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John Auchter

Contributor, Auchter's Art

John 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.

  • "Look, the grim reaper and gun violence are in lockstep on this. They aren't going to break up on their own. That's our responsibility — with 'our' very much including elected and appointed officials."
  • Now get out there and enjoy your freedom of speech and expression! (Responsibly, please.)
  • Americans, particularly us Midwesterners, sure love a redemption story. And the Michigan Central Station is a good one.
  • The bridge is very much about what America aspires to be: open, welcoming, engaging. Developing commerce, building relationships, free trade. Whereas the various walls and obstacles on our southern border reveal our darker inclinations: closed, hostile, dismissive. Limiting commerce, straining relationships, taxing trade.
  • Michigan consistently has one of the highest, if not the highest, auto insurance rates in the United States. Turns out, verifying this is an adventure in click-bait, so I have a moral obligation not to provide a link. But I believe most Michiganders already have firsthand evidence.
  • Most of Michigan's population is in the lower half of the Lower Peninsula. So recently when the northern lights paid a rare visit, it was understandable that the bulk of the people in our state were so delighted. But it had to be a bit of an eye-rolling experience for Yoopers.
  • However you feel about the Electoral College, I think we all can agree that it makes certain states — so-called swing states or battleground states — more relevant than others. Michigan is one of them, and, on the whole, that's at least better than not being relevant.
  • College students are supposed to be excitable and passionate and sometimes do things they, intentionally or unintentionally, are not supposed to do. Typically, the stakes and consequences are very low. But even when they are high like in these current protests, it's good to remember that the vast majority of those involved are, in fact, college students.
  • Taxpayers getting the short end of the stick is not unusual. But it does come at a time when Michiganders are particularly sensitive about highly touted deals in which we are likely going to get a diminished return on investment. Deals that Michigan made for big automotive battery projects just a couple of years ago are now being questioned and revisited.
  • As Michiganders, we know well that there are compelling arguments for and against unions in general and the UAW in particular. But "disingenuous" is the most charitable way that I can describe southern politicians accusing the UAW of running campaigns "driven by misinformation and scare tactics."