Economic Cartoons | Progressive Political Cartoons

How We Define Unemployment, And Who Benefits

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

unemployment-measurement

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Two characters are standing on the planet earth. They are giants – they could step across a continent in five steps – but they’re drawn in an adorable tiny-body-cute-head fashion. One of them is wearing a floral-patterned short sleeve shirt and an “uncle Sam” hat; the other wears a business suit. Panel 1 UNCLE SAM: The economy is awful! How will we fix this mess? BUSINESSMAN: I know! Let’s measure unemployment with a bizarre definition that makes it look much smaller! Panel 2 MAN: I can’t find full-time work so I’m supporting my kids with a twelve hour a week job. BUSINESSMAN (popping in from the side of the panel, in the foreground, and addressing the readers instead of the man, with a manic grin): Not unemployed! Panel 3 WOMAN: I want to work, but after ten months of looking and no luck, I’ve given up. UNCLE SAM (again, popping in and not looking at the other character): Not unemployed! Panel 4 MUSTACHE MAN: I made five bucks by watching my friend’s baby for an hour this week. BUSINESSMAN: (You get the idea by now, right?) Not unemployed! Panel 5 PUNK WOMAN: I do chores fifteen hours a week at my parents’ farm, but I’m not paid. UNCLE SAM: Not unemployed! Panel 6 STUDENT CARRYING BOOK: I’m taking a month off from job-hunting to take classes to improve my skills. BUSINESSMAN: Not unemployed! Panel 7 UNCLE SAM: That was amazing! We cut unemployment in half without doing a thing to help anyone! BUSINESSMAN: Problem solved! Sub-panel at the end CROWD OF PEOPLE WITHOUT JOBS BUT NOT OFFICIALLY UNEMPLOYED: Wait, what about us? UNCLE SAM: Get a job!

Posted in Economic cartoons |

The Minimum Wage Versus The Earned Income Tax Credit

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

minimum-wage-vs-eitc

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The cartoon shows two people arguing, a young woman with her hair in a ponytail, and an older man wearing a suit. PANEL 1 WOMAN: We need to help low-income workers, we should raise the minimum wage! MAN (thoughtfully): The minimum wage is inefficient. To really help low income workers, you’d have to raise the Earned Income Tax Credit. PANEL 2 WOMAN (enthused): Sounds good! Let’s raise the Earned Income Tax Credit. MAN (angry): NEVER! That would increase government spending! PANEL 3 WOMAN: But you just said… MAN: What a shame there’s no policy that helps low-income workers without government spending. PANEL 4 WOMAN (annoyed): You mean, like raising the minimum wage? MAN (enthused): Hey, you know what poor people really need? Tax cuts for millionaires! SMALL ADDITIONAL PANEL AT END WOMAN (enthused): We should raise both the minimum wage and the tax credit! MAN: Give me a sec to work out why I’m against that.

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Posted in Economic cartoons |

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Panel 1 An old man, who is a Senator, wearing a suit and tie, sits behind a large desk. There is an American flag behind the desk. SENATOR: I love being a Senator. Lots of assistants, comfy chair, the pay is great, and I never lift anything heavier than my laptop. Panel 2 SENATOR: I could keep doing this job forever! Panel 3 As it snows heavily, an old man wearing a plaid shirt struggles to life a huge bundle of newspapers out of a truck. Behind him, through the snow, we can see the Capitol Building in the background. On the front paper of the bundle of papers, we can read the headline: CONGRESS RAISES RETIREMENT AGE. A sub-headline says “Senator: ‘I’ve never met anyone who wants to stop working!’”

