Toon & text by John Auchter
It’s true. Michigan is building a new bridge with Canada — the Gordie Howe Bridge between Detroit and Windsor. And Canada is indeed paying for it. In fact, credit where credit is due, that’s how Governor Snyder made the deal happen — with his own kind of end run around a legislature reluctant to fund it. (The legislative branch constitutionally must appropriate funds, but Canada is taking care of the up front costs.)
That’s mostly where similarities end between the bridge and the wall with Mexico. The bridge is a bridge: a forward-looking, economically positive structure designed to promote commerce and connection among neighbors. The wall is, well, it’s hard to tell what the heck that is. A 30 foot concrete barrier from “sea to shining sea”? A series of steel slats in specific locations? A metaphor to stoke dread and fear? Whatever, a wall is generally not intended to promote commerce and connection among neighbors.
I juxtapose the bridge and the wall not for the parallels, but for the differences. With the President intent on pursuing a decidedly negative agenda, elsewhere in America (specifically here in Michigan) forward-looking efforts continue to develop. And not only forward-looking, but fully constitutional as well! Oh, there is so much we can help you with, Mr. President.
John Auchter draws cartoons. Lots and lots of them. You can find them at his incredibly popular website auchtoon.com. You can also find his stuff on Michigan Public Radio’s website under Opinion.
I hope to heck Trump’s people see this! (Trump himself probably would not get it.) I also hope to heck Trump will not try to put barbed wire and trigger-happy lance corporals between Detroit and Windsor.
When I last posted here, many moons ago, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Drumpf would still be in office in 2019.
Is there no god? November 2020 will tell the tale about America.
No need for steel.
Recently, according to the Treasury department, the total public debt crossed the $22 trillion mark. When President Donald Trump took office, debt stood just over $19.9 trillion. Suppose we take that additional $2.1 trillion in $1 bills and lay it out end to end along the U.S. – Mexico border layer by layer. Guess what folks. We now have his big, bad, beautiful wall, and it is a breathtaking 37.3 feet high!
Good thought but Trump is too egotistical to take advice from Michigan or any other place.
He’s going to bull his way down our throats, like it or not.