Man 1: I couldn't afford to pay for private health insurance. So the government fined me. I couldn't afford the fine. So here I am.
Man 2: Welcome to the public option!
I am deeply disappointed that the public option is out. Heck, I want a French-style system. But this has to be laid at the feet of congress – especially at Lieberman and Nelson. The Republicans were always going to vote as a block because their goal has nothing to do with the good of the country – only with beating Obama.
Don’t worry. If you’re really poor, medicaid is light years better than most private insurance plans. I guess the “we” in change we can believe in are the elite. The Money Party is still in control of the government. Sigh! Happy holidays to all.
Well, never let it be said that Ted Rall isn’t way out there.
Frankly, unless you’ve got a few $mil tucked away and you’re heavily invested in Big Insurance, if you’re an everyday working schmuck like most of us, you must be nuts to see national health care as a bad thing. Ever file bankruptcy over medical bills? Not fun! Does your ideology also require you to shoot yourself in the other foot thinking it’s good for you? You’re going to run out of feet…
“…this has to be laid at the feet of congress – especially at Lieberman and Nelson. The Republicans were always going to vote as a block because their goal has nothing to do with the good of the country – only with beating Obama.”
No, it has to be laid at the feet of our miserable campaign finance system, which requires our representatives to sell their souls to big money interests like the health insurance industry in order to finance their election campaigns. Yes, including Obama himself.
For an alternative that is already working in several states, see http://youstreet.org.
Money in political campaigns is the core of what’s wrong with our country. It is the disease; all other Congressional disappointments are the symptoms. Until we the people decide we’re going to publicly finance our candidates’ political campaigns, we will continue down the road to oligarchy in America.
Ted is a political cartoonists. He aims at the largest targets. This is true of all good political cartoonists. The President is always a large target.
So the current version has it that you will be punished if you don’t buy private health insurance? …did I get that right? And next I suppose there will be criminal sanctions for bad posture. Talk about slippery slopes. Should we be happy that our big brother cares enough to look after us? Oh, yeah… “it is not outside of due order for the Federal Government to regulate that which it subsidizes”… right… got it.
And no one is looking at a medical establishment which is all but failed. Last time I was in a clinic waiting room I realized that everyone there was overweight and depressed - something that was apparently thought of as baseline and not as “primary symptom”. The “treatments” were only triage and mostly for symptoms caused by the last prescribed medication. The minute or two that the doctor looks at the cases does not allow him to understand the patients overall condition; assuming he would have the expertise be able to if he took the time. Superficial and futile were two words that occurred to me and in that light it is no wonder that medical care becomes increasingly expensive. I can’t, or don’t want to, believe that all of this is intentionally created to make money from perpetuating disease although it’s a tempting explanation… it’s got to be ignorance. And if it is ignorance then there is the possibility that someone will learn better. For even institutionalized ignorance may be enlightened with time; in spite of Daniel Sennerts observation that “Humanae sapientiae partem esse; quaedam aeque animo nescire velle”.
No, all of this is just taking advantage of a bad situation to benefit the insurance corporation’s bottom line (it is the primary directive of a for-profit corporation to be profitable, after all) and has nothing to do with good insurance and certainly nothing to do with good medicine. I wonder if it was like this watching [insert your favorite past glory here] fall apart?
Great cartoon, Ted - the logic is impeccable ! Now I know what was meant by «the public option» ! But isn’t prisoner 1209 being given entirely too much arm room ? He might actually be able to use that overflowing WC all by himself !…
Not sure about altruism, ahab, but perhaps a little solidarity ? Now, it would seem that the guiding philosophy of a large number of people has become that of the dog in the manger. A not unnatural reaction to continually getting screwed by the plutocrats, but hardly one that leads to an improvement in the situation….
Gangsteroflove over 14 years ago
Catch 22?
comYics over 14 years ago
Check this out! The first UNCA Ranan Lurie Political Cartoon Winners 2009.
http://www.lurieunaward.com/2009winners_wl.html
cdward over 14 years ago
I am deeply disappointed that the public option is out. Heck, I want a French-style system. But this has to be laid at the feet of congress – especially at Lieberman and Nelson. The Republicans were always going to vote as a block because their goal has nothing to do with the good of the country – only with beating Obama.
Lavocat over 14 years ago
Did a spittake on this one! Most excellent!
THAT looks like the cover of the Christmas cards I WISH I had sent out.
All it’s missing is a nice, venomous “Merry Christmas!”
