Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for April 19, 2012

Ok enough politics, already :-( I read comics to get away from the serious stuff, not to have it thrown in my face as entertainment…sigh.

Realistic, isn’t it? Be more careful at the voting booth.

Stupid idiots 86ed the Buffett rule. Do we need to have everyone in congress open their wallets and dump the money on the table to understand that we need to work on this debt crisis?

And that will close the deficit how? Tax them the way they were taxed in Ike’s administration.

Amen, Jan! Good strip! Go for it! Love these bright women!

Where can I go for some rebuttal ‘comic’?

Actually, I’m wary of (not opposed to) universal health care because I don’t trust what the government would come up with and how they would run it. I trust them with other things, just not to run a good health care program that would have health as its priority. There has to be a better answer because having the insurance companies run things isn’t working either.

This used to be one of my favorite FUN comics. Please get OUT OF POLITICS….. All you are accomplishing is to loose readers, not change any minds!!!

You need to be able to laugh at politics!

This strip touches only very lightly on politics.

You got that right girl! ! !

Hey Jan, how bout a bit where the girls go through the airport and experience another government run plan, TSA. That might be funny.

Spring is here! To see birds’ nests, go to:

www.ustream.tv/raptorresource

for eagles, falcons, baby parrots, cute little screech owls, probably more…

NO POLITICS PLEASE!!!!

Especially pseudo politics, unfortunately common in some strips. Meaning: basing a storyline on a misunderstanding of the facts, thus establishing it as true. Just stick to “funnies” please.

We can’t pay for the entitlements we already have, much less add another huge entitlement like universal health care. Our current budget is a trillion more than our revenue!

I disagree. Let’s talk about this stuff. I’ve traveled a great deal, and met people from many countries. I find it most revealing that those who live in socialist countries never—and this is inalterable—have anything good to say about socialized medicine. It sounds great in theory, which is what libs love: fire from the heart, don’t confuse me with facts. But every country that has it hates it.

Every country that has “socialized medicine” hates it? Gee… you’ll have to tell that to the people from Britain, Germany, Greece, and elsewhere that I’ve met and spoken too. Every one of them – without exception – is glad to have it. They find it curious that Americans are so afraid of it.

So tom_wright and lightenup, you both want to destroy Medicare and Medicaid then? Which are, guess what? GOVERNMENT RUN SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE IN THE US. And only two of the most successful programs the government has ever created, with high satisfaction ratings from most people who use them? Yeah, I thought not.The deficit exists because the government is not collecting enough taxes, because corporations and rich people got their taxes sliced under Bush. If we restored taxes to their Clinton-era levels (i.e. 12 years ago) most of the deficit would disappear:http://www.motherjones.com/files/images/blog_deficit_cbpp_may_2011.jpg

and allowing employers to limit standards of care not only for the employee, but for the employee’s dependents is making it worse. Health insurance must have minimum standards(things that must be included), or else there is no way to choose a plan. Of course, the owners of the companies that hire employees don’t want that, but healthy employees should be important.

good way to discuss politics.. if you don’t want to read it, move on flowerladytoo. Obama wants socialism; it will be the downfall of everyone!! Obama is already America’s biggest downfall at the present time.

boy people.. lighten up! this is a comic strip w/ characters having a moment. But do you think anyone really cares if you stop reading it? geez. Wht will you say when Obama screws you over? Ooops… he already has if you havent noticed!!

Gee, Wonder where this writer stands? LMAOSave money, adopt a politician.

Did all you people grump so much when Alix and Holly helped the homeless family? THAT was political too, you know.

Whenever people preach doing away with taxes, find out who they are and what they have to gain from chaos — because countries can’t be run decently without taxes.

If you look at how the post office, DMV, VA, Medicare, and Medicaid are run, how could you ever want your health care to be in the hands this looney bunch.They haven’t passed a budget in about three years.

Don’t need your political commentary. Stick to comedy.

How do I delete this crap? I don’t read this comic for somebody’s opinion of why I should let other people run my life.

I’ll start reading this again when it goes back to being a ‘comic strip’ instead of political vehicle

I hardly think we get to choose.

