Saturday, February 28, 2009

The Economy, Raffles, & Horses


I really do not forward chain emails, there are so many, but occasionally one comes along that's worth the read. As is the case with most email chains, I don't have proper attribution, though this is all over the Internet and in emails. But in our frustration trying to grasp the complexities of the economy and our own finances right now, it's nice to have a brief moment of clarity and humor. In case you haven't seen it yet:
Young Chuck in Montana bought a horse from a farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news... the horse died."

Chuck replied, "Well, then just give me my money back."

The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

Chuck said, "OK, then, just bring me the dead horse."

The farmer asked, "What ya going to do with him?"

Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off."

The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead horse!"

Chuck said, "Sure I can, watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened with that dead horse?"

Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $998."

The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"

Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."