'We Invented Social Security & We're Proud of It' (Madison, Wisconsin)

More often than not Social Security and other safety-net programs get a bad rap. Politicians and reporters call them "entitlements"--which sounds derogatory to me--and popular wisdom says they'll need to be curtailed or they'll eventually break the federal budget. But there's no hint of doom and gloom on Bascom Hill, where this sign proudly proclaims University of Wisconsin Professor Edwin Witte's role in the development of Social Security. And this bold declaration is within sight of the Capitol Building, where Scott Walker, enemy of labor unions and public education, is trying to leverage his governorship into a presidential candidacy. Fortunately, Social Security has lasted longer than the careers of many nay-saying politicians and hopefully will continue to help government secure "the well-being of its citizens" for many years to come.

Dead Mayors' Club, Dallas, TX

Working on a video in Dallas, I had a chance to interview Council Member Delia Jasso (being miked by Niki). That she's a woman is hardly remarkable--until you see the photos in a City Hall corridor of the OWM (old white men) who once served as Dallas' mayors. It wasn't until Adlene Harrison in 1976 that the city had a female mayor. Bottom right is just a sampling of their pale, dry faces. I found the dude at bottom left so intriguing--the visual embodiment of old-school politician--that I thought he deserved a separate image.