in Kailua, Hawaii ("the favorite beach of Hawaiian royalty").

While in Hawaii, the president will have the opportunity to inspect the tax-supported healthcare system which has caused so many doctors to quit and move that the president of the Hawaii Medical Association likens the state's medical care to a "third world nation." Or he can inspect Hawaii's public schools...as long as he doesn't visit on a Friday - when all the schools are closed because the teacher's union gave themselves 4-day work weeks.

And of course, when in Hawaii the president can pay a ceremonial visit to the "Changing of the Guard" which protects his birth certificate. Have fun, Mr president - and don't hurry back!

"None shall pass!" Hawaiian "Keeper of the Birth Certificate"

Update 3/12/11 - I chose this cartoon for a weekend "golden oldies" slot for a couple of reasons. Most topically, with the situation in Wisconsin, I thought it was very interesting to look at the damage that a teachers' union can do when out of control. In this case, they voted to give themselves a 4-day work week, leaving Hawaii's poorly-educated children stranded each and every Friday.

The commentary also mentions the fact that Hawaii is the "best insured" state in the union (with much of the coverage coming from the government)...which is why doctors have all but deserted the state. When the head of your Medical Association describes "third world conditions," it's a frighteningly clear warning of what Obamacare will do to the rest of the country if fully implemented.

And finally, we see that even all that time ago, Obama was talking about "not spending like we're using monopoly money" (an actual quote), but then went on to run up deficits that are unprecedented since the emergence of carbon-based life forms. Making him the biggest hypocrite in the history of History.

Update #2- Theoretically, posting old cartoons on the weekends was supposed to give me some time off. But news and events that can't be ignored keep catching up with me!

I'd already posted this Hawaii-themed cartoon before the horrendous earthquake and tsunami in Japan (and minor waves in Hawaii which damaged some boats, but otherwise were no big deal). And then along comes leg-tingling Chris Matthews, who gleefully announced that this unspeakable human tragedy in Japan is "sort of a good opportunity for Obama to remind people he was raised in Hawaii" rather than Kenya.

I watched the news footage of death and destruction in Japan slack-jawed, astounded by the devastation (and the continuing danger). But what Chris Matthews saw first (by his own admission) was political opportunity. The man is a human maggot.
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Rhyme Doesn't Pay

In this era of trillion dollar budget deficits, Democrats and Republicans both agree that governmental spending excesses must be ended. But at what point do the cuts go too deep and jeopardize not only our way of life, but the very essence of the American spirit?

According to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, that point occurs when the GOP threatens to withhold federal tax money from Nevada's annual "Cowboy Poetry Festival." The festival is currently funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, which uses taxpayer dollars to richly reward artists who can't sell their work to anyone, and who stubbornly refuse to be creative for free.

Mr. Reid says that without taxpayer dollars, the "tens of thousands of people who come (to the festival) every year would not exist." Which doesn't actually make any sense, and suggests that Mr. Reid may have taken a horseshoe to the head a few times while attending poetry readings.

Here at Hope n' Change, we're genuinely supportive of the creative arts. But we don't believe that true artists will (or even could) stop producing if tax money dries up. The saying "Ars Gratia Artis" means "Art for Art's Sake," which is what motivates the genuinely creative. If they can earn great wealth, or just enough to cover their materials, that's terrific. And if not, that's life.

Our country simply doesn't have the money to pay for "everything, all the time" anymore. So it's time to put the National Endowment for the Humanities out to pasture.

Without federal funding, his work will only be found on outhouse walls.

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National Public Ridicule

Today, we praise Allen Funt. For those of you too young to know the name, he created a hidden camera TV show called "Candid Camera" way back in 1948. It's goal: "To catch you in the act of being yourself."

