Tax Day Humor

I used to write serious columns every April 15, but that’s too depressing.

This decade (2021, 2022, 2023), I switched to sharing tax humor to commemorate the deadline for filing taxes in the United States.

Sticking with that new tradition, let’s start with this look at parasites.

Though, the real parasites are the interest groups that ultimately get the money. The IRS is just the middleman.

Next, the Onion reports on a new IRS enforcement campaign.

New IRS Campaign Fucking Dares You To Take Deduction For Home Office pic.twitter.com/iwIeMb3EPM

— The Onion (@TheOnion) April 13, 2017

I work from home, but I would never dare claim a home-office deduction, so the campaign is working.

For our third item, the IRS loves to use exaggerated estimates of a “tax gap.” This is what it means in reality.

Since I’m not a fan of withholding, this next tweet hits home.

And it doesn’t even capture the entire truth since very few taxpayers know that their payroll taxes are actually twice as high as what they see on their pay stubs and W-2 forms.

Perhaps because I grew up reading the Peanuts comic strip, this is today’s favorite item.

If only opting out of the tax code was this simple!

P.S. My archive of IRS humor features a new Obama 1040 form, a death tax cartoon, a list of tax day tips from David Letterman, a Reason video, a cartoon of how GPS would work if operated by the IRS, an IRS-designed pencil sharpener, two Obamacare/IRS cartoons (here and here), a collection of IRS jokes, a sale on 1040-form toilet paper (a real product), a song about the tax agency, the IRS’s version of the quadratic formula, and (my favorite) a joke about a Rabbi and an IRS agent.

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Libertarian Humor

I’m surprised that I only had one column of libertarian humor last year. Especially since I had three in 2022 (here, here, and here).

So let’s get a start on 2024 with this video from Reason.

For our second item, here’s a 9-frame depiction of libertarian perception vs. libertarian reality.

If you like that, I have a 6-frame version making the same points. As well as a 24-frame version if you like libertarian nuance.

Here are some Spanish conquistadors misapplying the non-aggression principle. But amusing enough to share.

I have a page on serious libertarian quandaries.

From a more humorous perspective, here are two fork-in-the-road choices for libertarians.

The first involves gold vs. crypto.

The second involves two choices for libertarian activism, the LP or AnCaps.

Per tradition, I’ve saved the best for last. It’s anti-libertarian, but nonetheless amusing.

Sort of like the video about Somalia being a libertarian paradise.

Very similar to this meme, as well as the last item in this column.

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Statism in Five Images

In honor of April Fool’s Day, let’s augment our collection of anti-statism humor (building on what was shared in February).

We’ll start with this cartoon pointing out that election day is actually when most people get tricked.

Next, some attempted pranks are simply too implausible.

For our third item, this primate captures my sentiments perfectly.

Next, here’s Mitchell’s Law in action.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

It takes perverse and extreme naivete to think the folks in government want what is best. And the people who think that are probably naive in other ways as well.

Meanwhile, rational people realize that politicians and bureaucrats are looking our for their own interests rather than the national interest. There’s a field of study in economics about this, known as “public choice.”

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Economics Humor

I shared four columns of economics humor in 2023 (March, August, November, and December), so we’re due for our first 2024 installment.

Let’s start with an example that easily could be part of socialism humor or communism humor, but it seems to apply to any strain of leftism.

Next, I’ve repeatedly debunked the silly idea that there is pervasive wage discrimination, but all of the research in that field of labor economics is based on the assumption that there are two genders.

The woke crowd is going to have to update their assumptions.

Next, I found a very appropriate motto for California government.

Our fourth item is the government version of the Field of Dreams.

Per tradition, I’ve saved the best for last.

I’ve written many serious columns about the failure and absurdity of anti-money laundering laws. Basically, politicians have created a system where banks and other financial institutions are compelled to spy on customers (supposedly to fight crime, but such policies are utterly ineffective).

Anyhow, the Australian government decided to expand these AML laws and rules by requiring banks to ask customers to justify large bank withdrawals. So this clever fellow recorded some amusing reasons.

