Favorite editorial cartoons: July 2009

[Mike Ventrella]

 

[Mike Ventrella]

 

[Duke Frost]

Not a cartoon, but the best quote I've seen a politician make in a long time:

"I want everybody to have maximum care at the best price. And that's why I want the government out of it completely." - Ron Paul

Maybe I should have voted for him.

 

[Mike Ventrella]

Not a cartoon, but the best quote I've seen a politician make in a long time:

"I want everybody to have maximum care at the best price. And that's why I want the government out of it completely." - Ron Paul

Maybe I should have voted for him.

Sure! He could have waved his magic wand and made it happen.

 

[Mike Ventrella]

stimulus

 

[Gee-Perwin]

Not a cartoon, but the best quote I've seen a politician make in a long time:

"I want everybody to have maximum care at the best price. And that's why I want the government out of it completely." - Ron Paul

Maybe I should have voted for him.

Sure! He could have waved his magic wand and made it happen.

I wrote in RP.

He knows more about the health care system than most in Washington because he practiced as an OB/GYN and delivered something like 4,000 babies. I'd trust his knowledge of the system over most of the lawyers in DC (no offense to you). Brushing it off as "wand waving" being our only other option implies that we need government to solve our problems.

Ron's son, Rand Paul, is running for Kentucky Senate! He's a doctor, too, and a great ally on the liberty front:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vifcg-YSXKU[/youtube]

Judge Napolitano is also one of my heroes. His online show, Freedom Watch, is fantastic.

Oh, here's a cartoon I love from last year's election:

It's so funny! Hahaha! Who would support Bush's warrentless wiretaps? Certainly not Obama.

 

[Duke Frost]

Mike likes giving his money to guys who pretend they want to help then put it in their pockets. At least the insurance companies admit they're there to make money. I'll take the honest capitalist over the lying, greedy, hypocritical, socialist politician any day. At least I don't have to pay for the magic wand, unlike the one trillion dollar price tag on a ridiculous plan that simply won't work.

 

[Gee-Perwin]

I'm happy to say I don't regret donating any money to politicians. They may not be the front runners, but I'd rather my money go towards people I believe in. I just donated to Peter Schiff this week, who is considering running against Chris Dodd in 2010. I'd love to see an Austrian economist in the Senate. I think he has a great chance. He's on TV all the time, and he predicited this economic mess we're in back in '07 (Peter Schiff was right is a big vid on YouTube).

I'll also be tossing what I can towards Adam Kokesh, and Rand Paul. I won't regret those donations either because I know where they stand and I know they will stand by their beliefs.

 

[Mike Ventrella]

But what's Paul's plan? Just let things stay the way they have been, without government involvement? Oh yeah, that's been real successful. That's what I was laughing at -- he has no plan other than to do nothing and hope it all works out.

The private insurance companies can continue to exist, you can continue to go to your own doctor -- just like private schools still exist even though the government provides free (socialist!) education as well.

Sorry if I seem a bit defensive on this issue. I always think that had we had health care, maybe my wife wouldn't be handicapped for the rest of her life...

 

[Gee-Perwin]

But what's Paul's plan? Just let things stay the way they have been, without government involvement? Oh yeah, that's been real successful. That's what I was laughing at -- he has no plan other than to do nothing and hope it all works out.

The private insurance companies can continue to exist, you can continue to go to your own doctor -- just like private schools still exist even though the government provides free (socialist!) education as well.

Sorry if I seem a bit defensive on this issue. I always think that had we had health care, maybe my wife wouldn't be handicapped for the rest of her life...

I understand your anger over everything, but saying stuff like, "What's his answer? Do nothing and hope it works?" is just wrong. Please research facts first.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foXQbmZxWYY[/youtube]

"Prices go up more so in certain areas that the government gets involved in than others."
You also can't ignore the fact that the Fed has destroyed our dollar with uncontrolled power. Ron Paul is leading the way to audit the Fed, and then End the Fed.

