I noticed where the New Orleans-based activist group ACORN is in hot water over about $1 million worth of unpaid tax bills to the state and federal governments. ACORN is best known for its voter registration efforts aimed at cartoon characters such as Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote, and Mickey Mouse. In so doing, I believe they perform a valuable service to the democratic process. After all, there are scores of organizations in existence to protect the rights of just about every imaginable ethnic group, but no one seems to be is looking out for the toons.

The logistics of registering cartoon characters is enormous. For instance, Fred Flintstone’s form was carved into a large slab of granite that weighed several hundred pounds.

Also, there are many legal issues that need to be worked through, and this is where ACORN has come under fire. The organization’s position is that all toons are eligible to vote, regardless of whether they are human or animal. As long as the animal can talk, claims ACORN, it should be eligible to vote. Still, the organization is under investigation into voter fraud, as they appear to have violated these rules by accepting applications from toons who cannot talk, including Wile E. Coyote and Scooby Doo.

Many conservative groups criticize ACORN, saying their voter registration drives are thinly-veiled efforts to promote Democratic candidates. They believe that the overwhelming majority of cartoon characters tend to vote for Democrats. However, there is no official survey data to confirm this.

As laudable as this group’s work is in the area of promoting the toons’ rights, I still believe that they should pay their taxes. ACORN leader Rocket J. Squirrel attributes the issue to an internal accounting problem. “Golly gee,” he commented, “Our accountants were all educated in the New Orleans public schools, so their math skills are a little bit lacking.”

It is reported that ACORN is hoping to expand its efforts to include sitcom characters from the 60’s and 70’s. It seems that right about now they could use the support of a few deep pockets among the group, such as J.D. Clampett and Thurston Howell III.