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A post shared by Jon-Bernard Kairouz (@jonbernardk)

You may not think money-laundering policy lends itself to humor, but there’s also an amusing anecdote involving a former President.

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California Humor

I shared two columns of California-themed humor in 2022 (here and here), but none in 2023.

For a 2024 version, let’s start with this Babylon Bee video.

Since we started with a video about people escaping to Texas from California, here’s another example of refugees fleeing the state.

In this case, it’s the Beverly Hillbillies heading to Tennessee, which has no income tax (just like Texas).

Since Texas is a very popular landing spot for California refugees, that creates profitable opportunities.

Which leads us to our third item.

Next we have a cartoon that presumably was motivated by some of California’s bizarre environmental policies (such as preventing the clearance of underbrush, thus increasing the risk of dangerous fires).

But if you ignore the sign in the lower-right of the cartoon, it’s a general indictment of California’s bad policies.

I’ve saved the best for last, as usual.

Here’s a screenshot of the headline fro a Babylon Bee story about the big contract that Shohei Ohtani received when signing with the Dodgers.

But the reason this is my favorite is that Ohtani actually signed a contract that will keep an extra $100 million in his pockets.

Not the greatest-ever act of tax avoidance, or the most licentious, but what he did probably ranks in the top 10.

Maybe he learned from Trump and Biden?

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Environment Humor

I do several columns every year on socialism humor, communism humor, politician humor, gun control humor, and statism humor.

But environment humor is more limited. I shared one collection last year and another in 2021.

So today’s collection is probably the only one you’ll see this year. We’ll start with a look at enviro-activists.

Next we have Al Gore realizing that some of his predictions were not exactly accurate.

Maybe he should have been an economist instead?

Speaking of bad predictions, here’s a timeline of some of the horrific predictions by environmental alarmists.

For our fourth item, here’s Ron Swanson’s analysis of global warming.

Very similar to my assessment.

Per tradition, I’ve saved the best for last.

We started today’s collection with a look at the enviro-idiots who glue themselves to streets. Here’s a look at someone who worried he ran over a dog instead.

P.S. I did have some one-off examples of environmental humor back in 2010 and 2011. And this serious column in 2015 has an amusing cartoon at the end. Here’s another cartoon from 2015. Lastly, this 2018 column has some clever memes about California banning plastic straws.

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Statism in Five Images

After two columns of statism humor in 2023 (January and August), it’s now time for our first collection of 2024.

Our first item neatly summarizes the cognitive ability of our friends who instinctively like big government.

I especially appreciate our second item since it encapsulates Mitchell’s Law.

Our third item helpfully reminds readers that government corruption is unavoidable.

So the only way of reducing corruption is to reduce the size and scope of government.

Our fourth item involves the repulsive thief and Democratic mega-donor Samuel Bankman-Fried, who looked much better in his courtroom sketch than in reality.

Sort of like the way the establishment media covers policy issues.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

I’m not sure this guy was smart to admit he spends time looking at porn, but he was spot in his assessment of trustworthiness (or lack thereof).

I’ll stick with my answer, which is that gas station sushi is more trustworthy than government.

After all, gas station sushi has never done this. Or this. Or this.

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Communism Humor

I only had two columns mocking communism in 2023 (here and here), which seems inadequate given the massive failure of Marx’s evil ideology.

So let’s get a good start on 2024 with some anti-communism satire.

We’ll start with this meme about the dumb kids who will be very disappointed if they ever achieve their dream of a communist society.

I already mentioned that communism has failed miserably (North Korea, Cuba, Soviet Union, etc).

Our second example of humor involves some unexpected self-awareness by Karl Marx.

Next, the Babylon Bee has an article explaining 10 differences between capitalism and communism.

The whole list is worth reading, but here are a few of the examples.

Since I’ve already mentioned North Korea, this next cartoon is appropriate.

To be sure, communists doubtlessly would respond with the laughable (and oft-used) claim that North Korea isn’t “real communism.”

Per tradition, I’ve saved the best for last.

Here’s something you might see if microscopes were very advanced.