 

[Mike Ventrella]

I understand your anger over everything, but saying stuff like, "What's his answer? Do nothing and hope it works?" is just wrong. Please research facts first. .

He still thinks the market can solve the problem, as if a family making $30,000 a year that suddenly has a catastrophic illness with hospital bills totaling $100,000 will be able to handle it. The fact is that even of health care costs come down by half, there are still many Americans who couldn't afford it.

Maybe we should get rid of the fire department too. After all, why should the government help you when something catastrophic happens to you? If you can't afford "fire department insurance" when your home burns down, well, that's tough -- the market should take care of these things.

Eh, it's mostly a political view as to what government should be. I mean, I know that there are honest and well-meaning conservatives who believe that it's not the government's job to do these things, and I agree with them in some areas (especially concerning spending money for people who don't need it). However, as an admitted liberal, I see the government as US -- we, the people and all that -- and I think we should help care for those who need help, because they're part of the family of Americans. We just spent how many trillions on failed businesses who gave million dollar bonuses to their CEOs, so don't go saying we can't afford it, because that money could have insured every American easily...

 

[Gee-Perwin]

I understand your anger over everything, but saying stuff like, "What's his answer? Do nothing and hope it works?" is just wrong. Please research facts first. .

He still thinks the market can solve the problem, as if a family making $30,000 a year that suddenly has a catastrophic illness with hospital bills totaling $100,000 will be able to handle it. The fact is that even of health care costs come down by half, there are still many Americans who couldn't afford it.

Maybe we should get rid of the fire department too. After all, why should the government help you when something catastrophic happens to you? If you can't afford "fire department insurance" when your home burns down, well, that's tough -- the market should take care of these things.

Eh, it's mostly a political view as to what government should be. I mean, I know that there are honest and well-meaning conservatives who believe that it's not the government's job to do these things, and I agree with them in some areas (especially concerning spending money for people who don't need it). However, as an admitted liberal, I see the government as US -- we, the people and all that -- and I think we should help care for those who need help, because they're part of the family of Americans. We just spent how many trillions on failed businesses who gave million dollar bonuses to their CEOs, so don't go saying we can't afford it, because that money could have insured every American easily...

Why do you keep bringing up the fire department in these posts? Fire houses are *local government* not federal government. That's apples & oranges. There are plenty of these houses that are 100% volunteers, too! Dr. Paul says this in the video:

I experienced medicine before they had managed care and patients were always charged the least and nobody went without medical care. The churches and volunteer hospitals and other groups took care of the people, but now, everybody has to have this so-called insurance, which doesn’t do a whole lot more than boost prices and then cause shortages and then there’s a demand for what? For more government and that’s where we are today.

I'm not really familiar with volunteer/church hospitals, but maybe it's because they aren't around as much as they used to be. People always want to help each other, and that is the way it should be to an extent. Looking to the federal government for hand outs is not the answer.

He also talks about rising health care costs being a reaction to monetary policy. The Fed is the root of many of our problems. They have destroyed our dollar. The guy you voted for wants to give them more power. We can't keep printing this monopoly money to pay for programs that the government will just screw up. If you want to see how well the federal government runs things then take a look at their response to Hurricane Katrina. Lets have a group like FEMA running health care. /facepalm

BTW, the biggest opponent of bailouts & the "too big to fail" mentality is Ron Paul and other Austrian economists. If anyone wants a really simple understand of austrian economics I will give you my copy of Meltdown. It would do more good in someone elses hands than on my bookshelf.

 

[Mike Ventrella]

To summarize your point: Since they can't do it well, let's not do it at all. Is that it?

I think we need to help people who have no health care. It hasn't happened yet in America, nothing you are suggesting will provide it, nor do you apparently want to ... so I'm not sure what else to discuss unless I'm missing something.

 

[Gee-Perwin]

Mike, it comes down to what you believe the role of the federal government should be. Whether or not you think the federal government needs to take care of us from cradle to grave or not. I believe the Constitution is there to keep the federal government in check. It doesn't give the federal government the authority to be the policeman of the world, and to oversee every single aspect of our lives. The fact that we have ignored the Constitution for so long is depressing.

