The long-standing adage that only death and taxes are certain receives fresh treatment in a cartoon depicting an IRS outpost operating in hell. No specific policy change or ruling prompted the piece, which instead plays on the enduring public frustration with tax collection as an inescapable force. The editorial stance pokes at bureaucratic persistence, suggesting the tax man follows citizens beyond the grave with the same relentless efficiency seen in life.
The North Carolina Board of Elections has updated rules governing mail ballots for the 2026 elections, introducing stricter verification and deadline requirements. The changes affect how voters submit ballots and have drawn criticism for complicating access. The move comes amid ongoing debates over election security and participation. Critics argue the adjustments disproportionately impact certain voter groups. The cartoon portrays the board as actively shifting standards to the disadvantage of mail voters.
Proposals to make daylight saving time permanent coincide with debates over tariffs, abortion access, voting rights and environmental rules. The cartoon frames these as part of a broader pattern of policy shifts that some view as steps backward.
Canada announced it will lift interprovincial trade barriers on alcohol sales. The change opens cross-border provincial liquor markets and prompts complaints from Quebec and Alberta separatists. The cartoon mocks those complaints as mere whines while a clerk offers a dismissive laugh.
The June 2019 cartoon by Pat Bagley depicts EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler lounging in a chair with a large cigar. Smoke from the cigar forms the letters E.P.A. overhead and drifts toward a sign reading THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. The image responds to the Trump administration's moves to ease limits on carbon emissions from coal plants. Wheeler, who previously worked as a coal lobbyist, is shown in a relaxed pose as the smoke billows outward. The drawing criticizes the agency's direction on air pollution rules at that time.
The cartoon depicts a furious representative of the fossil fuel industry reading an EPA newspaper headline announcing President Obama's push for major cuts in power plant emissions. The figure, labeled on a yellow badge, grips the paper tightly with smoke rising from his head. The image responds to the June 2014 EPA proposal requiring states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants by an average of 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The proposal targeted coal-fired plants while allowing flexibility through natural gas, renewables and efficiency measures. The visual emphasizes industry anger at the new standards aimed at addressing climate change and improving air quality.
