Three Contractors
Three contractors bid to fix a broken fence at the White House. One is from Chicago, another 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 pad and pencil. "Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about $9,000. That is $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 is $3,000 for materials, $3,000 for my crew and $1,000 profit for me." The Chicago contractor does not measure or figure but leans over to the White House official and whispers, "$27,000." The official, incredulous, whispers back, "You did not even measure or figure anything like the other guys. How did you come up with such a high figure?" "The Chicago contractor whispers again, "$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.
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