I also understand that the cost of government mandated health care may not be as high as the cost of overseas wars, government bailouts, etc. I'm just as angry as you are at all this government waste, but I still can't support something like federal health care just because it's cheaper than another program we already spent too much money we never had in the first place. I raised my voice in opposition when these other programs, laws, and wars were passed or started, and I will continue to do so.

I found this very interesting article from 1993 on the Ludwig von Mises Institute site. I think it has a lot of great ideas. I don't pretend to think I know everything. Neither should the federal government. Unfortunately, they think they are the answer to everything. The Constitution disagrees, but no one cares about that piece of paper any more.

 

[Robb G]

wow.. what utter ********.

 

[Duke Frost]

Robb, if you are going to be conservative, you have to resign yourself to the fact that it's okay for liberals to call conservatives names like racist, redneck, ignorant and say things like "clinging to their church and guns." But you also can't call them any names, or they'll scream bloody murder and oppression.

Cartoonists are especially bad, as they are looking for publicity...and nothing gets publicity like sensationalism and ********. I can no longer consider myself a Republican because the party has been destroyed. I'm like the minority majority of Americans (38%). I'm an independent with conservative fiscal views and liberal views when it comes to freedoms (pro-choice and pro-gun!). So when the largest voting block is that, why can't we find a candidate that will actually not be a tax and spend left winger or a morally righteous right winger?

It's also very easy to say "Tax Everyone and give it to the poor" when you have no money. This ends up punishing the middle class more than anyone else, as the rich have ways around almost any tax laws and the poor reap the benefits, with the middle class footing the bill.

So let's drive the middle class to extinction and move back to the dark ages of the very rich and the very poor. Or better yet, socialism.

Maybe instead we should attack the roots of why people are "poor". There certainly may be some legit cases where people can't work, but how often is it that people are jus lazy or won't work. There are jobs out there, but people would rather live off unemployment or welfare. I know college educated people who are on unemployment right now and not looking for jobs because "I bring home more from my unemployment and live with my dad." WTF? My tax dollars at work.

So when I am forced to get a second job (and I have thought about this seriously) so I can afford to keep my house, don't blame me for not having time to make magic item tags or build things at the Faire Play site or write events. Because seriously, that's what it might come to.

Scott

 

[Robb G]

 

[Mike Ventrella]

Mike, it comes down to what you believe the role of the federal government should be.

Absolutely, which is why I think we won't agree on this issue. I do not accept your overgrand view, but I do believe that providing schools, police, and health are basics that any government should provide. I'd like to see the United States join the rest of the industrialized world in providing health care for its citizens, since we currently are the only nation that does not.

I disagree that the Constitution is as limited as you wish it to be, and Constitutional scholars on both sides have filled many books with argument about it.

I also understand that the cost of government mandated health care may not be as high as the cost of overseas wars, government bailouts, etc. I'm just as angry as you are at all this government waste, but I still can't support something like federal health care just because it's cheaper than another program we already spent too much money we never had in the first place. I raised my voice in opposition when these other programs, laws, and wars were passed or started, and I will continue to do so.

I also disagreed with the bailouts from last fall even before Obama became President, as you can see by reading back on these boards. I have a very basic disagreement with giving money to people who (a) don't need it (such as farm subsidies or very rich people getting social security) or (b) don't deserve it (such as businesses that fail from their own incompetence or people who are able to work who refuse to find jobs).

My point was in response to people in general (not you) who claim that we "can't afford health care" while we spend just as much on wars and bailouts and other things we don't need.

 

[Mike Ventrella]

wow.. what utter ********.

Care to back that up or do you just think that you've won an argument by simply disagreeing?

 

[Duke Frost]

Care to back that up or do you just think that you've won an argument by simply disagreeing?

We learned it from watching you Dad!