What a society spends its resources on reveals its priorities. The United States military has endless resources and massive budgets which it uses to slaughter people around the world for fun and profit. Now the United States healthcare system is under attack by the COVID-19 pandemic, and healthcare workers (not to mention ordinary citizens) can’t even find a $0.58 face mask.
Sick from Our Sick Priorities
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
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One of the best cartoons you’ve ever done, Ted – thanks !…
Henri
I agree.
Excellent, Ted.
“The culture of life” revealed for what it really is!
It’s a great symbol, isn’t it? We used to have a manufacturing base in this country. We’d have had these masks being punched out like doughnuts within 48 hours. The idea that hospitals would run out of these things would have been met with absolute derision.
And this is barely the first line of music in this particular opera.
The dems threw us all away a long time ago. The Republicans? Ditto.
I figure the economy will stall, we’ll see 30 percent unemployment, and we’ll enter an economic depression.
The only thing I see stopping it would be policies like Bernie Sanders has been nagging for with that shrill, annoying, hectoring voice of his for so long. (God, why can’t he shut up already. Everyone likes their employer-provided health insurance.)
We’d need universal healthcare passed right now as an emergency act. Everyone is covered during this crisis. To keep people in their homes and keep the economy from imploding? $2,000 a month per adult until the crisis ends. Throw in a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures (what are you going to do with empty houses and apartments).
The dems will never do it. And they aren’t going to win the general, not with wheeled-into-the-corner Joe Biden. There’s a slogan there (He puts the dem in dementia, something like that).
We’re all doomed. I blame Hillary Clinton and the crooked dnc for rigging the 2016 primary elections.
Who will protect the people from those who declare that they and they alone are the people’s protectors?
How many of us will they sacrifice to their greedy god while thanking us for our sacrifices?
The security state is bad for the security of society.
Epidemics can thin the ranks of the ruling “elite” but they can retreat to vacation homes and yachts to avoid being wiped out. If the reatreat fails they have the cash to get the best treatment.
Wars and revolutions can replace one ruling “elite” with another, so guns, police/troops and surveillance are vital to maintain the status quo .
Given how money pulls the strings in politics is no wonder that we had millions of mask in reserve when we needed billions.