One of the (many) problems with communism, though, is that it quickly becomes apparent that there are too many people wanting to ride in the wagon and not enough people willing to pull the wagon.

In other words, you can’t be a parasite unless someone is willing to produce.

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Merry Libertarian Christmas

Per tradition (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, etc), today is for some humor.

We’ll start by trying to figure out Santa’s ideology.

The Political Compass of Santa pic.twitter.com/q7tKegTzoV

— Gary Winslett 🌐🇺🇸 (@GaryWinslett) December 16, 2023

Next we have Biden playing Santa Claus with other people’s money.

Our next item shows that environmentalists are willing to kill more than birds.

For our next item, different philosophers give their two cents on the meaning of Christmas.

Last but not least, we have a Bidenomics Christmas.

If you want something serious but also Christmas-themed, here’s an analysis of the economics of Scrooge.

P.S. It goes without saying that I didn’t get what I wanted for Christmas.

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Socialism Humor

Following up on columns from March and July, let’s enjoy a third and final collection of socialism mockery for 2023.

Our first item shows what happens when some socialists realize they are the same as some other socialists.

Next we have a socialist admitting his true motive.

Our third item shows the difference between voluntary exchange (which produces a growing pie) and government coercion (which is a zero-sum game).

Next, we have a Venn Diagram about the intersection of socialism with various societal goals.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

I’ve written serious columns about young people and their foolish dalliance with socialism, but I’ve never come up with a solution. A year in Venezuela would probably work wonders.

P.S. There’s another approach that might get young socialists (at least the studious ones) to realize the error of their ways. It’s depicted in this video and this video.

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Politician Humor

Inexplicably, I’ve only shared one column this year mocking politicians. So let’s rectify that oversight with five new examples of satire.

We’ll start with this cartoon. I think Crazy Bernie is the one yelling, but it could be Biden.

Our second item is a headline from the Babylon Bee, though the entire story is worth reading.

Movie buffs will appreciate our next item, which sort of copies the message from my series about the “wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

Speaking of which, here’s a typical denizen of that wretched hive.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last. In this case, though, it’s a written joke rather than a cartoon or meme.

Only weeks after leaving office on January 20, 2017, former President Barack Obama discovers the AC in one of his mansions is not cooling so he calls Troy the Serviceman to come out and fix it.

Troy drives to President Obama’s new house, which is located in a very exclusive, gated community near Washington where all the residents have a net income of way more than $250,000 per year.

Troy arrives and takes his tools into the house. He is led to the guest house that isn’t cooling. Troy assesses the problem and tells President Obama that it’s an easy repair that will take less than 10 minutes.  President Obama asks Troy how much it will cost.  Troy checks his rate chart and says, “$9,500.

“What?! $9,500?!” Obama asks, stunned, “But you said it’s an easy repair.  Michelle will whip me if I pay an AC mechanic that much!” Troy says, “Yes, but what I do is charge those who make more than $250,000 per year a much higher amount so I can fix the air conditioning of poorer people for free. This has always been my philosophy.

As a matter of fact, I lobbied the Democrat Congress, who passed this philosophy into law. Now all AC techs must do business this way. It’s known as the ‘Affordable Heating and Air Conditioning Act of 2014’. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it.”  In spite of that, Obama tells Troy there’s no way he’s paying that much for a small repair, so Troy leaves.

Obama spends the next hour flipping through the phone book calling for another AC company but he finds that all other AC service businesses in the area have gone out of business. Not wanting to pay Troy’s price, Obama does nothing and the AC goes un-repaired for several more days. A week later the heat is so bad President Obama has had to put a wet towel on  Michelle and she is not happy as she has Oprah and guests arriving the next morning.

Obama calls Troy and pleads with him to return. Troy goes back to President Obama’s house, looks at the AC unit, checks his new rate chart and says, “Let’s see, this will now cost you $21,000.”

President Obama quickly fires back, “What? A few days ago you told me it would cost $9,500!”