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PANEL 1 Illustration shows Alamar, a dark-skinned man wearing overalls and a hardhat, standing behind a partly built brick wall holding a brick in one hand and a trowel in the other. CAPTION: Alamar came to the United States to find work. Alamar is a brick mason. He works hard and is very productive. PANEL 2 Illustration shows Alamar continuing to work on the wall, while a woman nearby wearing a hardhat checks something off on her clipboard. Behind Alamar, a man walks up carrying a box. Behind that man, a large truck has pulled up. CAPTION: Because Alamar is so productive, people in related jobs, like brickmakers, site supervisors, and truckers, have more work to do. PANEL 3 Illustration shows Alamar, no longer wearing a hardhat, buying groceries from a cashier. CAPTION: All those people, including Alamar, spend money in the local economy, on things like groceries and movies and diners and gas and clothes. All that spending creates more jobs. PANEL 4 Illustration shows Alamar back at work on the wall. Next to him, an angry bald man is yelling. CAPTION: That’s why Americans welcome Alamar with friendship and open arms. ANGRY BALD MAN: GO HOME, YOU *@%#! JOB-STEALER!

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Cartoon depicts a woman and her child, sitting on the edge of the curb. The child is sleeping leaning against its mother. In front of them, a homemade cardboard sign reads “Unemployed Hungry.” On the sidewalk behind the pair, two men wearing jackets and ties are arguing back and forth: Deficit! Deficit! Deficit!

Description of cartoon: The cartoon shows a woman holding a child’s hand, in a fairly dismal-looking city area, standing on a sidewalk at the entrance to a building. Above the entrance is a sign that says “Really Good Careers.” To the right of the entrance, a smaller sign says “An equal opportunity employer.” The entrance is shaped like a male silhouette; it seems apparent that the woman and her child could not fit through the entrance.

This cartoon is also available in black and white.

Posted in Economic cartoons, Feminist cartoons |

See Sue Run (now with two endings!)

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

There are two versions of this cartoon. The only difference is the final panel; in one version, the final panel is about how many Americans ignore the way government helps their lives. In the other version, the final panel is specifically a dig at the Tea Party.

The general version:

And the Tea Party version:

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PANEL 1 See Sue (Illustration of small white girl in pigtails running. This is Sue.) See Sue run. PANEL 2 See Sue run to public school. (Illustration of Sue running towards brick building.) Go, Sue, go! PANEL 3 See Sue’s Daddy tkae a child-care tax credit. (Illustation of Sue’s Daddy in foreground filling out some forms while Sue plays with toys on the floor in the background.) Maybe Daddy will use it to buy Sue more toys! PANEL 4 See Sue use federal student loans to attend college. (Illustration of Sue, now a teenager in a cap and gown, receiving a high school diploma.) Good going, Sue! PANEL 5 See Sue lower her taxes with the lifetime learning credit. (Illustration of Sue putting an envelope into a mailbox. This cartoon is certainly action-packed, isn’t it?) Clever Sue! PANEL 6 See Sue get a job. (Illustration of sue wearing goggles and sawing a piece of wood that’s clamped to two sawhorses.) See the employer tax exclusion make Sue’s health care cheaper. PANEL 7 See Sue buy a home. (Illustration of a small house.) Sue can afford it because of the mortgage deduction! PANEL 8 See Sue have a baby. (Illustration of a baby’s pacifier.) See Sue take the child-tax credit. PANEL 9 See Sue save for her kid’s college education with a tax-free education savings account. (Illustration of Sue, now a bit older, filling out forms.) Good planning Sue! PANEL 10 See Sue retire. (Illustration of Sue, now older with white hair, at a retirement party — there are balloons and cake and a man has his arm around her shoulders.) Now Sue will collect Social Security! PANEL 11 See Sue get sick. (Illustration of Sue in a patient’s gown at a doctor’s office, being spoken to by someone holding a clipboard.) Good thing Sue has Medicare! PANEL 12 See Sue Fail To See (Illustration of Sue, wearing a blazer, angrily speaking.) Sue: When has the government ever helped me? Funny Sue! ALTERNATIVE PANEL 12: PANEL 12 See Sue join the Tea Party. (Illustration of Sue, wearing a blazer, angrily speaking.) SUE: I’ve never taken a cent from the government! Funny Sue!

Read a transcript of the cartoon

PANEL 1
See Sue
(Illustration of small white girl in pigtails running. This is Sue.)
See Sue run.

