Re: Hellertoon, Free Lance, May 30
This political cartoon coloring the Opinion page amazed me of how skillful art can deftly explain what caused an all night session of congressional words in the House to accomplish.
At first glance of the Joe Heller cartoon, it seemed as though the sweet old billionaire was offering his basin of billions to the onlooker. But the insincere sad eyes on the furrowed brow of the millionaire gave another meaning to both basins of bucks.
Looking at the young child and bald man grouped around the young woman, disappointed, holding an empty basin inspired me to think deeper about what I was observing. Then the light bulb glared an illumination.
How can one small upward waving line from an empty basin have a great deal of meaning? A line like an aroma (could be stinky) topped by an asterisk directed the viewing eyes to the asterisk definition which meant House Budget Bill. From the empty basin to the full basins represented a theft.
The full money basins were labeled “Tax Cuts” but the woman’s basin was empty and simply labeled “Cuts.” How could “cut” mean “full” for the wealthy and “empty” for others? This one cartoon exposed the bitter reality of how a tax bill can rearrange the money supply from those who need it to those who don’t need it.
In fact the view that Dan Walters expressed on the same page complained about this very problem of a divided economy. Interesting to note is that this House Bill would worsen the economic divide by removing all the health, food and education programs needed to help people become productive members of society.
Enumerable data shows that proper resources of healthcare, food, nutrition and education allow communities to thrive. Helping each other is the pillar of our moral and ethical society.
Mary Zanger
Hollister