Troy explains, “Well, because of the ‘Affordable Heating and Air Conditioning Act,’ a lot of wealthier people are learning how to maintain and take care of their own units so there are fewer payers in the AC exchanges. As a result, the price I have to charge wealthy people like you keeps rising. Not only that, but for some reason the demand for AC work by those who get it for free has skyrocketed! There’s a long waiting list of those who need repairs, but the amount we get doesn’t cover our costs, especially paperwork and record-keeping. This unfortunately has put a lot of my fellow AC mechanics out of business, they’re not being replaced, and nobody is going into the Air Conditioning business because they know they can’t make any money at it. I’m hurting too, all thanks to greedy rich people like you who won’t pay their ‘fair share’.

On the other hand, why didn’t you buy HVAC insurance last December?  If you had bought HVAC insurance available under the ‘Affordable Heating and Air Conditioning Act,’ all this would have been covered by your policy.”

“You mean I wouldn’t have to pay anything to have you fix my AC problem?” asks Obama.

“Well, not exactly,” replies Troy. “You would have had to buy the insurance before the deadline, which has passed now. And, because you’re rich, you would have had to pay $34,000 in premiums, which would have given you a ‘silver’ plan, and then, since this would have been your first repair, you would have to pay up to the $21,000 deductible, and anything over that would have a $7,500 co-pay, and then there’s the mandatory maintenance program, which is covered up to 17.5%, so there are some costs involved. Nothing is for free.”

“WHAT?!” exclaims Obama. “Why so much for a small AC unit?

With a bland look, Troy replies, “Well, paperwork, mostly, like I said.  And the internal cost of the program itself. You don’t think a program of this complexity and scope can run itself, do you?  Besides, there are millions of folks with lower incomes than you, even many in the ‘middle class’, who qualify for subsidies that people like you must support. That’s why they call it the ‘Affordable Heating and Air Conditioning Act’! Only people who don’t make much money can afford it. If you want affordable Air Conditioning you’ll have to give away most of what you have accumulated and cut your and Michelle’s income by about 90%.  Then you can qualify to GET your ‘Fair Share’ instead of GIVING it.” “But who would pass a crazy act like the ‘Affordable Heating and Air Conditioning Act’?!” exclaims the exasperated Obama.

After a sigh, Troy replies, “Congress… because they didn’t read it.”

Now you understand how the health care system works thanks not only to Obamacare, but also because of lots of other policies (Medicare, Medicaid, the healthcare exclusion, etc) that distort prices and create perverse incentives.

P.S. If you want another Obama-specific joke, click here.

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Gun Control Humor

For today, let’s enjoy a final 2023 version of gun control humor (previous columns in May and September).

We’ll start with how politicians want to protect us from dangerous cutlery.

Next, a reminder that the single biggest killer in world history is government.

So maybe, just maybe, it’s not a good idea to let politicians disarm citizens.

Our third item is a reminder that cops are only minutes away when danger is seconds away.

The next bit of satire is for my leftist friends who don’t worry about intellectual consistency.

Per tradition, I’ve saved the best for last. Our fifth item is why leftists fail the IQ test on guns and crime.

Even when they get to do a make-up test, they still fail.

P.S. The full collection of gun control satire can be viewed here.

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Economics Humor

Even though I added to the collection of economics humor just last month (as well as in August and March), I have more items that are worth sharing.

I’ve written serious critiques of Biden’s fiscal plan – both the original version (which fortunately did not get approved) and the watered-down version (which sadly did get enacted) – but today’s first bit of satire is a much more succinct depiction of why it was a bad proposal.

I’ve also written about young people and their disturbing infatuation with socialism.

Our next item summarize their mental disconnect.

Our third item is very appropriate for those who draw the wrong conclusions from Wagner’s Law.

I’ve written about how governments are very incompetent when dealing with infrastructure.

Here’s the visual version of those columns.

If you want more infrastructure-themed humor, click here.

Per tradition, I’ve saved the best for last, though this one only makes sense when you understand that “neoliberal” is a term for classical liberalism (i.e., libertarianism), especially outside the United States.

If you want more economics-themed humor, click here, here, here, here, and here.

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Economics Humor

Time for the third (and presumably final) collection of economics humor for 2023 (previous versions here and here).

