Tom Toles Friday rant: fever dreams edition

[n2doc]

We just went through another week talking about nothing but the deficits, and again, the only thing anybody was asked to sacrifice was their brain.

I will repeat it once more: anybody who pretends to be talking about solving the deficit who doesn’t focus on the TWO core issues of BOTH health care costs AND raising taxes isn’t being serious about the deficit. Don’t listen to them. News organizations that run stories about deficit solutions that don’t frame the problem in this way are not being serious. Don’t bother trying to follow them. They lead to exploratory lobotomies, on you.

Paul Ryan’s “solution” is to slowly take away people’s coverage until they can’t afford care anymore. One way to do it! Doesn’t solve the deficit, but it is palliative care for those who can’t abide the idea that the undeserving may be getting medical treatment. And a stellar diversionary tactic so people don’t notice that what you’re REALLY doing is just cutting taxes for the rich AGAIN! Maybe someday we will have the discussion on how to rationalize health care delivery to make it less expensive, and a fair system to pay for the costs and benefits, but not today! Today we still prefer our fever-driven hallucinations.

By Tom Toles | 08:00 AM ET, 04/08/2011

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/tom-toles/post/friday-rant-fever-dreams-edition/2011/04/07/AF3lrQvC_blog.html

[gratuitous]

1. Oh Tom . . . tsk, tsk

Don't you know that Paul Ryan is very "serious" about the deficit? Everybody says so! And here you are, examining and critiquing his proposal as if you were qualified to do so! Tsk, tsk. Do the talking chuckleheads say that you're "serious"? Because if not, you don't have any business trying to undermine the very serious proposals of the very serious Paul Ryan, who is very serious about economic matters. Seriously.

[Solomon]

2. n2doc

Can you post Toles' toon from this morning. (I think it was this morning - it was in the Washington Post)

[n2doc]

3. here ya go

[Solomon]

4. Ooops. I must have the wrong day.

Thanks. I thought I saw a cartoon about Obama - perhaps it was yesterday.
I could have sworn it was this morning. I'm getting old. LOL

[n2doc]

5. He had a good one on Ryan yesterday

Catch in the Ryan
By Tom Toles
I guess this is what passes for bravery now. Paul Ryan proposes a plan to reduce the deficit that strokes his base like a fluffy pampered puppy and he is praised in the media for his trouble. Give that man a medal!

The poor get to play their assigned roles as both the problem and the target, other sacrifices are off there in the distant future somewhere, but the rich get to have their rewards up front. Paul Ryan, hero. Courage used to have something to do with risking something, but that was before the bankers redefined “risk” as “reward.” So now rewarding yourself and your friends is now redefined as “courage.” Makes sense. Nice game you got there.

In case you got distracted by all the courage talk and forgot for a moment who it is exactly who benefits from Paul Ryan’s courageous tax cuts, here’s this. Yesterday I wrote how we are standing by as species after species go extinct. Check the list, you may discover you’re on it!

By Tom Toles | 08:00 AM ET, 04/07/2011

[Solomon]

6. YEAH YEAH That's the one! Not about Obama but I knew

there was something I liked about it.

That's the one. I wish that was plastered everywhere!!

Thanks. This needs to be kicked. Toles is a genius.