Hi Tom,

I confess it's been so long since I drew this, the nuances of it are a little fuzzy for me. I had to go back to this link - -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Oregon -- which finishes telling how this ended up in the first couple of paragraphs. So, still no legal same-sex marriages, but same sex couples are able to take advantage of some of the legal benefits of marriage. Not sure whether California's Prop 8 and it's legal history will have any impact on Oregon.

Well... The teacher's chair is empty because the layoff notice sitting on the desk. As for the rest of the classroom, we can't really see whether it's empty or not. We can presume that there are students there (or will be when class begins).

The apple here is a symbol of "that which sustains the teachers"-- in this case, money in the budget for education. It is portrayed in this cartoon as a meager core to represent the bare-bones funding that education has in the state of Oregon. The apple seemed a logical choice, as it is the classic symbol of a gift to the teacher. I drew it larger-than-life in this cartoon simply because it is the central symbol of the cartoon. If I had drawn it in proportion to the desk, then it would have been so tiny that it would have had little, if any, impact on the cartoon.

- Jesse

Yes, the 1% is all in when stocking fine condiments for the classroom.

That's awesome! I'm sure she's not the only one...

Hi Ashima,

Sure, go ahead. Thanks for asking!

- Jesse

Thanks, Steve!

Wish it was the other one!!!

So this is the cartoon I drew in the last two minutes after the Ducks tied the score at 19-- just in case!

Hi Steve,

My "campaign promise" was that I would always portray Dudley as too tall to fit into the frame of the cartoon. This is partly to exaggerate the fact that he is a very tall man, and it was partly so that I could be lazy and avoid drawing his caricature. As the weeks went by, I decided that by always depicting him that way, I was poking fun of the reason why some people choose candidates--based on their height (also the fact that we might elect a person whose main credential is that he was a mediocre basketball player).

I call it my "campaign promise" because if it turns out that he become the Governor of Oregon (and the tallest governor in the country), I will, in fact, break down and show his face. So, if that comes to pass, I guess we'll have our Simpson's baby moment.