One thing we can look forward to, should the Libertarian (under the guise of “Tea Party”) take-over of the Republican Party achieve success, is the return of socially relevant cartoons! Issues thought fixed/reformed half a century+ ago, as Tea Party extremists blindly seek to tear down the laws that protect individual American citizens against the most egregious abuses of corporations, ignorant of the history of why such reforms were needed in the first place.

Amongst the things that Libertarian-leaning Tea Party candidates wish to do, is remove all regulation of industry — including Child Labor Laws which Republicans and a conservative Supreme Court had blocked from enactment until 1938, almost a decade into the First Great Depression. If you’re thinking, “but kids are required to attend school”, don’t worry - Tea Party candidates have called for eliminating the Department of Education, as well!

As a preview of this new wonderful age of socially relevant cartoons, presented below is an example by artist Harrison Cady, published in 1914 in Life magazine, from the pre-Child Labor Reform era, titled Some Suggestions for Still Greater Efficiency in Child Labor. (Corporations involved in secretly funding attack ads against Democrats, take note! — This is what you’re fighting for!)

Click on the below picture to make it larger. Enjoy!

Of course, the radical agenda being advocated by Republican-Tea Party candidates, will not be implemented during the next two years, regardless of the results of the 2010 mid-term election. We have a Democratic President who will veto such extremist legislation. The only thing that will be accomplished by a split government where radicalized Republicans control one or both houses on Congress — given that the Republican Party has purged itself of those moderates willing to work with Democrats - will be to paralyze the federal government during a time of crisis. So that, unable to take actions needed to dig out of the mess created by Republicans’ prior eight years of wreckless and incompetent rule, we may find ourselves spiralling into a deeper Depression — just as Rush Limbaugh called for following President Obama’s election, when Limbaugh said he wanted Obama and Democrats to fail, and called for Republicans to say No to everything (as they pretty much have), to assure such a failure.

Doug Wheeler

NYLife ElectionCartoons