Healthcare Reform In The Funnies
The only sure thing about healthcare reform is that it’s going to add to the country’s collective case of bad temper. How can we not feel down for having to go through weeks of listening to partisans of all stripes say anything imaginable to attack the other guys’ arguments?
For at least one day, then, let’s turn down the heat, and look to humor to put smiles back on our faces.
For even-handed skewing of all things Washington, see this link to the “Top Ten Healthcare Reform Jokes,” selected by Daniel Kurtzman from material provided by Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, and others.
My favorite: “The healthcare bill was introduced yesterday. It’s 1,990 pages long and costs $894 billion dollars. Or $2.2 million per word. That makes them the most expensive words to come out of Washington since ‘Mission Accomplished.’” – Jimmy Fallon
Or check out this article from The Onion. Good satire should be pretty close to the mark, and this one fits the bill. “Congress Deadlocked Over How Not to Provide Healthcare” screams the headline. The Onion’s “reporter” writes, “The legislative stalemate largely stems from competing ideologies deeply rooted along party lines. Democrats want to create a government-run system for not providing healthcare, while Republicans say coverage is best denied by allowing private insurers to make it unaffordable for as many citizens as possible.”
Who knew that Republicans have a Marxist view of the health reform debate? You don’t agree? Then take a look at this You Tube video. That’s Groucho – not Karl – leading a rousing chorus of “I don’t care what they have to say, it makes no difference anyway, whatever it is, I’m against it!” I found this video after a Google search turned it up on the liberal A Healthy Blog, which says this “nicely sums up” the GOP’s approach to health reform.
A cartoon published by Kaiser Health News lambasts Harry (Reid) and Nancy (Pelosi), casting them as the stars in Thelma and Louise 2. Guess where their car is heading! And my favorite of all is a video from the Tuftscope Health, Ethics and Policy, which shows what it would be like if the airlines were run like U.S. healthcare!
I hope that today’s blog added a little amusement to the day. (Not to worry, though, in the next few days I’ll get back to pontificating and riling up people in the process!)
Today’s question: Do you have a favorite (but good taste) joke, blog, or video link that pokes fun at healthcare reform?
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
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