We’ll start with a cartoon about modern-era Greek mythology.

As I explained in 2011 (and as Margaret Thatcher sagely observed), that’s not the wisest approach.

Next we can see the skull of either Crazy Bernie or AOC in the lower-right section of this image.

Next we have a joke about Keynesian economics.

Here’s an appearance by Libertarian Jesus.

He must have watched this video.

Last but not least, I’ve made the point that economists are lousy forecasters.  Which makes this cartoon strip very accurate.

For what it’s worth, sometimes economists are just as bad when it come to theorizing.

P.S. If you don’t like economists, here’s some material to warm your heart.

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Libertarian Humor

After three columns of libertarian humor last year (here, here, and here), I haven’t shared even one in 2023. So let’s rectify that mistake today. And we’ll start with a satirical video from Babylon Bee.

For what it’s worth, I like the first and fifth arguments.

Our second item is a remake of something I shared back in 2012. Same basic message, though.

Next, someone created a meme defending against the silly assertion that libertarians want poor people to starve.

By the way, we know the ideology that is actually associated with starvation.

Since the above item defended libertarians, let’s give equal time to some anti-libertarian satire. It’s not as clever as the famous Somalia video, but still worth sharing.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

Libertarians my be infamous for being awkward with the opposite sex, but we’re certainly capable of fantasizing. So wouldn’t it be nice if this happened in the real world?

If you want to peruse the full collection of pro-and-con libertarian humor, click here. If you prefer anti-collectivism humor, click here.

P.S. I wrote two days ago about Argentina’s election and whether a hard-core libertarian could prevail in a country that has been crippled by statism. The good news is that the libertarian (Javier Milei) made the runoff. The bad news is that the status-quo Peronist candidate also made the runoff and had more votes. We’ll see what happens in next month’s runoff, but I fear that the country has passed the point of no return.

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Gun Control Humor

It’s time to expand our collection of satire about gun control, especially since I’ve only shared one column on this topic in 2023.

We’ll start with this comparison of fantasy and reality.

Our second item is another comparison.

You can see an innocent regular writing pencil and a dangerous and deadly assault pencil.

For our third item, Michael Malice says that he’s already paid for the Taliban to be heavily armed, so the government should let him own the same weapons.

Next, here’s a good reminder that gun bans are not actual gun bans.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last. No extra commentary needed for this.

Ouch, no pun intended.

I hope you enjoyed these five examples of satire, but never forget that gun control is a very misguided idea (as some honest – and logical – leftists openly admit).

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Communism Humor

The previous time we made fun of communism was back in July, so let’s add to the collection today.

We’ll start with an example that will ring true to all dog owners.

Speaking of food, our second item notes that nourishment is one of the things you sacrifice when getting rid of capitalism

People mock socialism (the economic system in communist nations) because workers have miserable lives. However, as the Babylon Bee reminds us, but it does better than capitalism at creating certain types of jobs.

Notice that job #6 involves lack of food.

Well, that’s a bit of a theme today, as indicated by our fourth item.

Last but not least, my favorite bit of satire today involves the Berlin Wall.

For what it’s worth, it’s endlessly amusing to discuss the Berlin Wall with hard-core leftists. Their most-common rationalization is that the Wall was designed to “protect” East Germany from the polluting influence of Western culture.

In reality, of course, the Berlin Wall was designed to imprison people who otherwise would “vote with their feet” against the evil of communism.

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Bureaucrat Humor

I shared one column of bureaucrat humor in 2021 and another in 2022, so let’s make sure we do at least one this year.

We’ll start with this Remy satire about the Rich Men North of Richmond.

By the way, you can enjoy more Remy videos by clicking here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Our next bit of satire features some very sensible career advice.

Our third item is the visual depiction of anyone who has ever called a government office and tried to get a straightforward answer to a question.

I don’t know if this was a real line from the show, but it’s nonetheless amusing for the obvious reason.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

There is a special training regimen for bureaucrats, but this Instagram video shows that some people are exempt.

