Dr. J, who keeps his stethoscope in his ABA-era afro, writes in with an excellent point of how political polemic corrodes the mind, to the point where black is white and down is up.

I have been historically amused by Toles’s work even though he is a rabid lefty. It might be because of the little guy in the lower left corner quipping. Who knows. I read Doonesbury as well. Even as a conservative, I can laugh.

This cartoon [vide infra —ŒV] really bugs me, however, because it is the OPPOSITE of what both sides stand for in the health care debate.

Obamacare is ‘theoretically’ about reducing costs, and rationing care (not really but for the sake of argument). Recall during the ABC town hall at the beginning of his term he would offer ‘the blue pill’ instead of a pacemaker to the grandmother of a woman concerned that her grandmother would have been denied a pacemaker with Obamacare. His rationale is that there is some blue pill out there that can mimic on-demand electrical stimulation of the heart. Last time I checked, there isn’t a blue pill, nor a red pill. I should know. I am a cardiologist. [Trapped the Matrix, man…] He would be calling for an aspirin in the gentleman who came in with a small heart attack and severe coronary artery disease requiring coronary bypass surgery. Aspirin reduces future events, but in this situation, CABG would do a little better job. Ask Bill Clinton or Dick Cheney.

The Republican side of the aisle, if they are to be accused of anything, would be accused of maintaining the status quo or being pro-medical/pharmaceutical/device industrial complex. In the world of satire, they would be accused of offering seven bypases (on a per bypass basis, which is NOT HOW WE BILL) when 4 would do.

Confucius, Œc. Vol.

Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu.