#leftycartoons

TRANSCRIPT OF COMIC

The comic has four panels.

PANEL 1

The panel shows backed-up traffic on an overpass in the foreground. In the background, we can see more backed-up highways, and behind that the buildings of a small city, including a white building with a big dome on top and a US flag - i.e., a government building. Two word balloons come from that building. The balloons belong to characters I will call MAYOR and NERD.

MAYOR: The city just spent half a billion widening roads. But we still have traffic congestion!

NERD: Well, Mr. Mayor, studies show that adding lanes doesn't fix traffic.

PANEL 2

Inside the mayor's office. There is a big curtained window and a fancy executive desk with a big leather chair. In front of the desk is the Mayor - a man in a suit with gray hair - and a woman who is a nerd, by which I mean she's wearing glasses, has her hair in a bun, and is carrying a stack of three-ring binders.

The Mayor is making a "stop talking" gesture, holding up a hand flat in front of the nerd's face. The mayor looks angry, and his eyes are bloodshot.

NERD: People's capacity to drive is greater than our capacity to build roads, so-

MAYOR: Blah blah blah! We've got to do something!

PANEL 3

The mayor, now looking happy, makes a big sweeping gesture with his hand, causing the surprised nerd to drop her binders.

NERD: Um...

MAYOR: I've got it!

PANEL 4

The mayor and the nerd are now on stage, the mayor behind the podium and the nerd to one side and behind him. There is a cheering crowd watching the mayor speak.

The Mayor is waving a hand grandly as he speaks. The nerd is face-palming.

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON

This cartoon has six panels.

PANEL 1 A fast food worker, standing behind a big counter of burger patties and ingredients, looks anxious. Right behind her, a manager-man wearing a white shirt and necktie is yelling at her. MANAGER: This is drive-through! You have to work faster! FASTER!

PANEL 2 A different fast food worker clutches his forearm, which has a big red streak throbbing with pain, an agonized expression on his face. The same manager as panel 1 is offering him some little condiment packets. MANAGER: It’s only a hot grease burn. No need for the E.R… Just put these condiment packets on it. CAPTION: True story!

PANEL 3 At a fast food counter, a customer yells at a worker. CUSTOMER: Are you #%@*ing stupid? I said NO PICKLES! WORKER: But you didn’t say… CUSTOMER: GET THE MANAGER!

PANEL 4 A worker is struggling to drag an enormous black bag of garbage out a door into what looks like a back alley, towards a garbage dumpster. WORKER (thought): Maybe if I take three showers tonight the smell will come out of my hair…

PANEL 5 A fast food employee wearing a peaked paper hat and rubber gloves is kneeling by a toilet, cleaning the gross-looking insides of the toilet with a toilet scrubber. The manager yells at him from off-panel.

MANAGER (off-panel): FASTER!