An economic stimulus story

 
An interesting but cynical view of the Australian Government's proposed economic stimulus package. If you're not aware, in February 2009 Kevin Rudd's government announced plans to begin handing out cash payments totalling AU$42 billion (approx. €22 billion at the time) to Australian workers and families with the first payments due in March.


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It is the month of June - a resort town sits next to the shores of a large 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, fat-cat tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a $100 bill on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.

The hotel proprietor takes the $100 bill and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 bill, and runs to pay his debt to the pig raiser.

The pig raiser takes the $100 bill, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the $100 bill and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute who, in these hard times, provided her "services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the $100 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 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, takes his $100 bill 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 optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the Australian Government is doing business today also.