"Energy Issues": Cartoon #3



"The EPA's crackdown on Santa"

I thought this cartoon by Dana Summers would be appropriate since we just discussed the powers of independent regulatory commissions as a part of the federal bureaucracy. The cartoon shows Santa reading a note from the EPA that no coal will be placed in stockings this year, as a nod to the idea that the energy crisis continues. The cartoonist uses Santa as a satire for businesses and corporations that are closely regulated by the EPA, and gives the impression that the EPA is interfering with the traditional way of things (judging from the vaguely shocked expression on the faces of the elves and reindeer). This would mean that the cartoonist has a more conservative view of government and the bureaucracy, being of the opinion that too much government regulation is overwhelming and overall ineffective or harmful to business practices and prices.