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A post shared by Dushont Jefferson (@bigduke1313)

P.S. My all-time favorite example of anti-bureaucrat satire is this video, though this top-10 list from David Letterman is a close second.

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Statism in Images

I partially caught up with anti-statism satire earlier this month.

Today’s column will put us back on schedule.

Our first item is another way of looking at Mitchell’s Law.

Next, we learn the difference between drug dealers and politicians.

Our third item is a reminder that governments have a terrible track record.

The fourth item sort of duplicates the second item, but definitely is clever in its own right.

Last but not least, my favorite bit of satire for today actually isn’t satire.

Politicians routinely spend more money by declaring that anything and everything is an emergency.

The trillions of dollars of fraud-riddled pandemic spending by Trump and Biden is an obvious example.

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Statism in Five Images

After sharing five examples of statism satire in 2021 (here, here, here, here, and here), I had just one column on the topic in 2022.

And only one so far this year. So let’s step it up today.

Our first bit of mockery appears to be from the Harry Potter movies.

For what it’s worth, my support for federalism is not because I think state and local governments are good. Instead, it’s because at least it is easier to escape their bad policies.

Next we have an accurate depiction of a politician bribing a voter with his own money.

Our third item is a version of Mitchell’s Law.

Remember Reagan’s warning about the most terrifying words in the English language?

Here’s a version of that.

Per tradition, I’ve saved the best for last.

This two-frame cartoon very accurately shows the reality of government.

Remember, if more government is the answer, you’ve asked a very strange question.

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Economics Humor

I shared some economics humor back in March, so we’re due for another edition.

This first item warmed my heart, both because of my support for school choice and my disdain for the government education monopoly.

Next we have my response when I’m asked why I’m not a statist.

Our third item is an example of Mitchell’s Law in action.

Plus, it’s always good to mock Keynesian economics.

Next we have Bernie Sanders-style voters expressing their opinions.

I’ve saved the best for last.

When something bad happens, like the 2008 financial crisis, some folks on the left blame “greed.”

I freely acknowledge that greed exists, but I ask them whether the crowd on Wall Street was greedy in other years, like 1998 and 1988.

So maybe, just maybe, there is another explanation for why we had a financial and housing meltdown.

The same analysis applies the recent complaints that egg companies were jacking up prices because of greed.

Too bad our left-leaning friends don’t understand the price system. Maybe they should watch these videos.

P.S. Pre-2023 examples of economics humor can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

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Communism Humor

I haven’t shared any communism mockery since last year, so let’s use today’s column as an excuse to laugh once again at this evil ideology.

We will start with the lather-rinse-repeat cycle of communist failure.

Speaking of starving (a major theme with communism), here’s our second item.

Libertarians have a reputation for being dorky with the opposite sex.

It seems communists have the same problem.

While communist theoreticians are despicable, people who vote for communists are probably best characterized as dumb.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

Here’s a look at communism in action.

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A post shared by NamrokNamrok (@_namroknamrok_)

Some leftists actually claim that “real communism hasn’t been tried.”

Perhaps, but almost communism has racked up a very heavy body count, so I can’t imagine the real version would produce better results.

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Socialism Humor

I did a three-part series (here, here, and here) to explain why socialism is a miserable economic system.

As Winston Churchill sagely observed, “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.”

But it is good for a few laughs.

For today’s column, let’s add to our collection of socialism satire.

We’ll start by noting that East Germany was the most successful part of the Soviet Empire, but even it was an utter failure.

Next, some of my lefty friends make a big thing about belonging to the “party of science,” but I have a hard time taking them seriously given their infantile views on economics.

For our third item, I wonder if our left-leaning friends ever wonder why people try to escape from places such as Cuba and Venezuela so they can be “exploited” in the United States.

If you’re looking for a book to read on your next vacation, you may not want to rely on this one to keep you occupied.

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A post shared by Milton Friedman (@miltonfriedman_official)

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

It seems that some socialists don’t like other socialists, even though they share the same economic views.

I’ll close with a wonky, non-humorous point. From a technical perspective, socialism is a system where government controls “the commanding heights” of the economy.

