Salem News: Recycling Costs

Local Cities have started recycling programs in recent years. Seems to have been going well. People using less resources. But NOW..Scrap paper metal, glass, don't go for much per ton as they used to, plus the lower costs of oil..seems it turns out that it's gotten harder to keep up with the COSTS of recycling..Apparently the next endangered resources are budgets and profits..My cartoon from the 08/03/2016 SALEM NEWS.

Salem News: Paying the Piper

Not only will many North Shore ratepayers might have a unwanted pipeline forced thru their properties, they may have to PAY for it as well. My cartoon from the 04/16/2016 SALEM NEWS.

Salem News: Debt To Society

A bill is under consideration to have people held in prison pay for their prison costs, but given the low pay of prison work compared to the costs themselves, the saying "Paying your debt to society" takes on a whole new meaning. My cartoon from the 12/14/2015 SALEM NEWS.

SALEM NEWS: Low-Cost Security

Published 06/25/2012: The city wants to buy several cameras to place all over Salem in order to increase security. This is MY solution..

Salem News: Bringing Down the House

Published in THE SALEM NEWS 11/10/2010.
This was not one of my regular cartoons, but rather an illustration my Editor, Nelson K.Benton, requested for an editorial. The story concerned a long-standing court battle to tear down a neighborhood home that may have been built illegally, and its costs.

Salem News: Garage Fail

Published in the 09/17/2010 edition of THE SALEM (MA) News. The city wants the MBTA to help build a new parking garage at the Salem Depot, But as usual, what the city wants and what the State can afford are two different things entirely. The city wants a attractive garage (to lure tourists) w/handicap ramps, coffee shop, weather protection, etc, while the State only wants the very bare basics..levels of cement..The quote used in the cartoon was actually used by Salem Mayor Driscoll.

Salem News: More Fees

Published 06/18/2010: The Peabody School Commitee voted to TRIPLE student school bus fees starting the following school year..That could work out to be about $300 per child-and since it's the FAMILY that pays..This was kinda comparable to The BEVERLY School Committee, which is now requesting that every student have his own laptop-but not just ANY laptop- it has to STRICTLY run on an APPLE system, so kids/families that DON'T have that apple-based laptop have to shell out $900 for EACH laptop themselves just to meet school requirements...
it costs so much to send 'em to public school, might as WELL send them to private.. at least everything's included, and they stand a chance at getting a better education! Seems the more taxes we pay, the less we get (and the more THEY get into their own pockets!)

Zip Car (Salem News 04/24/2010)

Local issue Cartoon. Apparently one of the reasons they've delayed hiring a new Principal for The Horace Mann Middle School is due to uncertainity of both funding and whether or not the city will allow the school to remain open. These new car services in which a person rents a car for only a few hours at a time for short errands seems like a plan the schools could possibly adapt.