When senior fellow Barry Poulson phoned into the Whitehouse conference call concerning the auto bailouts, he expected to be greeted with the usual respect and reverence his comments usually receive. However this time was different. This time his comments were met with the same resistance and rejection requests for raises receive in my office. It’s hardly surprising the President did not want to hear any dissent regarding the bailouts, because after all, his mind was already made up. Barry tells us in his latest op-ed that, quite simply, the Whitehouse is unwilling to tell Detroit to suck it up (Barry’s words). It’s the same suck it up Barry heard from his coach when swim practice got tough, and the same suck it up I heard when I contested Ann Coulter’s restraining order against me (It won’t happen again, promise). For those with an aversion to reading like myself, take a listen to Barry’s podcast with Amy Oliver where he discusses the far reaching consequences of setting this type of precedent.

© 2008, Benjamin Hummel. To see more cartoons like this go to www.politixcartoons.com.

These guys are a great group to drink with. Check them out here.



If you look real closely, you can see me singing my heart out.

© 2008, Benjamin Hummel. To see more cartoons like this go to www.politixcartoons.com.

Senior fellow Dennis Polhill is a rockstar.  Everyone knows this.  So when the National Review Online wanted some conservative experts to weigh in on infrastructure policy, they called Dennis.  Of course I don’t understand a single word of Dennis’ response to their question, “What is a conservative infrastructure strategy and how realistic is it in Obama’s Washington?”  With words like “interim,” “summarily,” and “capital-intensive” littered throughout who can blame me?  Dennis is on another level, which is part of the reason I hired him.  The other part has a lot to do with the amusing corduroy jackets he wears everyday, of which he has about a dozen in a dozen different colors.  Indeed, truly historic pieces of Americana.

Let me get this straight. You’ve wanted to take our 5 week course Free People, Free Markets for some time now, but something always comes up.  (Next one starts January 24th, don’t forget).  Perhaps Saturdays just don’t work or maybe you live too far from Golden to make it up each week. That’s fine, senior fellow Paul Prentice has the solution: Free People, Free Markets - the mini version! That’s right, in one 3 hour session, Paul will teach the fundamentals of a free society and explore how it relates to America’s founding. It’s going down Tuesday, January 13th, from 6:30 to 9:30pm at the Vanguard School in Colorado Springs. Do not miss this incredible opportunity!

Between his nap time and playing with Legos, little Eddie alerted me to a fantastic Rocky Mountain News Speakout piece, written by senior fellow Krista Kafer. In it, she urges parents to do their homework before enrolling their kids into school. For example, one resource is the School Accountability Reports (aka SARs) - which provides a profile for each public school in Colorado.  Another great resource is our School Choice for Kids website, which gives parents a chance to search for nearby schools that fit the educational criteria they prefer for their kids.  Point being, there’s a lot of valuable information out there for parents and Krista’s right, with a little due diligence, parents can make the best choice for their kids.

You thought it was safe to buy that Toyota right? Wrong. A special message from the American auto industry:

I’ve decided to enter the ranks of cool kids who like to “tweet” the day away on Twitter. What better way to alert the world I’m eating a hamburger or teaching my kids how to properly fire off bottle rockets in the backyard? So, if having a Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Flickr, and Ning account was just not enough and you indulged in Twitter as well, follow me and my daily exploits.

© 2008, Benjamin Hummel. To see more cartoons like this go to www.politixcartoons.com.