In other words, policies such as government-run factories, price controls, and central planning.

For the most part, modern leftists (even if they call themselves democratic socialists) don’t push those policies and instead agitate for high tax rates and pervasive redistribution.

I guess it is good news that they prefer policies that produce stagnation rather than policies that produce destruction.

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Gun Control Humor

After three editions in 2022 (here, here, and here), it’s time for the first edition of gun control humor in 2023.

We’ll start with this video from Babylon Bee.

Very clever. Reminiscent of the third item in this column from 2021.

Next we have a look at how Europeans and Americans respond to intruders.

Reminds me of this comparison of Texans and Europeans.

Our third item shows a disappointed American father.

Since gun safety is an important issue, here’s the number one rule to follow.

Last but not least, here’s a reminder about a common link between two groups of bad people.

Regarding the final item, clever people have noted that there’s not much difference between the two different groups.

P.S. For the full collection of gun control satire, click here.

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Tax Day Humor

I shared IRS-themed humor during tax season in 2021 and 2022, so let’s make that a new annual tradition. In honor of this year’s tax-filing season, let’s start with a Reason video from Remy.

To help deal with IRS non-responsiveness, Joe Biden has pushed through a law to dramatically expand the IRS.

Here’s a look at some of the new bureaucrats at their induction ceremony.

You may be wondering how those agents we’re selected.

Thanks to the Babylon Bee, we now know the 17 qualifications.

I though eight of them were particularly amusing.

What will all these new IRS agents do?

I doubt they’ll be answering the phone. Instead, I think we’re more likely to see small businesses being harassed.

Here’s one example.

Lest anyone think all these bureaucrats are going to make our lives less pleasant, our final item reminds you that tax tax code isn’t oppressive because you can simply emigrate.

Though keep in mind that you can’t simply leave. Successful Americans can get hit by Soviet-style exit taxes if these choose to leave the country. And plenty of politicians want to make that system even worse.

P.S. We can always dream about the ideal tax system. And if that never happens, at least we can hope for a second-best tax system.

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More AOC Humor

It’s time to phase out mockery of Crazy Bernie and focus more on mocking AOC.

We’ll start with this video, which is based on her assertion that anyone who criticizes her policies actually is lusting for her.

I will grant that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is attractive, by the way, so maybe my criticisms of her awful ideas also are caused by unrequited affection.

Or, maybe not.

For our second item, we know the so-called War on Poverty has been a failure, and I suspect AOC’s new idea will be similarly ineffective (though fortunately not as expensive).

Next we have AOC thinking that socialism works because professional socialists wind up lining their own pockets.

Our fourth item mixes left-wing economics with left-wing crime policy.

Last but definitely not least, here’s a different version of AOC’s infamous “tax the rich” dress.

Only this one focuses on her willingness to selectively lower tax burdens (green tax credits, state and local tax deduction, etc) for some rich people and businesses.

P.S. If you want other examples of AOC humor, click here, here, and here.

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Socialism Humor

Socialism is a total and miserable failure, anywhere it’s been tried.

But socialism satire is the silver lining to that dark cloud. That’s today’s topic, starting with this video from Babylon Bee.

Next we have a sure-fire method of hiding a gun (or anything else of value) from a socialist.

I noted at the start of today’s column that socialism has never worked at any point in the past.

Our third item reveals that will never work at any point in the future.

Our fourth item is a visual depiction of Winston Churchill’s observation that capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings while socialism is the equal sharing of the miseries (other than the ruling elite).

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

It seems socialism even lacks the predictive power of a stopped clock

I’ll close with a serious observation that not all forms of socialism are created equal.

Totalitarian socialism (former Soviet Union, modern-day North Korea and Cuba) is the worst of the worst.

So-called democratic socialism, by contrast, is a movement of economic ignoramuses who (hopefully) have no desire to kill or imprison those who believe in economic liberty.

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Economics Humor

I shared two columns (here and here) about economics humor in 2022 and another two (here and here) in 2021.

Today is our first collection of economics-themed satire for 2022 and we’ll start with this video highlighting government achievements.

