Mad #515 (John Ficarra) - 50 Worst Things About America Issue - June 2012

Winston Churchill (1874-1965) famously stated: "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried."  It is with that grain of salt that I read the eight-page anchor-article by three Mad writers and four Mad artists ("The 50 Worst Things About America").  Certainly, the fifty items here are open for debate.  However, I am in total agreement with the following.  #5 - "... the largest number of citizens who can't afford (medical facilities) ..."  #10 - "Electric companies that ... continue operating old, outdated carbon-belching, coal-burning power plants."  #14 - " ... our ridiculous immigration policy."  #31 - "Armchair generals ... advocating sending U.S. troops into war ..." and especially #34 - "The Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency wasting the time of our founder William M. Gaines ... in 1954 ..."  The best article in the issue is "The Hazard Fraught Tools Catalog" by Scotts Maiko and Bricher featuring non-sale items and "Useless Coupons!"  [JAM 4/13/2012]

Departments:
Random Acts of Mindless - The Fundalini Pages
The Apple of Our Ire - An iPhone Ad We'd Like to See (3)
Apocalypse Chow - The Hunger Pains
There's No Ghoul Like an Old Ghoul - Everyday Annoyances of Elderly Monsters
Pliers Beware - The Hazard Fraught Tools Catalog
The Trouble with Trebles - Least-Revered Classical Music
Rotten to the Encore - The Mad Vault
In Blog We Trust - Planet Tad!!!!!
Pen & Stink - The Mad Strip Club
Fool's Goal - A Bucket List for Underachievers
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
The Hate of the Union - The 50 Worst Things About America
Words with Bends - Playing Scrabble with Inexperienced Scuba Divers  [fake department]
Strip Mauled - When Comic Strips Besides Doonesbury Address Controversial Women's Issues
Crib Debt - An E*Trade Baby Ad We'd Like to See

Fold-In - Internet Privacy