I think Joe was referring to this fine bit of economic theory:
It's the month of July in a resort town. A hotel sits next to the shores of a
lake. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It
is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.
Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town.
He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 dollar bill on the reception
counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.
The hotel proprietor takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay his
debt to the butcher.
The Butcher takes the 100 dollar bill, and runs to pay his debt to
the pig raiser.
The pig raiser takes the 100 dollar bill, and runs to pay his debt to
the supplier of his feed and fuel.
The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to
pay his debt to the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave
her "services" on credit.
The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100
dollar bill to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she
rented when she brought her clients there.
The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 dollar bill back on the
counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.
At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the
rooms, and takes his 100 dollar bill, after saying that he did not
like any of the rooms, and leaves town.
No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt,
and looks to the future with a lot of optimism .
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government
is doing business today. |