PANEL 2
See Sue run to public school.
(Illustration of Sue running towards brick building.)
Go, Sue, go!

PANEL 3
See Sue’s Daddy tkae a child-care tax credit.
(Illustation of Sue’s Daddy in foreground filling out some forms while Sue plays with toys on the floor in the background.)
Maybe Daddy will use it to buy Sue more toys!

PANEL 4
See Sue use federal student loans to attend college.
(Illustration of Sue, now a teenager in a cap and gown, receiving a high school diploma.)
Good going, Sue!

PANEL 5
See Sue lower her taxes with the lifetime learning credit.
(Illustration of Sue putting an envelope into a mailbox. This cartoon is certainly action-packed, isn’t it?)
Clever Sue!

PANEL 6
See Sue get a job.
(Illustration of sue wearing goggles and sawing a piece of wood that’s clamped to two sawhorses.)
See the employer tax exclusion make Sue’s health care cheaper.

PANEL 7
See Sue buy a home.
(Illustration of a small house.)
Sue can afford it because of the mortgage deduction!

PANEL 8
See Sue have a baby.
(Illustration of a baby’s pacifier.)
See Sue take the child-tax credit.

PANEL 9
See Sue save for her kid’s college education with a tax-free education savings account.
(Illustration of Sue, now a bit older, filling out forms.)
Good planning Sue!

PANEL 10
See Sue retire.
(Illustration of Sue, now older with white hair, at a retirement party — there are balloons and cake and a man has his arm around her shoulders.)
Now Sue will collect Social Security!

PANEL 11
See Sue get sick.
(Illustration of Sue in a patient’s gown at a doctor’s office, being spoken to by someone holding a clipboard.)
Good thing Sue has Medicare!

PANEL 12
See Sue Fail To See
(Illustration of Sue, wearing a blazer, angrily speaking.)
Sue: When has the government ever helped me?
Funny Sue!

ALTERNATIVE PANEL 12:
PANEL 12
See Sue join the Tea Party.
(Illustration of Sue, wearing a blazer, angrily speaking.)
SUE: I’ve never taken a cent from the government!
Funny Sue!

Posted in Economic cartoons, Health care |

Top Ten Ways Teachers’ Unions Caused The Economic Crisis

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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Panel one TITLE: Top Ten Ways Teacher’s Unions Caused the Economic Crisis (note: the words “teacher’s unions” are in a dripping blood font). GRINNING DUDE IN SUIT WHO IS WEARING A FAKE HALO: Brought to you by the coalition of completely innocent bankers! Panel two BALDING DUDE IN SUIT, WITH PEDANTIC ATTITUDE: Maybe bankers wouldn’t destroy the economy if SOMEBODY had done a better job teaching them addition! Panel three DUDE IN SPORTS SHIRT: Two words: SUMMER VACATIONS. Panel four GRINNING WOMAN HOLDING BIBLE: If teachers allowed prayer in class and didn’t teach evolution, GOD wouldn’t have FORSAKEN THE ECONOMY! Panel five MAN SITTING ON HUGE PILE OF MONEY: Teacher pay sucks MILLIONS from the economy that could otherwise be spent in more PRODUCTIVE sectors of the economy. Like finance! Panel six YET ANOTHER BALDING DUDE WITH A NECKTIE, SCREAMING AND GESTURING WILDLY: UNIONS ARE EEEVIILLLL!! BOOGA BOOOGA! Panel seven SMILING WOMAN WITH NICE HAIR: When we just GIVE children an education, we kill their instinct for the FREE MARKET! First graders need more skin in the game! Panel eight MAN IN KLAN OUTFIT: Teachers unions support DEMOCRATS, democrats support giving MORTGAGES to BLACK PEOPLE, loaning BLACKS money DESTROYS the ECONOMY. Isn’t that obvious? Panel nine RICH DUDE STANDING IN FRONT OF MANSION: If unions didn’t lower PRODUCTIVITY, we BANKERS wouldn’t have to sell worthless sub-prime mortgages just to squeak out a meager living! Panel ten Image shows two young people, looking angry, and wearing Hogwarts uniforms. GIRL: After Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter, his NEXT STEP was forming a TEACHERS’ UNION! BOY: What a louse! Panel eleven GRINNING, POWERFUL-LOOKING DUDE IN SUIT: If no one was teaching MATH, we wouldn’t even KNOW there WAS an economic crisis. Problem SOLVED!

