Weekend Cartoons

These cartoons ran in the State Journal on Saturday and Sunday.

Both are pretty funny, but neither are particularly hard hitting. Also, I need to draw fewer animals. I don't really care for our furry friends.

Update

Here are the cartoons I've drawn since my last post.

Barrett Runs for Governor

Here is the cartoon I drew for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's decision to run for Governor in 2010.
I drew the cartoon earlier last week, because I had to head out of town for a funeral.

I had two separate captions for the cartoon one in case Barrett declared he would run, and one for in case he decided to stay put. Here is the cartoon that didn't run.
And I was pretty perturbed that Barret waited until Sunday to announce his candidacy. I had stayed up until 3am last Thursday morning drawing the cartoon so my editor could use it over the weekend. I then awoke at 5am Thursday so I catch my flight to the east coast for the funeral. By announcing on Sunday, when there is no one at the editorial desk at the Wisconsin State Journal, my cartoon didn't run until Tuesday, and I stayed up to 3am for no reason.

Consider yourself warned Mayor Barrett, you've gotten my bad side, and now I will relish every opportunity I get to draw a cartoon about you. That's right, don't mess with the cartoonist.

Radioactive

The issue of using student test scores to evaluate teacher performance has become rather toxic.

It all seems rather silly to me. I understand that teachers should not be evaluated solely on student test results, but test that measure a student's learning progress are essential to evaluating how well teachers are performing, and whether they should keep their jobs. There are thousands of dedicated teachers in this country that are woefully underpaid for the innovative work they do to help their students learn. Likewise there are thousands of unimaginative and apathetic teachers who are concerned more with their next vacation, than they are with how well their students learn. Good teachers need to be paid for their trouble, and bad teachers need to be removed from the classrooms, and there's nothing wrong with using student test scores to help separate the good from the bad.

Edgewater and Library projects in Madison

Here is a cartoon from today's Wisconsin State Journal.

I usually agree with Ald. Schumacher. I've found him to be pragmatic and he has a healthier dose of common sense than most council members. But he's wrong to delay the Edgewater and Library proposals. Both proposals hinge on cheap construction and material cost because of the recession, and both will cost significantly more money and become less viable as the economy improves.

Michael Schumacher is pretty smart and knows this. He wants to kill these projects.

He should have to guts to say so.

More updates

Here are some recent Cartoons.

Favre Toon

Here is yesterday's cartoon about Brett Favre's return to Green Bay. It was a tough game.

Lawton bows out.

Lt. Governor Barb Lawton unexpected dropped out to the race for Governor last week. Rumors have been flying like beads at Mardi Gras as to what exactly were the "very personal" reason that forced her to quit. Some said she couldn't raise funds, others questions her health and a shock jock even spewed nasty rumor about her marriage. Most likely she was forced out by the Obama administration who wants Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to run.

But he hasn't made a decision yet, and if he chooses not to run, the Democrats will be up a frozen creek without a paddle.