Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House.
One is from Chicago , another is from Kentucky , and the third is from Iowa.
All three go with a White House official to examine the fence.
The Iowa 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 $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit
for me." The Kentucky contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says,
"I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me."
The Chicago contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House
official and whispers, "$2,700." 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, "$1000 for me, $1000 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 > new stimulus plan works!