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Posted in Economic cartoons |

Government To The Rescue!

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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Panel 1: A woman, two small children, and a man dressed like an evil landlord from a silent movie (including curly mustache) are standing atop a precariously balanced wedge of land. The underpinnings of the land have been dug out until they’re basically nonexistent. The woman is yelling in panic, the evil man is grinning and holding a shovel. WOMAN: SOMEBODY HELP US! This GREEDY BANKER undermined our ECONOMY and it’s about to COLLAPSE! Panel 2: A male superhero with a “G” in a superman-like chest design flies through the skies, somewhat startling a bird. SUPERHERO: As the GOVERMENT, I can’t just WATCH this happen… I must TAKE ACTION! TO THE RESCUE! Panel 3: With a determined expression, the superhero kicks out the remaining foundation, and the two children, the woman, and the evil man go tumbling towards the ground. Panel 4: The superhero flies through the skies, smiling, carrying the grinning evil man gently in his arms. EVIL MAN: My hero!

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Posted in Economic cartoons |

How Democracy Works

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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The cartoon has three panels. Each panel shows a crowd of milling citizens, who vary in sex, race, and age, yelling up to a giant white man wearing a suit and tie. The giant’s head is far distant from the citizens, and he gives no sign of hearing what they’re saying. PANEL 1 GIANT: I’m PROUD I’ve been elected to represent the great people of this region! CROWD1: I’ve been unemployed for six months! CROWD2: How come the banks get help… PANEL 2 From offpanel, a giant hand hands the giant white man a giant bundle of cash. GIANT: I promise I’ll — Pardon me a moment. THANKS, Eric. CROWD1: Medical costs keep going up… CROWD2: In jail for a joint… Panel 3 The giant resumes speaking while he pockets the bundle of cash. GIANT: I PROMISE I’ll ALWAYS listen to the voices of ORDINARY CITIZENS! CROWD1: Tuition has doubled… CROWD2: Unemployed for ten months… CAPTION (Running across the strip, under all three panels): HOW DEMOCRACY WORKS

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Quoting a paper by Martin Gilens (pdf link):

Using an original data set of almost 2,000 survey questions on proposed policy changes between 1981 and 2002, I find a moderately strong relationship between what the public wants and what the government does, albeit with a strong bias toward the status quo. But I also find that when Americans with different income levels differ in their policy preferences, actual policy outcomes strongly reflect the preferences of the most affluent but bear little relationship to the preferences of poor or middle income Americans.

In the table above, the dark line represents the opinions of the highest-earning 10% of Americans. The further to the right the dark line goes, the more that top 10% wants a policy change to happen. And the further towards the top the dark line goes, the more likely it is that politicians will make the desired policy change happen. As you can see, the more the top 10% want a change, the more likely it is to happen.

The gray line represents the opinions of the lowest-earning 10% of Americans. As you can see, it’s completely irrelevant what they (er, we?) think. Politicians couldn’t care less. Gilens also has a similar graph showing that politicians barely listen any more to middle-class Americans than they do to poor Americans.

(See also, this essay by political scientist Larry Bartels.)

Posted in Economic cartoons, Elections |

How We Define Unemployment, And Who Benefits

The Minimum Wage Versus The Earned Income Tax Credit

It’s A Matter Of Perspective

Immigration and Jobs

Talking About The Deficit

Really Good Careers

See Sue Run (now with two endings!)

Top Ten Ways Teachers’ Unions Caused The Economic Crisis

Government To The Rescue!

How Democracy Works

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