Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for July 25, 2010

Older and wiser.

Yeah…but it’s a ‘Vette…

Older, wiser, and boring. sometimes youth needs to be young. With all of those other things, he’ll never get this chance again.

I’m not sure Papi has it right this time. Never heard of a car called a “suicide door kit” before, but if it’s the ‘Vette in the picture, then $789 is a bargain any way you look at it. And if you live in this society, you generally need a car. By Papi’s reasoning, Baldo will never spend any of his money and will end up not only boring but resentful.

CDWARD If you can believe a right wing nut like me would cut up his drivers licence 10 years ago for ecological reasons ( I also got “cut” myself for the same reason), you might know why I rant about people pointing fingers at the oil spill. In the last decade, I have riden twice in a private automobile. It may be dificult at times standing in the rain waiting for a bus, but come on liberals, you’ll march for ecology. Try taking a bus.

Papi gives sage advice. Do you have 6 months liquid backup in case you lose your job? Are you investing 10-15% in your IRA/401K? Do you make a trip to the bank to save for emergancies before you go shopping? Our grandparents lived through the Great Depression. Better listen to your elders unless you expect Washington to nanny you.After all, you are a man, aren’t you?

According to UrbanDictionary.com, a suicide door on a car is one that is hinged in the rear, instead of in the front.

MOOD KILLER!!!

At least he graduated from coveting a ‘64 Impala ragtop to a C6 Corvette. His taste is improving.

Baldo, are you planning to buy a 1990 Chevy Corvette instead of 1964 Chevy Impala? :-)

Think about it Baldo. Suicide doors are way cool. And useful.

I think that the Baldo who’s looking at the “vette is an older Baldo. In the Panel before it his shirt is different and he has a beard.

And I’m not sure I agree with Papi either. Yes, you need security,but so many people trade security for regret of things they didn’t do. And time passes way too fast to sy I’ll do it later.

NO NOT A ‘VETTE NOW! They lost all their class.

There’s a good reason they’re called “suicide doors:” if you’re going down the freeway and realize the door’s not quite shut, it’s natural to open and slam it; if the door hinges at the rear, the wind could slam it open and pull you out, killing you. Of course, if you’ve enough sense to be wearing your seat belt, you’d be safe, but that’s where the term came from and why you don’t see them any more.

CDWARD You are correct about saving all those things, but I believe even Dave Ramsey recommends a ‘fun’ envelope. You just don’t put much into it until you are out of debt. It’s just knowing you have $10 to blow however you want (yes, even saving up for a suicide door) makes the rest of the budget more acceptable.

I’m in agreement with iamtxmilady. Baldo isn’t thinking of a ‘vette now (for one thing, that would make the reference to the “suicide door kit” in the first panel nonsensical).

Papi has recently indicated his support for Baldo’s lowrider dream, to the extent of starting to build it from the ground up. Obviously that’ll take a certain amount of capital expenditure so he’s presumably not objecting to Baldo using some of his money, just that he should simultaneously set some aside. (That suicide doors are both impractical and unsafe is unspoken, but may be safely assumed, I think.)

Quaby, I agree - it’s just not what I was getting from Papi this time (and I almost always love his advice to Baldo).

Lewreader, while a commend your disuse of cars, being able to do without a car depends to a large degree on where you live. For example, I could not do my job without a vehicle. Granted, I have downsized to a tiny car, a motor scooter, and a bicycle when practical.

The way I read today’s cartoon is that Baldo should do nothing but save - ever. That may not be what he meant, but that’s how it came across to me.

That’s Baldo in the future, flashing back to Dad’s advice. The Corvette is at least a 2005 model. And saving is the smartest thing to do from an individual point of view and for the good of our family.

Papi is right saying Baldo should be saving, but he should be saving for college or technical school since he’s only in high school. Baldo can worry about retirement when he’s out of school, he should first try to keep the loans down.

I think Baldo is flashing forward, imagining himself in the situations his father’s talking about, and deciding to hold off in the present.

Okay, the flash forward makes sense. I repent.