Ted, stay angry (like me) and have a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy new year!
sirrom567 over 14 years ago
Absolutely brilliant.
mattro65 over 14 years ago
Don’t worry. If you’re really poor, medicaid is light years better than most private insurance plans. I guess the “we” in change we can believe in are the elite. The Money Party is still in control of the government. Sigh! Happy holidays to all.
Kylop over 14 years ago
Sad but true. Well done Ted
BoxCar66 over 14 years ago
Fear not. Nothing Congress has ever done has worked like they said it would. Neither will this Health Care Bill.
Motivemagus over 14 years ago
Thanks, comYics. Some of them were pretty good.
spehnec over 14 years ago
Well, never let it be said that Ted Rall isn’t way out there. Frankly, unless you’ve got a few $mil tucked away and you’re heavily invested in Big Insurance, if you’re an everyday working schmuck like most of us, you must be nuts to see national health care as a bad thing. Ever file bankruptcy over medical bills? Not fun! Does your ideology also require you to shoot yourself in the other foot thinking it’s good for you? You’re going to run out of feet…
comYics over 14 years ago
Glad you enjoyed them motivemagus. Merry Christmas.
kanjizai over 14 years ago
cdward said,
“…this has to be laid at the feet of congress – especially at Lieberman and Nelson. The Republicans were always going to vote as a block because their goal has nothing to do with the good of the country – only with beating Obama.”
No, it has to be laid at the feet of our miserable campaign finance system, which requires our representatives to sell their souls to big money interests like the health insurance industry in order to finance their election campaigns. Yes, including Obama himself.
For an alternative that is already working in several states, see http://youstreet.org.
Money in political campaigns is the core of what’s wrong with our country. It is the disease; all other Congressional disappointments are the symptoms. Until we the people decide we’re going to publicly finance our candidates’ political campaigns, we will continue down the road to oligarchy in America.
kanjizai over 14 years ago
Probably more like 8 nays than 8 yeas.
RHSteeleOH over 14 years ago
Once in a blue moon I agree with Ted.
annamargaret1866 over 14 years ago
Alrighty then, I believe the bottom line is “& Debtors Prison” and the last word of the top line is “Hospital”.
What’s the first word of the top line?
Motivemagus over 14 years ago
Ted is a political cartoonists. He aims at the largest targets. This is true of all good political cartoonists. The President is always a large target.
voice_of_reason over 14 years ago
So the current version has it that you will be punished if you don’t buy private health insurance? …did I get that right? And next I suppose there will be criminal sanctions for bad posture. Talk about slippery slopes. Should we be happy that our big brother cares enough to look after us? Oh, yeah… “it is not outside of due order for the Federal Government to regulate that which it subsidizes”… right… got it.
And no one is looking at a medical establishment which is all but failed. Last time I was in a clinic waiting room I realized that everyone there was overweight and depressed - something that was apparently thought of as baseline and not as “primary symptom”. The “treatments” were only triage and mostly for symptoms caused by the last prescribed medication. The minute or two that the doctor looks at the cases does not allow him to understand the patients overall condition; assuming he would have the expertise be able to if he took the time. Superficial and futile were two words that occurred to me and in that light it is no wonder that medical care becomes increasingly expensive. I can’t, or don’t want to, believe that all of this is intentionally created to make money from perpetuating disease although it’s a tempting explanation… it’s got to be ignorance. And if it is ignorance then there is the possibility that someone will learn better. For even institutionalized ignorance may be enlightened with time; in spite of Daniel Sennerts observation that “Humanae sapientiae partem esse; quaedam aeque animo nescire velle”.
No, all of this is just taking advantage of a bad situation to benefit the insurance corporation’s bottom line (it is the primary directive of a for-profit corporation to be profitable, after all) and has nothing to do with good insurance and certainly nothing to do with good medicine. I wonder if it was like this watching [insert your favorite past glory here] fall apart?
It doesn’t have to be like this.
mhenriday over 14 years ago
Great cartoon, Ted - the logic is impeccable ! Now I know what was meant by «the public option» ! But isn’t prisoner 1209 being given entirely too much arm room ? He might actually be able to use that overflowing WC all by himself !…
Henri
mhenriday over 14 years ago
Not sure about altruism, ahab, but perhaps a little solidarity ? Now, it would seem that the guiding philosophy of a large number of people has become that of the dog in the manger. A not unnatural reaction to continually getting screwed by the plutocrats, but hardly one that leads to an improvement in the situation….
Henri