Cartoon: The Federal Budget Is Just Like Your Family’s Budget!

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Ampersand

[spoiler]Two women are talking, who I will call “Black Dress” and “Sneakers,” respectively.

Panel 1
BLACK DRESS: The Federal government’s budget is just like a family budget!
SNEAKERS: Really? Your family prints its own currency?

Panel 2
BLACK DRESS: Well, no.
SNEAKERS: Can your family sell its own super-low-interest bonds to borrow money?

Panel 3
Both women have become a bit annoyed with the other.
BLACK DRESS: No! But when I do my family budget, I can’t spend more than I earn.
SNEAKERS: Then how will anyone in your family ever own a home? Or go to college?

Panel 4
BLACK DRESS: My point is, the government has to cut back! Starting with social security!
SNEAKERS (horrified): Your family saves money by robbing Grandma?[/spoiler]

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7 Responses to Cartoon: The Federal Budget Is Just Like Your Family’s Budget!

  1. 1
    Ross says:
    August 29, 2013 at 5:19 am

    I’m all in favor of cutting the budget. Let’s start with the war on drugs, corporate welfare, ag subsidies and the Department of Defense.

  2. 2
    grendelkhan says:
    August 29, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    Ooh, fixing household-budget analogies! I like these.

    For example, let’s say you’re the breadwinner for a family that includes some small children. You have a good year consulting, so you quit your day job and buy a Ferrari. But then it turns out that that year was an outlier, and now you don’t have anything to eat. You then complain that the payments on the Ferrari are a sacred obligation and that your kids will just have to survive on puddle water and government cheese. Furthermore, it is out of the question for you to go get another nine-to-five, even though you were fine with it then.

    In completely unrelated news, Land Wars in Asia and cuts in the top marginal income tax rate are sacred, but we need to make Hard Choices about Social Security, the cost of education and so on.

  3. Pingback: I thought this was called “Extortion” – Bridget Magnus and the World as Seen from 4'11"

  4. 3
    Zina says:
    September 1, 2013 at 11:24 am

    Best cartoon I’ve seen rebutting the household/federal budget comparison. Not only is it funny and well-written, the drawing is great.

  5. 4
    Ampersand says:
    September 1, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Thanks, Zina! That’s kind of you, and I’m glad you enjoyed the cartoon.

    Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go off and do a happy dance, because Zina Saunders just called one of my cartoons well-drawn! :-p Whoo!

  6. 5
    Hugh says:
    September 3, 2013 at 9:31 am

    What always annoys me is people who compare federal debt to credit card debt. One has roughly ten times the annual interest rate of the other, but, hey, debt is debt right?

  7. 6
    Zina says:
    September 3, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    Ha! And now I have to go do a happy dance because you answered me! I love your blog.