Oh come on! Do we have to listen to liberal rhetoric in our comics now? I enjoy this comic and I really am disgusted by this “subject matter.” Leave that to Doonesbury, which I NEVER read.

To answer the question: Americans don’t like socialized healthcare because 1) you give up your freedom to choose the level of care you believe you deserve (and can afford) to the government. 2) If premiums get too high, you can’t just “switch plans.” 3) It’s career suicide for a politician to try to raise premiums in socialized healthcare, so premiums stay low to the detriment of coverage of services. 4) Obamacare WILL eliminate the middle class! Give it 10 years. People will realize that any increase in salary will only come in the form of increases to pay the healthcare premium. And just wait until cases arise in which someone’s gramma dies because the government has decided that, since she’s old, it doesn’t pay to have her undergo that lifesaving surgery—-just take a pill, as Obama himself advised.

Another good “rebuttal” comic: Day By Day.http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/

PU. Done with this comic.

You mean like Obama and the rest of his clown troupe, a.k.a. the Democratic Party?

I love this strip and have been reading it for years, however it does tend to drift to the left from time to time. If it’s going to start being an “in your face” forum for the leftist agenda, I will be moving on. If Jan wants to use it for that, she should also have characters that answer her questions and provide a balacned view.

Comedy needs relevance to gain traction — Wouldn’t be funny if it wasn’t true!

To answer Val’s question, no one’s situation gives them the right to demand time, service or money from another or to use the government to do the same. Universal Healthcare depends on services or funds be extorted from some to provide to others. It’s an unreasonable, unsustainable pipe dream. To paraphrase Margaret Thatcher, the problem with Universal Healthcare is that eventually you will run out of other peoples money or there will be no doctors when they are forced to practice for little or no money.

I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine. – Johh Galt

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE VA? They have saved my life atleast three times since 1995…I appreciate them!!!

Most Americans oppose it, except for the ones that have medicare and VA access. And, of course, the congressmen and senators, they love their government run health care.

Thank you, Jan. I love your strip, and I love reading the comments the women make. If some readers are opposed to your strip taking on politics, then so be it. :D

No, government is not the problem. Ineffective government is the problem. Expensive lobbyists and obstructive politicos are the problem. The part of “no” is the problem. Get rid of those things, and government will be working much better, and much more effectively.

You guys are aware that Buffett’s secretary makes $250,000 a year, right? And that the vast amount of his fortune is NOT from income?

Just bring Mallard Fillmore in to visit them from Stone Soup.

You go girl!! We need some political humor, and you do it so well!

I would suggest that all those who are swearing to stop reading this comic please do just that. No, I doubt we’ll miss you.

I have noticed that since Obamacare has started, my prescriptions and copays have gone up. Thank you.

When it comes to political cartooning, you are no Doonesbury. While I share the problems experienced by the characters in your strip, I do not share the point of view as to issues or solutions. You are entitled to your free speech as am I. I will be writing my newspaper to discontinue publishing Stone Soup as it is no longer entertaining.

Johnson cut taxes and raised spending and ended up with a surplus. I started reading this comic because of its commentary. Keep it up.

@mpirklewell said my thoughts exactlythis strip used to be funnow it’s Fox v MSNBCspare us

So many complaining how the government might run health care…have you heard of Medicare? I love this strip, and I enjoy their insight into our politics, especially when the youngsters get involved.

I thought I’d never reach the bottom of the comments to comment.

I love Stone Soup for it’s relevancy. No one is forced to read anything. However, It would be nice not to have to scroll past political venom to comment on a well drawn and well written strip.

Sick of the politics crap. Either move to the editorial page, or get back to making a comic strip!

I suppose it never occurred to you that lowering the tax rates will make the deficit worse.

This is a terrific strip. Thanks.

It has occurred to me, but governments and individual citizens are not analogous fiscal entities.

Please no politics! People care about the health care bill more because it may affect them directly.

It’s not universal health care I worry about. It’s government-run health care that poses a frightening scenario. Government’s screwed up everything else its tried to run. Why do we think it can run health care any better?