Today, cameras are much smaller and easier to hide...which is how conservative activist James O'Keefe managed to record a cheery and enthusiastic torrent of hate speech from the President of the NPR Foundation, Ron Schiller, who believed he was privately chatting with two men offering a $5 million dollar donation from a group closely linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

During the chummy, dinner table conversation, Schiller described the Tea Party movement as "anti-intellectual, white, middle America, gun-toting, fundamental Christian" types who are "seriously racist people" and who have "hijacked" the Republican party. After making these accusations of racism, Schiller then said he was proud that NPR recently fired Juan Williams - their only black air personality. And sensing that he was on a roll with his new Islamic best buds, Schiller enthused that there is no "Zionist" influence at NPR, nor any support for Israel among NPR's major donors and supporters, unlike other media outlets which he implied were controlled by Jews.

Happily, there has been fallout from all of this. Schiller has either been fired or simply chosen to leave his high-paying position, depending on whether you believe his statements or those of the damn Jew-controlled mainstream media.

And his boss, Vivian Schiller - who fired NPR's only black commentator for admitting that Muslims in religious garb make him slightly nervous on plane flights, and sneered that Williams needed psychiatric help - has also had her sudden "resignation" (cough, cough) accepted by NPR's board of directors. In the interim, Schiller's position will be filled by Joyce Slocum, NPR's alleged Chief Ethics Officer and General Counsel, who clearly has been doing a bang-up job of advising on All Things Ethical.

But why are heads rolling now? Because Congress has to cut the budget...and a very easy cut will be the $450 million tax dollars that have been going to support arrogant, distorted hate speech which attacks the very Americans NPR is supposed to be serving..

We hope those cuts will be coming soon, because an ugly and anti-American mindset is clearly ingrained in the NPR corporate culture. And just because two of the whores are gone is no reason to keep funding the bordello.

Update 4:15 pm - James O'Keefe has now released a new audio recording, in which NPR's new interim director is named as the the legal counsel who would be preparing documents allowing the "pro-Shariah law Muslims" to hide their $5 million dollar contribution from potential government audits and oversight. Ouch!
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Battle Her of the Republic

Every now and then, our government comes up with an idea so stunningly great that you just want to stand up and cheer. Assuming, of course, that you're one of America's many enemies who would like to see our military crippled.

And such is the case with the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, which has produced a report saying (surprise!) we need more diversity in military leadership...which apparently they had already decided when they picked the name for their group. The report asserts that our military leadership is "too white" and "too male," and that women have been held back because promotions and job opportunies are most frequently given to service personnel with "battlefield leadership credentials."

Well, we certainly don't what that! Do we...?

Women have traditionally been excluded from combat roles in the military because they're smaller, weaker, and (statistically speaking) more womanly - which can be distracting at the very least, as well as destructive to the cohesiveness of a combat unit. Moreover, reports continue to cite the growing physical strain on male soldiers who routinely have to carry 100 pounds or more of gear into battle. Add it all up, and it means women's presence on the battlefield (or, heaven help us, commanding forces without experience) is going to cost lives.

Not that that's a problem. After the Fort Hood massacre, Army Chief of Staff, General George Casey Jr, basically blew off the murder of 13 soldiers by saying "I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here."

Because "diversity" is so much more important than anything else the military does, including winning wars, defending our nation...or staying alive.

The Military Leadership Diversity Commission reports that women are under-represented here.
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Long May It Waive

The government has never been shy about paying big bucks for cute mascots to help popularize important issues. And now Smokey the Bear, McGruff the Crime Dog, and Woodsy the Owl are being joined by a new iconic cartoon figure who genuinely speaks to our times: The Obamacare Waver!

This jolly fellow exists to remind us that over 1000 businesses (encompassing some 2.6 million people) are now saving huge amounts of money on healthcare thanks to the fact that they've all been granted waivers which allow them to escape the alleged president's unaffordable plan for at least a year.

Virtually all of those people currently have insurance...and virtually all of them would lose it under the president's plan because it calls for either great coverage or no coverage. And unsurprisingly, many employers simply can't afford to give great coverage to part-time and minimum-wage workers.

