Barron's cartoon - 2002 - Roy Delgado

This drawing appeared in Barron's

 in September 23, 2002, page F3.

In those days, like they used to do before all the mergers and conglomerates and schemes to save money . . . back in those days, the publishers would send you a tear sheet clip or two and/or a coulpa free issues of your cartoon in print. Those days are gone.

This is when the "gobbling up" of your competion was in full stride, the guys with the big bucks would buy up their competition, fire 25% of the people, overwork their people and make money.

Legally, of course, they didn't HAVE to provide this "costly" service, it was mostly a tradition and professional courtesy, so they found out they could cut a little here, a little there and stopped paying someone to provide such a "frivolous" costly activity here and there . . . . . . and I guess, they fired a few people . . . And, the really  "biggee" savings was . . . Why pay TWO CEOs to run TWO magazines, when, after a few firings, one of them a CEO . . .  and just have ONE CEO to run both enterprises!  After you did this, you found out you don't have to pay THAT ONE CEO the salary of TWO CEOs . . . Comprende ? Simple 8th grade math.

Bottom line, it's all bottom line, they did it because they could.

Nowadays, Reader's Digest and Playboy are about the only two large publications that still provide you with a complimentary issue when your work appears . . .

Like Bob Dylan said way back then . . .  " Times-they-are-a-changin' . . .

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The really best way not to become poor, is to get rich.

I get a kick out of Fifty Cent's hip-hop message , " Get rich or die tryin.' "

At least his motivation is there . . . as long as it's legal and he's not hurtin' anyone, and helpin' a few less fortunate people along the way, more power to him . . .

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