Category: Cartoons and the stories behind them…

We all know about WALL STREET… It’s about the money, isn’t it?

After the infamous BAILOUT of WALL STREET, I got this idea for an upside-down cartoon.  Upside-down cartoons are cartoons that when  you invert them, they turn into something else.  So, here we go…NEED I SAY MORE?……

We’re hearing a lot of talk these days from Washington about “Shared Sacrifice” and “Government Transparency” .  What we’re hearing and what we are seeing are two very different things… Just ask anyone on Main Street.

The Government’s use of the terms “shared”, “sacrifice” and “Government Transparency” seem to be contradictory.  I think they are coming from a Corporate mindset where there are shareholders and there are SHAREHOLDERS.  For example, owning one share in BP makes you a “shareholder”.  Owning millions of dollars worth of BP stock makes you a “SHAREHOLDER”.  To think the shareholder gets the same treatment as a SHAREHOLDER is folly.

So, in the spirit of “transparency in Government”,  I’ll translate what we’re hearing.  If you are a taxpayer and fall into the category of Middle Class, Senior Citizen, Poor, or to tell it like it really is, NOT RICH… you’re a shareholder.  If you are a “Special Interest” or Politician, you are a SHAREHOLDER.  (By the way, why do we refer to them as “SPECIAL” interests?  That should tell you something right there!)  Therein lies the rub.  The SHAREHOLDERS are sacrificing the shareholders.  We ALL share the consequences of decisions made by our government… just not equally.

The cartoon is a result of my perception about inequalities in the concept of “Shared Sacrifice”.  You know what the GOOD NEWS is?… If all shareholders  stood together, the SHAREHOLDERS would be powerless to make us sacrifice everything for their benefit.  WE HAVE A LOT MORE VOTES!  What kind of laws do you think would be passed if SHAREHOLDERS had to take the same benefit or penalty as everyone else?  Rather than “Shared Sacrifice”, lets demand  a “SHARED LOAD”… Corporations and people earning most of the income should be expected to share the load proportionately, instead of sacrificing the shareholders… WE, THE PEOPLE should expect nothing less.

We’ve all had the experience… going to an “expert” and having doubts about their expertise.  My experience was a medical event.  

I went to the Emergency Room with my left leg swollen to twice its normal size and the color of a lobster with a sunburn.  On top of that, it hurt like the dickens!  After the normal red tape and delays, I was put in a partitioned room and told the Doctor “will be with you in a  moment…”.   In a place where the meter is running, “moments” seem to take a long time.

A few moments later, (Translation: long enough undress, put on a backless gown and freeze my buns to a refrigerated vinyl table) the Doctor appeared in the doorway.  He observed me sitting there with the gown draped above my knees, looked at his chart and then looked at my legs and casually asked: “So, WHICH leg is bothering you?” 

I wondered if I had gotten a Doctor who had skipped his class in Symptoms Recognition.   Was he paying attention?  I bit my tongue, pointed to the swollen leg and answered his question: “This one.”  He was very quick with the diagnosis…”Your leg is swollen. ”  DUH!  I wondered how much this was going to cost.  I knew the meter was running and I still hadn’t been told anything I didn’t know before I went in.

In hindsight, the diagnosis was correct.  With physical therapy and a compression wrap, I was able to solve the problem.  My leg is back to normal and any swelling I have goes down overnight.  So, what’s my problem?    If the solution to the diagnosis had turned out to be amputation, would I want the Doctor asking, “So, which leg is it?”  A fifty-fifty chance of cutting off the proper leg is not what I’d call good odds….

This is one of my earlier cartoons but still one of my favorites.

When I worked in the Michigan Regional Office for State Farm Insurance in the early 70’s, we were encouraged to join Toastmasters to improve our public speaking skills.  I remember the conversations at the water fountains about the preparation and angst over speaking in front of a room full of co-workers.  It was brutal at times.

I kept hearing voices in the bathroom stalls…practicing their speech for the day.  At least that’s what I assumed was what I was hearing.  Now, you’d assume someone is having a conversation on a cell phone.  Strange how things have changed.  It isn’t any less annoying, however.

I never felt compelled to criticize another speaker, knowing full well my turn was next and my speech might be worse.  There were several times I wondered why someone would pick a topic guaranteed to bore.  The cartoon idea came from one of those speeches.  I don’t remember the topic…it was that bad, but I do remember the sound of someone behind me snoring softly.  I think I know who it was.  He openly admitted the only reason he joined was to be able to take a long lunch.

Looking back, I now realize possibly the greatest lesson learned was how to sit quietly in a corporate meeting with your eyes open, appearing to be listening with rapt attention when in reality, you checked your brain at the door.  Based on that theory, I’m guessing Congress is filled with people like that… they certainly aren’t listening and their brains ARE missing!