Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for November 01, 2020

Maybe it would be best if you did not watch or read any news and just lived a life of ignorant bliss.

Rat should have gone to Wise Ass on the Hill.

It’s a box o’ answers or a box o’ questions?

That’s the thing about “rule by the people”—every now and then, you’re expected to do something.

why even ask said box?

The problem some folks have is that they demand the answers that they WANT to hear.

I always ask the person if they voted. If they didn’t, I tell them to shut up.

The big flaw in democracy is that . . .

You have to do something.

It’s all your fault, Rat.

WE THE PEOPLE.

There’s always a catch, isn’t there ?

Apathy and ignorance might be the real American Way.

I know my representative’s name. He’s an idiot. I write to him regularly. He writes back telling me how great he is (he’s not) and how he’s right (he’s not). He’ll never be voted out. So, I’m going to move. THAT’S the American way.

Well Stephan you got this right as usual! Good day

All I can say is that I Voted.

I won’t say who for – that’s not the point.

I mailed in my vote and was able to check later to see that it was accepted. My health and transportation situation would make standing in line on Tuesday an ordeal. I liked advance voting and will see about doing it again in the future.

Government sometimes does some things very well: eight days of early voting at any of five polling places, each open 13 hours per day, followed by Election day at any of 14 polling places lets a great many people vote and go within one hour.

Rat you should of used the good old “Eight” Ball ! …. Croc Power !

The truth hurts eh Rat?

Because personal responsibility can never be the answer, right Rat?

…..blame the victim for everything, while we have a dangerous fool in the White House.

To borrow a phrase from a character in another comic, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Unfortunately, rats are everywhere.

Hey, Schrödinger’s cat was in there and I wouldn’t touch the mess if I were you.

The answer is 42. (It certainly isn’t 45.)

Do you even…? This is indeed the most apalling: how many are not caring to vote, but complain about government not caring about them.

Geez, a very accurate description of the typical American

“Ignorant” being the operative word here. . .haven’t noticed much bliss . . .

It looks like the new “biggest group of voters” woke this year.

He should have asked if Rat has a lot of money, then he could fit in just fine and make a difference.

I find people who complained the most about govt, are the ones who DON’T VOTE!…… STFU…..you have no voice if you DON’T VOTE!

Every election, I study the issues and the candidates…and then vote for who my barber tells me to. (This is not as silly as it sounds. He’s a retired county commissioner, and his barbershop, across the street from City Hall, is the unofficial City Hall Annex. He knows who the good people are, and who the stinkers are. On the whole, our local government works quite well indeed…and, in the final analysis, this is more important on a daily level than the national races.)

Have you sent massive $$$ to your political minion of choice?

Rat has lived a life of ignorance.

“Are you involved in any groups?”

Can be effective if the group is local, grassroots activism directed toward a specific act of legislation.

“Do you go to any rallies?”

Rallies are most effective when used as a tactic in the sort of activism described above.

“Do you read up on issues?”

Of all the behaviors listed here, this is probably the one documented to be the least effective, especially when the individual uses it as a substitute for grassroots involvement.

“Do you write your representative?”

Sadly, this tired cliché, embedded in Americans’ minds from grade-school civics lessons of the previous century, has very nearly lost all value in the context of the highly gerrymandered political districts of the current century.

“Do you know the name of your representative?”

A minimum requirement, at least if one plans to push for specific policy changes and legislation. … and of course, if one plans to vote.

“Do you vote?”

This one (in my opinion) should be a requirement for U.S. citizenship. If you have the requisite mental capacity but don’t participate in local, state and national elections, then you should lose your citizenship status.

It doesn’t matter who I vote for, the government still gets in.

Rat is the answer! Don’t blame the box!

Uhh, what was the question?

I’d move to Canada but it’s too @!$%**!! cold!!

A potential new candidate for “Village Idiot.”

Being ignorant is what caused the problem in the first place

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”Plato

I was a political science major in college. For my class in political survey methods, I did a simple “Who are your elected representatives?” poll. Outside of fellow poli-sci majors, almost no one knew anything beyond President, Vice-President, and Governor. And this was two weeks after an election.

back way up…do you know the names of the people on your block? Your county commissioners. Do you know how and why they make decisions by listening to their meetings. Many are recorded. Start at the grass roots.

in leu of money since the conventions, every weekend I mail to the closest people I can to the contenders the vegas book’s implied probability percentage..

You just need informed voters so the good ones stay and the corporate stooges can go get a job with their contributors. If you really want to know who a candidate will be working for, look at a site called “Open Secrets”. There are others, but this is a good one. It will tell you who is financing their campaign………………………………………….. We all have to do the bidding of who ever is supplying the money to pay our bills. So do politicians. If most of their money is coming from individuals, unions, or other organizations representing the Middle Class, that is who they are going to work for. If most of their money is from banks, Wall street, etc. they are going to work for the 1%. They don’t really have any choice if they want to win the next election. To vote their conscience against the 1% would be political suicide.

What perfect nonsense. Votes don’t count, and/or aren’t counted. If voting could change anything meaningfully, it would be illegal. None of the things mentioned have the least influence on anything. The function of government is always, by definition, to preserve, protect, and extend the privileges of the elite.

The truth hurts; but here it hurt the wrong party.

Problem is, the bliss only lasts until reality intrudes. And it always does.

Do most people believe doing all those things will actually make a difference?

Can answer yes to all the above….but our politicians do whatever they want anyway. How did it ever become ok to get rich from a public servants job?

Rokittman, you asked the most important question that has the most discouraging answer.

Most of the voting public I’m afraid…..

I voted and yes, I read a lot.

Thanks to this cartoon, Rat just pulled ahead of Larry the Croc for Village Idiot.

I have discovered the key to happiness: DON’T WATCH NEWS

Contacting my representatives has always turned out to be a waste of my time. I always get a standard form email that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue I contacted them about.

Well said! And because of gerrymandering, politicians in office do Not fear removal…and so they can afford to ignore public opinion, even when it is overwhelmingly against their party. Just see how many are now shaking in their boots because the great majority is showing up. Holding my breath it is not too late.

I do all those things and the government still sucks. I must be doing it wrong.

Dry your tears, four more years!

Oh so true, we have to be active participants or we might as well not vote. I voted anyway.

If the box thinks going to rallies is an answer to anything other than “How can I get hypothermia and probably contract covid?”, then it truly doesn’t have any answers.

I do know the name of my representative. But writing to him is about as useless as the appendix.

YES!

Ugh – a few days ago I encountered a troll on another site who was pretending that “all politicians are crap so I don’t vote” was the moral high-ground rather than the complete abdication of responsibility.

it doesn’t look like the box o’ answers blinks at all