John Auchter
Contributor, Auchter's ArtSince 1995 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. You can view an archive of his editorial work and other cartoons at Auchtoon.com.
In addition to cartoons and essays for Michigan Radio, John works as a technical communication specialist. He has worked for a variety companies, from startups to large corporations, and has operated his own business. The job basically is the same as cartooning — putting words and images together to communicate. But in this case, John knows enough not to draw funny pictures of his boss or client. (Well, now he does.)
John grew up on the east side of the state near Flint, graduated from Michigan Tech in da UP, and has lived in West Michigan since. He vacations Up North every summer and shovels lots of snow every winter. After his wife, he is the biggest Tigers fan in the family. He drinks Vernors when his tummy hurts.
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By my observation, Republican candidates (local, state, national) seem to be pretty good at identifying problems but lacking in actual plans and answers. It's not like Democrats are great at this either. But they do seem to come up with functional legislation every once in while. -
It's getting increasingly difficult to tell whether a politician has done a good job because of the willingness (nay, enthusiasm) there is for spinning news. That is, making news (any news) unfavorable for the other team. -
It's a lazy argument. It saves the hard work of figuring out what is and what is not a good law and trying to think through the benefits while anticipating the consequences. -
Was it the worst injustice ever in the history of injustices? No. But the overwrought reactions of coach Harbaugh, Michigan's Board of Regents, and the legions of Wolverine fans would have you think it was. -
Michigan Republicans are, of course, outraged. Outraged that after decades of their majority rule shenanigans, they now have to suffer such indignities. Who could have possibly foreseen this? The takeaway: We all suffer when so-called leaders prioritize party over people. -
Wherever you happen to stand on holding accountable the public officials who put Flint under state-appointed emergency management, I think we can all agree that the optics (not to mention the results) were terrible. -
Although colleges and universities don't guarantee learning, they do provide the opportunity to learn. And some otherwise smart administrators and coaches seemingly continue not to take the opportunity. -
I've had two distinct thoughts of late regarding the ongoing UAW autoworker strike and the news around it (or the lack thereof). -
Social media is a lot of things, but I don't think it has fundamentally changed who people are. We have always found ways to miscommunicate with one another. Social media just does an exceptional job at facilitating it. -
Now in our very binary political environment, one might assume that I'm here to champion EVs. I'm not. We should be looking for the solutions that will allow the best possible benefits and ensure our country a position of technological leadership. Being the world's best horse-carriage makers will not make America great again.
