Comic Strip of the Day

CSotD: Every time a bell rings, a dog gets a cookie

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Mike Peterson Published: January 16, 2012 1 minute 8 comments

Timing is everything in comedy.

I was notified Friday that a client had direct-deposited a substantial amount of money to my bank account, but apparently it didn't actually get posted to the account before close of business Friday, and so, what with the MLK holiday today, I won't see it until tomorrow.

Which I understand and which doesn't happen to matter this time, except that, when I go to the grocery store after hours or on weekends or holidays, there doesn't seem to be this issue. The withdrawals process just fine, thanks.

So today's Rudy Park strikes a bit of a nerve, though more as a memory than as current events, because I abandoned the creeping meatball of corporate megabanksmanship a couple of years ago and now work only with small, community banks.

There, if something untoward happens — like having a deposit arrive too late to cover things — I can go in and talk about it with a human being.

I can even bring my dog, if it's the bank right here in town. The tellers have dog biscuits.

I've been reluctant to let the dog know this, given that he really likes dog biscuits and is quite large and athletic and still young enough to be spectacularly uninhibited. Still, when I tie him to the tree outside, the tellers seem to feel hurt that he didn't come in.

When that's the biggest problem you have with your bank, you're at the right bank.

I used to bank with the majors, because they have branches all over the country, and not only was it handy when I traveled, but then, if I moved, I didn't have to go through the hassle of closing my old account and opening a new one.

But I've been in New Hampshire for three years now and I still have an account with Bangor Savings back in Maine because they offer free access to ATMs anywhere in the world, rebating any service fees you encounter. I noticed that one of the big banks offers that now, but then, in the fine print, they want you to maintain a minimum balance of $5,000.

Dude, if I could maintain a minimum balance of five grand, I'd put it in an interest-bearing account at a place that doesn't think I'm a silver-plated moron. The return-on-investment would more than cover the occasional three-dollar service charges.

At Bangor, I have no minimum balance, no service charges, no ATM charges and, if I call, a human answers.

So I guess the reason I laughed at Rudy Park this morning is schadenfreude. If you're so hip, how come you're still using a Megabank?

The Occupy Wall Street people have all these reasons you shouldn't have your money in the large corporate banks, having to do with politics and corporate responsibility and who crashed the economy and who is invested in Third World desecration and pollution and exploitation and whatever.

I don't disagree with them, but it's just not that complex an issue. I put my money in banks that treat me with respect.

And, y'know, dog biscuits.

Don't they have club soda in Korea?

Crimestopper Textbook: Cartoonists do not color their own dailies.

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Friend-of-the-blog Richard Thompson is taking a brief haitus to concentrate on physical therapy to deal with his Parkinsons. I trust that all will go well and that he will be back at the drawingboard soon, but I care a good deal more about the cartoonist than the cartoon and, much as I love the strip, it's hardly the priority, my friend. Do what you gotta do, and take care.

Meanwhile, the Team Cul de Sac book will be out in June. Chris Sparks, who organized the benefit for Parkinson's research, is taking advance orders for the book here at something of a premium for those who would like to donate a bit more. You can also pre-order it on Amazon here, which will cost you less but will also donate less and it won't be signed by Chris.