John Auchter
Contributor, Auchter's ArtJohn has created Michigan-based editorial cartoons for the Grand Rapids Business Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, and MLive Newspapers. His cartoons are currently featured at MichiganPublic.org and are syndicated to newspapers through the Michigan Press Association. John is an active member of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) and is the current Vice President. You can view an archive of his editorial work and other cartoons at Auchtoon.com.
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Monday, November 10 is the 50th anniversary of the freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinking in Lake Superior during a storm, with the loss of the entire crew of 29 men. It was a tragedy and treated as such at the time. I would hope it would be treated the same now, but I have some doubts about how long cable news could stay on topic before spinning off to pundit land. -
There is so much going on in the country and the world right now. And, as you may have noticed, most of it not good. War, starvation, grift, economic turmoil, constitutional crisis, rising authoritarianism — well, you get it. It's awful. But it's also compelling. -
It can be very difficult to understand why people would consistently vote against their own best interests — why they would support policies over and over that create financial hardships. -
We Americans had our own demagogues, authoritarians, and fascists in the 1930s. But we ultimately had the good sense not to put them in charge of things. -
Yes, yes — I think we can all agree that the way in which Michigan's budget for 2026 came to be was probably unconstitutional, needlessly divisive, and ridiculously and dangerously opaque. In short, a disaster and counter to how representational government should function. -
Unless you listen to the likes of Stephen Miller (and nobody should), you know that people are essentially the same all over the world. We are all human and susceptible to the worst human inclinations: hate, fear, willful ignorance, bigotry, racism, toxic ideology, etc. And, unfortunately, a common consequence is violence. -
It wouldn't be a very Michigander thing to say that Michiganders are better than anybody else. After all, modesty is one of our more endearing traits. But it's not wrong to say that there is a special practicality about us. -
My hope is that I only picked this idea because it was the simplest one. I hope I didn't let the ominous threats to free speech that have swept our nation in the past week influence my decision. Kinda makes me feel even sicker, but I can't say for sure. -
If you've ever wondered why people who aren't Trump supporters get so infuriated with him and his administration, well — let's be honest — it's a laundry list. But consistently never taking personal responsibility (particularly when things go badly) is definitely near the top. -
Our state government is designed to work best when voters are encouraged and engaged. When politicians operate in a "the end justifies the means" mode or when politicians make promises and don't keep them, that feeds cynicism and negativity among the voters. Which in turn attracts politicians that feed off that cynicism and negativity. Rinse and repeat.
