"Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at a Government property. One is from Hollister, another is from Forsyth, and the third is from Reeds Spring .
All three go with an government official to examine the fence. The Hollister 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 Forsyth contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do this job for $700. That's $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me."
The Reeds Spring contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the government 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 Reeds Spring contractor whispers back, "$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and we hire the guy from Forsyth to fix the fence."
"Done!" Replies the government official.
And that, my fellow tax payers, is how a Government Stimulus plan works."