Rob Rogers is the award-winning editorial cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His cartoons have been vexing and entertaining readers in Pittsburgh since 1984. Syndicated by United Feature Syndicate, Rogers’ work also appears in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and Newsweek, among others.
Rogers has also been the curator of three national cartoon exhibitions, Too Hot to Handle: Creating Controversy through Political Cartoons (2003) and Drawn To The Summit: A G-20 Exhibition Of Political Cartoons (2009), both at The Andy Warhol Museum, and Bush Leaguers: Cartoonists Take on the White House (2007) at the American University Museum. Rogers is an active member (and past president) of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. His work received the 2000 Thomas Nast Award from the Overseas Press Club, the 1995 National Headliner Award, and numerous Golden Quills. In 1999 he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
In 2009, Rogers celebrated 25 years as a Pittsburgh editorial cartoonist with the release of his book, No Cartoon Left Behind: The Best of Rob Rogers, published by Carnegie Mellon University Press.
He is currently serving as board president of the ToonSeum, a cartoon museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Comments (29) (Please sign in to comment)
ConserveGov said, 2 months ago
I’m sure the Cheeseburger Tax is being drafted by Pelosi and her commie friends.
Kylie2112 said, 2 months ago
@ConserveGov
I thought that was the conservative idea: point of use taxes and fees.
Respectful Troll said, 2 months ago
Does Mr. Rogers’s cartoon lament a loss in the war against obesity, diabetes, and other health related issues caused by carbonated sweetened drinks? The cartoon seems to support Mr. Bloomberg’s failed law and is presented as a slap in the face of those who stood against it.
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Mr. Bloomberg was once vilified for banning smoking in public indoor venues, he is now hailed by many as a visionary for that same “nanny state” provision. Contrary to early fears, bars did not close from loss of customers who smoke, and appreciation for the law has grown over time.
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There is a miniscule number of people who can offer informed argument against the position that soft drinks, used in excess, are an underlying cause to many health problems ranging from obesity to osteoporosis. The comments I’ve seen over the last few days rarely attack the health issue, but instead, attack the issue of personal responsibility/liberty.
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The law doesn’t limit the number of drinks one can have. It only limits the size of the cup. Most restaurants have free refills for those who dine in, so that’s not an issue. I’m sympathetic to this next point. When traveling long distances, I like to fill my 32 oz Big Gulp cup so I don’t have to stop for more caffeine. However, because of the health issue, I keep a small cooler in the car where I can reach bottles of water – bottles I refill and reuse – and have bought less soda. Stores can get travelers like me by letting me use my receipt for free refills during the course of the day. If I can free soda refills at 7-11 gas stations by showing the receipt for the first soda purchase of the day, they can get me to pull in to their store over some of the others. Soda companies can also lower the prices of the 2 liter bottles. In other words, I don’t see this as a major inconvenience.
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The biggest complaint is the ‘nanny state’ argument. I’m sympathetic to this. We HAVE to wear seat belts or get a ticket. We HAVE to wear helmets in Virginia when on a motorcycle. We HAVE to smoke outside (if we smoke). There are many more examples. Most of these are good ideas, especially in certain circumstances. Sodas don’t seem the same kind of threat that second hand smoke, or driving in fast moving congested traffic does. However, health costs are the number on factor driving up debt in the USA. Over 50% of Americans are overweight and at risk for weight related issues. ALL Americans feel the weight of taxes lost to emergency rooms where people with no health insurance, or poor health insurance, create an invisible tax on the rest of those who use hospitals for the ER, or just to get an MRI or cat scan.
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I am grateful for the debate this cartoon and the issue has raised. The question is this…how can Americans be encouraged to take actions that make them healthier and less of a burden to our medical tax dollars? The simplest answer is education. Another might be a tax on manufacturers of sodas, high fat products, that would go into the healthcare budget and which they would add to the cost they charge to vendors who would, of course, add to the cost of sales to purchasers. The gas tax is supposed to pay for road repairs, a ‘soda tax’ would pay for health repairs.
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I prefer education over taxation, but it is obvious that until Americans can self regulate their behaviors contributing to poor health and costs to all of us who use hospitals, some other options need to be considered.
What can we do to make people eat and drink healthier?
Sincerely,
& Respectfully,
C.
ODon said, 2 months ago
Take a look at the trends and forecasts for incidence of pancreatic cancer. We are literally eating our way to a new health disaster.
Ms. Ima said, 2 months ago
Tea is the drink of intelligent people.
gmgodsil said, 2 months ago
@Respectful Troll
You can’t! Pelosi & Bloomberg are idiots for trying. It fringes on every human right we have. What dolts for trying!
treesareus said, 2 months ago
@Respectful Troll
Brevity is the soul of wit….
treesareus said, 2 months ago
Singling out one food item out of all of the foods that people over eat is silly.
russell5419 said, 2 months ago
We’ll drink whatever we want to, were not under a dictatorship yet, at least not completely.
treesareus said, 2 months ago
Why not legislate plate size? Spoon size? Fork size?
treesareus said, 2 months ago
Bloomberg should command all doors be 24" wide. That way fat people would be left outside.
treesareus said, 2 months ago
@Kylie2112
No. That is a liberal idea. Tax tobacco, booze etc to slow the use. But they don’t understand taxing productivity slows productivity.
masterskrain said, 2 months ago
Rush??
Sure LOOKS like him…
David
said, 2 months ago
@Respectful Troll
What can we do to make people eat and drink healthier?
Kind of the crux of the issue isn’t it? But we’re dealing with a food industry that managed to make a 1500 calorie salad the “healthy choice”. So, IMHO, the first step is to revert the Citizens United decision and let reality be a requirement for public debate. No more “corporations are people too”. No more unlimited anonymous campaign financing.
David
said, 2 months ago
@Ms. Ima
Tea is the drink of intelligent people
And teabaggers are poisionous trolls.