You approved the tax. I approved the detour.
2026-10-10 · Political satire
Open Facebook image to save it on your phone. The square 1080 × 1080 image includes the complete meme with padding. Facebook’s composer and other placements may still show a cropped preview.
Read the story behind this meme
Related reporting: California Government Accountability
You approved the tax. I approved the detour.
Why it matters
Taxpayers expect their money to reach the project they were promised. The cartoon sends that ordinary expectation into a runaway spectacle: Newsom calmly switches the money toward “Newsom’s Projects” while the people paying scramble after it. The imagined detour satirizes the gap between public promises and political priorities, asking who gets to change the destination—and who is left paying for it. California’s high-speed rail plans provide related context for the broader debate over project delivery and public accountability.