Cartoonist ‘greatly dismayed’ over lost Treasury job

Michael Kandalaft, the creator of That Monkey Tune, a simian-centered cartoon strip, had his eye on a job at the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Public Debt and is banana-throwing mad that he lost out on his potential payday.

Kandalaft wrote a letter Monday to Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), pictured, expressing his “great dismay” over Dorgan’s role in killing an employment ad the Bureau of the Public Debt had recently posted seeking a cartoonist. The agency was looking for a cartoonist to make humorous presentations to help managers at the bureau cope with workplace stress at a time of soaring federal deficits.

{mosads}Dorgan became outraged when he learned of the project and called the agency to complain, forcing it to retract its want ad.

“I understand the need for motivation in the workplace, but I think we have a greater motivation to save taxpayers some money,” Dorgan said.

So Kandalaft has offered Dorgan a modest proposal: He’s willing to provide his services to the Treasury Department pro bono at a time of national economic crisis.

“I feel this is an important job at an important time for important Americans who would greatly benefit from such a presentation,” Kandalaft wrote in a letter to Dorgan and the Bureau of the Public Debt.

Bean-counters at Treasury might get a kick out of one of Kandalaft’s latest strips, which features monkeys wearing designer sneakers, an object lesson in what federal bureaucrats should not be doing when polls show that Americans are becoming increasingly concerned over the public debt.

 
Barr vs. Barr

On Thursday, the House voted not to reauthorize a controversial marijuana statute known as the Barr Amendment — and no one is happier about this than the bill’s namesake and sponsor, former Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.).

Since its first passing in 1999, the Barr Amendment has effectively prevented any type of medical marijuana initiative from receiving legal consideration in the District of Columbia. It also prohibited any relaxation in penalties for marijuana-related offenses.

Parts of the legislation were struck down in 2002, but even in a slightly watered-down format, it has remained the most influential marijuana statute in the nation’s capital for a decade.

The exclusion of the Barr Amendment comes amid a broader shift in administration policy toward marijuana, one that Barr wholeheartedly supports. The Georgia native reversed his position on drug legalization prior to his 2008 campaign for president, when he ran as the Libertarian Party candidate.

Barr praised the move in a statement released Monday and offered support for additional administration efforts. “I have applauded the indications by Attorney General Eric Holder to begin easing federal efforts against individuals in states that have moved to decriminalize or legalize the use of marijuana, and the fresh approach to the federal anti-drug effort as articulated earlier this year by Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (the so-called ‘Drug Czar’).”

The Barr Amendment still needs to be removed from the Senate version of the spending bill, but according to Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance, “There’s a strong chance that conferees will keep the Barr Amendment out of the final FY10 Financial Services bill. The Senate may leave it in, but the conferees can keep the ban out of the final bill.”

 
Rahall’s Flying High

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) had “one of the greatest experiences of [his] life” Sunday, skydiving with the U.S. Army’s elite Golden Knights paratrooper squad.

The lawmaker, who turned 60 in May, enthusiastically described the view: “I have never seen my hometown of Beckley, W. Va., from such a spectacular and breathtaking perspective — absolutely amazing! The mountains were so majestic. I cannot tell you how beautiful; it’s hard to really describe.”

Was he nervous? “Not nervous, maybe anxious, but after meeting all the Golden Knights it was very clear I was with extremely qualified, experienced professionals.”

He added, “Coming down with Sgt. Mike Elliot was like having a first-class ticket all the way down. And yes, I’d do it again!”

 After landing safely from 13,500 feet, Rahall had an even greater appreciation for the work of the paratroopers. “They are so dedicated in the service that they have given our country, and I just cannot salute them enough.

“They guided me down every step of the way, just as they guide our country, through so much turmoil and trouble and … God Bless ’em!”

The Honorable Thing

The nation’s capital has always been a town where the right name opens doors, but the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) went a little further than usual.

The must-have middle name listed for candidates Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) and Ohio state Rep. James Trakas (R) was “Honorable.”

That, of course, is the formal title for Washington bigwigs, so ITK figured it was time to correct the record. Neugebauer’s middle name is Randolph (his first name is Robert), Smith’s is Michael and Trakas’s is Peter.