Our second item was probably inspired by Elizabeth Warren.

Next we have some satire that contains a very important lesson.

Our fourth item was probably inspired by Crazy Bernie.

I always save the best for last and this cartoon strip about the Federal Reserve hits the spot.

I’ll end with a serious point. I can understand why the Fed adopted easy-money policies at the start of the pandemic. But I don’t understand why they maintained that approach in the last half of 2021 and all of 2022. That would be a great question the next time Fed Chairman Jerome Powell testifies on Capitol Hill (not that there are many politicians smart enough to pursue that line of questioning).

P.S. You can enjoy additional economics humor here and here.

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Bernie Sanders Humor

I’m going to start today’s column by admitting that I lied. That might be expected since much of my work takes place in the sleazy environment of Washington, DC.

But my lie was innocent. Back in 2020, when he was defeated by Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, I wrote what I thought would be a “Farewell-and-Good-Riddance Edition of Bernie Sanders Humor.”

I figured there would no longer be a need to mock Crazy Bernie (or is he Evil Bernie?).

But then I saw this tweet, highlighting how gullible idiots are being charged as much as $95 to attend Bernie’s lecture about the supposed evils of capitalism. And it included this amusing meme.

I don’t know if Bernie’s the one reaping the profits from this scam. But since he owns three homes and is part of the top-1 percent, I wouldn’t be surprised (sort of like this cartoon).

And since we’re kicking around Bernie one more time (or is this truly the last time?), here are a few other items.

Mao probably killed more people than anybody else in world history, so he’s definitely evil, whereas we can laugh our you-know-whats-off about Bernie.

(By the way, if we’re measuring evil by the percentage of the population that was butchered, than the communist dictator of Cambodia was worse than Mao.)

For our third item, the Babylon Bee put together an entirely plausible Bernie Sanders anti-poverty plan.

I am once again asking for your support in eradicating systemic poverty from the face of the earth. America can do it, but we won’t because America is immoral and Elon Musk has all the money. Horrible! I have a simple ten-step plan that is foolproof — and I should know because I’ve been to the Soviet Union and it’s a paradise over there, let me tell you!

The article lists 10 reasons, but 2-6 were the best in my opinion.

2. Tax rich people until they’re poor: If everyone is poor then no one will be.
3. Give everyone money until they become middle class: We cannot rest until Tom Hanks and John Doe are shopping at the same grocery store. Then maybe I can get an autograph.
4. Drop Elon Musk off the Empire State Building: This is how we win, America!
5. Print more money: Unexpected expenses can be paid for with a giant savings account everyone can access. The beauty of it is that if it’s overdrawn we can just print more money! Why haven’t we done this yet.
6. Offload our health care to Cuba: Sailing to Cuba for treatment will also build muscle, making you healthier overall! Is there anything Cuba can’t do?

This next one is basically a different version of a meme I shared in 2019.

As usual, I save the best for last. Here we have Bernie showing the socialist philosophy at a pot-luck dinner.

All take and no give. Sort of the mealtime version of this classic cartoon.

I’ll close by noting we mock Crazy Bernie for his overt hurry-up socialism. Well, the incremental version isn’t much better since you eventually wind up in the same bad place.

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Politician Humor

Since I only shared two column of politician humor last year (here and here), I want to get an early start for 2023.

Our first example comes from the only good president of my lifetime.

For our second item, here’s a visual explanation of “public choice” theory.

For our next item, let’s go across the Atlantic Ocean for a quick look at the scandal-plagued (and big government-oriented) European Parliament, where bribery has a long tradition.

The European Parliament always wanted to go viral… but maybe not like this 😬 pic.twitter.com/wygNdKZ04N

— Jakob Hanke Vela (@HankeVela) December 22, 2022

I’ve long argued that we don’t want “productive” politicians and that’s the message from our fourth item.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

Amusing, but it’s genuinely scandalous that politicians from both parties often become very wealthy during their time in office.

I’m in favor of people becoming rich, but only when they do something valuable in the private sector, not because they are using insider knowledge about bad policy to line their pockets.

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