Toon: The Wall Street Crisis

Click to enlarge

A few thoughts, in no particular order, about the crisis on Wall Street and with our economy in general.

First, how exactly is John McCain planning to clean up the greed on Wall Street that he seems suddenly so concerned about? As I recall, he believes in pretty much total deregulation. So I guess his plan involves using magic mind fairies to suck the greed right out of the heads and hearts of these CEOs!

Also, how can he simultaneously claim that the economy is in crisis but that "the fundamentals are strong"? Or that he and Palin are somehow "proven reformers" of economic greed and corruption?

Next, how could Bush possibly still claim that the economy is just going through a minor short-term adjustment?

Finally, please don't misinterpret this cartoon. There are a lot of people who will be affected by the failures at Lehman Brothers and other financial giants besides just the rich bonus getters. But there really is a double standard-there's no stigma on corporate welfare or corporate bailouts. And it's often the wealthy people who benefit most from those bailouts who turn their nose up the most at a little bit of help for struggling Americans and social spending in general.

So while I am concerned about the effect this will have on the economy and jobs in New York and nationwide... I'm really not crying for those millionaire bonus makers who exploited and inflated the subprime mortgage mess (and the luxury cars they may no longer be able to afford) but didn't get a bailout. And yes, I realize that very few of them are likely to actually end up eating barrel-grilled cockroaches--depends on how long this little economic "adjustment" lasts. But a girl can dream.

Toon: Prisoners of President Palin

Click to enlarge

It wasn't until after did this cartoon that I found out Palin had tried to ban the book Daddy's Roommate (A sweet book about a kid with gay dads). So an alternate second line in the first panel might be "Reading Daddy's Roommate to my kids." Also, did you read all about her crazy cronyism in the New York Times Sunday edition (sorry that I can't give you a link, but I read it in print due to my RSI and can't really do any web browsing with my voice dictation software to get the link for you). She's an exact clone of Bush! She's the Taliban! She is so not warm and fuzzy!

Veep Contenders: An exclusive peek at McCain's top picks!

Click to enlarge

Because I couldn't resist doing a retroactive poke at world-class segregationist, gaybasher and AIDS-funding squasher Jesse Helms. Also, I hate Mitt Romney. And John McCain, of course.

Toon: QwikBaby "Baby Plant" Seeds!

Click to enlarge

For a country that trumpets its "family values," the U.S. comes up laughably short on parental leave. We've been the worst industrialized country in that department for a while, as this piece in USA Today detailed in 2005:

Out of 168 nations in a Harvard University study last year, 163 had some form of paid maternity leave, leaving the United States in the company of Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland.

The pitiful Family and Medical Leave Act only guarantees 12 UNPAID weeks of leave (for workers at larger companies.)

Companies have discretion to offer more leave (and pay for leave) if they choose to—but fewer and fewer make that choice. A recent study by the Families and Work Institute found that "far fewer employers provide full pay during the period of maternity-related disability, today at 16%, down from 27% in 1998."

It's part of a national trend towards cost-cutting and crappier workplace benefits (of course, these things should be provided by the GOVERNMENT, but gosh, that might be too SOCIALIST). More details here and here:

"I had my son on Thursday and, on Monday, I had to go back to work," said Selena Allen, a 30-year-old mother who was working at a non-profit agency near Seattle when she had a baby five years ago.

No paid maternity leave for Allen meant leaving her premature son, Conor, in the hospital for weeks without being able to care for him.

"I was an emotional wreck, I was devastated, but in order to feed my family, I had no other option," Allen said.

P.S. On a feminist note, I of course support a good long period of paid parental leave for parents of any gender and sexual orientation (including adoptive parents!), not just maternity leave or leave for heterosexual couples. I certainly don't want to encourage any policy that implies childrearing should be women's work, or that only women should stay home with kids, etc. Just to be clear and all...

P.P.S. A reader on Flickr notes that my cartoon reminds him of a creepy-sounding Czech movie called Otesánek (Little Otik). Eeek! I'll have to check it out.

Toon: Trend Tracker, Summer Style Report

Click to enlarge

The main inspiration for this was KMart's ridiculous "True Love Waits" pants, which I discovered via Feministing. Also, I really am concerned about the sinister evolution of the high-waisted pant.

Toon: Political Dads with Lesbian Daughters: A Field Guide

Click to enlarge

Oh my goodness, Deval Patrick is just too awesome—and apparently the awesomeness doesn't fall far from the tree. The newish governor of Massachusetts has been fighting for LGBT rights since long before his brave teenage daughter came out to him as a lesbian, too, which makes this story even cooler. Also, the Bay Windows interview with Patrick and his daughter ("With love and pride, Governor Deval Patrick’s daughter comes out publicly") in which Gov. Patrick tears up made me tear up like the sentimental woman I'm usually not.

And yes, this was a Father's Day- + Pride Month-themed cartoon, I'm just posting it late.