Genius of Exaggeration

For many individuals, the ability to find a laugh throughout the day can be a difficult task. Many Central Texans can find solace in the brilliant satire of the great Ben Sargent, a political cartoonist for the Austin American Statesman. Mr. Sargent's work can be admired on a daily basis in the Editorial and Opinion sections. The different National and Local situations which are satirized not only make one chuckle, but also create a certain awareness of the direction of our government, and our great nation.
Recently for Texans, the Democratic Primary and Caucus brought out droves of voters, ready to make their voice heard. What appeared to be an easy task, ended up becoming a fiasco, with accusations of fraudulent voter registry, to strong armed tactics allegedly being elicited by one of the sides involved in the race.
It has become an unfortunate situation for the voters of Texas, that the magnificent display of one of our greatest rights as citizens of the United States, the ability to elect our leaders through a popular vote, has now been bastardized. What should be as simple as casting a single vote for one's candidate of choice, is now a two-step process which wastes the very important time of hard-working Texans.
Mr. Sargent brings a different perspective to the table in an effort to relieve the anger experienced by those first voting in the Primaries and then completing the Caucus process. The numerous steps illustrated by the artist, greatly exaggerate the two-step process, allowing the reader to gain a satirical perspective on how complicated, or not, the process is. While the Nation slowly rolls into a recession, the ability to smile will still be one of our greatest assets. Suffrage is another asset we have as Americans, and the process may be difficult, but if that right is not exercised, then even more may be lost, including the freedom of speech exhibited by great minds like Ben Sargent.



http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/sargent/index.html