According to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the Obamacare waivers are being granted because "We don't want to take away people's health insurance before they have some realistic other choices.” And therein lies the problem: there are no realistic "other choices" because no insurance company can stay in business if forced to charge Dollar Store prices which won't cover their out-of-pocket expenses...no matter how Mr. Obama and the Democrats try to cook the books.

Which is why "The Obamacare Waver" isn't the only new mascot the government will be introducing in this high-stakes, budget-battling year. Get ready for "Swampy McDeficit - The Bookkeeping Crock!"

Swampy Sez: "Obamacare doesn't add one dime to the deficit!"

Update 3/9/11 - The federal government has just given a three-year Obamacare waiver to the state of Maine, while acknowledging that enforcing Obamacare in that state could "destabilize the state's market for health insurance."

Specifically, Maine's largest health insurance company (insuring 37% of the people) was simply going to pull out of the state because Obamacare made it economically unfeasible to stay in business. We salute the state of Maine, and encourage the alleged president to sign those other 49 state waivers as soon as possible.
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Fore Year Term

On Saturday, Washington DC celebrated Barack Obama finally reaching "The Big Six-Oh." Of course, we're not talking his age, which is alleged to be 49, but his 60th game of golf since taking office.

While England contemplated establishing a "no fly" zone to protect violence-torn Libya, and Harry Reid was declaring that no agreements could be made on budget cuts in Washington, and Michael Moore was proclaiming the beginning of a socialist revolution in Wisconsin, and dozens of people in Louisiana were being killed by violent weather which will be really, really hard to blame on George Bush, the alleged president pulled on his checkered knickers and tam o'shanter and hit the links. Again.

He took an environmentally-questionable motorcade of 10 cars (each filled with paid government employees) to the Andrews Air Force Base golf course for his standard five hour game. During which time, he presumably actually had to be decisive enough to choose between a wood and an iron, because there's no golf club called "present."

While in office, President George W. Bush also enjoyed playing golf...but he gave it up in 2003. “I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he said. “I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.”

We think Barack Obama's habitual golfing during times of national and international crisis certainly does send a bad signal...but in this case, one that is perfectly accurate. He is a 9-to-5, Monday-thru-Friday government worker who can't be fired...and damn well won't accept a cutback in perks.

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HnC Vault: You Want A Peace Of Me?

October 10, 2010 - It was exactly one year ago that Barack Hussein Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize - not because of anything he'd done, but because hopes were so high that he would create peace with his promises to speak reasonably and without preconditions to any politicians in the world, including blood-drenched anti-American lunatics.

Now, Obama's "year to create peace" has passed...and not only has the world gone to hell in a handbasket, but the president and his administration are now personally threatening politicians in our own capitol with physical violence.

Vice president Joe Biden told an audience that "if I hear one more Republican tell me about balancing the budget, I'm going to strangle them."

Not to be outdone, Barack Obama has declared that "a Republican majority in Congress would mean hand-to-hand combat for the next two years."

Of course, the Republicans aren't exactly worried about these threats, which can only be compared to being warned of a potential ass-kicking from Pee-Wee Herman and Barney Fife.

Meanwhile, the Nobel Prize Committee is undoubtedly and justifiably embarrassed by their gullibility in believing the president's meaningless promises. Which is why next year's peace prize should be for "No Bull."
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When the going gets tough, getting tough gets hilarious.

Update 3/6/11 - In selecting cartoons for these weekend retrospectives, I try to make them relevant to recent stories. This week, one of those stories which didn't get much coverage was about a Wisconsin State Representative - a Democrat - who turned to a female Republican colleague after she voted in favor of a budget-balancing bill and said: "You're fucking dead!"

Not exactly the sort of rhetoric politicians are supposed to be using following Jared Lee Loughner's shooting spree in Tucson, and Barack Obama's suggestion that we use "words that heal rather than wound."

Of course, as the original cartoon points out, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden were only too happy to suggest (or perhaps even instigate) physical violence for their political opponents before their recent (and not entirely believable) change of heart.
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