Three contractors bid to fix a broken fence at the White House. One is
from Chicago, another is from Kentucky and the third is from New
Orleans. All three go with a White House official to examine the
fence.
The New Orleans contractor takes out a tape measure and does some
measuring, then works some figures with a pencil.
"Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about $9,000. That's
$4,000 for materials, $4,000 for my crew and $1,000 profit for me."
The Kentucky contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then
says, "I can do this job for $7,000. That's $3,000 for materials,
$3,000 for my crew and $1,000 profit for me."
The Chicago contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to
the White House official and whispers, "$27,000."
The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the
other guys. How did you come up with such a high figure?”
"The Chicago contractor whispers back, "$10,000 for me, $10,000 for
you, and we hire the guy from Kentucky to fix the fence."
"Done!" replies the government official.
And that, my friends, is how the Government Stimulus plan worked.
Remember ... Four boxes keep us free: the soap box, the ballot box,
the jury box, and the cartridge box.
"I love my country ... it's the government I'm afraid of!"