Self-Made Billionaire!
September 15th, 2023 Barry Posted in Economic cartoons | No Comments »
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has six panels. There’s an enormous main panel, the size of the whole cartoon, and then there are five small “inset” panels floating at different angles on top of the main panel.
MAIN PANEL
The main panel shows a smiling, self-satisfied looking white man, wearing casual-but-nice clothes – a long sleeved short shirt tucked into brown pants, with a light blue suit jacket worn on top. He’s holding the lapels of his jacket as he speaks. The last three words of his dialog are printed in much larger lettering, acting as the title of the comic strip.
He is standing thigh-deep in an enormous pile of green dollar bills (presumably of high denominations, although my drawing isn’t detailed enough to show that). Each of the small panels has dollars pouring out of the panel and falling to join the big money pile at the bottom of the cartoon.
MAN: I’m proud to be a SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRE!
INSET PANEL 1
CAPTION: Government Subsidies
A very traditionally-drawn Uncle Sam, grinning, is holding a bucket upside down, and money is pouring out of the bucket.
INSET PANEL 2
CAPTION: Inherited Wealth
A baby in a onesie is napping blissfully on a big pile of brown bags with a “$” printed on each bag.
INSET PANEL 3
CAPTION: Tax Loopholes
A sort of organic-looking hole tunnels into an abstract surface. Money is shooting out of the hole and falling out of the panel, towards the big money pile.
I originally tried drawing this panel as a more literal loophole, made of thread, but somehow that seemed to illustrate the concept less well than a totally abstract approach.
INSET PANEL 4
CAPTION: Publicly Funded Infrastructure
A highway overpass is passing over a lower highway overpass. Cars and trucks are driving on both levels of overpasses, including a large truck with its rear doors open; money is flowing out of the rear doors towards the big money pile.
INSET PANEL 5
This is the final inset panel of the cartoon.
CAPTION: Exploited Workers.
Two workers – one wearing a blue vest over a white shirt, and an orange cap, the other wearing a polo shirt and carrying a large cardboard box, look irritated. Money is flying out of their pockets to join the big money pile.
