Should I even bother with this new RW email? - - Stimulus Package

[progressoid]

Just got this one from a family member. I'm sure there will be more to follow.

I'm kinda tired from a lot of long days in front of the computer machine. Anybody have any witty comebacks?

Stimulus package....best explanation yet.

Shortly after class, a student approaches his economics professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?"
The professor replied, "I don't have time right now, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you." The student agreed.
At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool.
They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the student a bucket. Demonstrating with his own bucket, the professor said, "First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water as you can." The student did as he was instructed.
The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and then dump all the water from your bucket into it.." The student was naturally confused, but did as he was told.
The professor then explained they were going to do this many more times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool.
The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?"
The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the shallow end much deeper.
The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but figured that he would find out the real story soon enough.
However, after the 8th or 9th trip between the shallow end and the deep end, the student began to become worried that his economics professor had kinda' lost it. The student finally blurted out, "All we're doing is wasting valuable time and effort on an unproductive pursuit. Even worse, when this process is all over (and there's absolutely no way to know when that might be), everything will be exactly the same as before, so all we really have accomplished is the complete waste of both our time and our efforts which, if otherwise directed, might have had a chance of yielding a productive result!"
The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile, "Congratulations. You now understand the stimulus bill."

[The Wielding Truth]

1. Let's hope that as usual they are all wrong on this, too.

[YOY]

2. What professor was that?

Or are they just trying to make an inept parable in a fashion that shows "smart people" explaining shit the writers clearly don't understand in the first place?

[progressoid]

6. Not sure, but I think he teaches at the University of Morans.

[YOY]

9. And the student is obviously going for his BA in b.s.

Sure as hell ain't going for a "Masters" in anything but "baitin'".

[uppityperson]

3. Then the student pointed out to the professor that is wasn't water but

blood from the people he'd drained to build his brazillion dollar home with.

Or ignore. Or tell them that it is a recycled story from the bush years and can't they come up with a new one.

[rainy]

4. Except that the professor will be safer because he got to keep

his firefighters and police officers, his kids will be better educated with state of the art, keeping up with foreign competition, equipment, his food will be safer, his roads will be safer and not so old and falling apart, his bridges won't collapse underneath him, his health will be much better as we will pay more attention to prevention rather than drugs to mask symptoms so on and so on. His air will be sweeter to breathe as it will be cleaner. His water will not be so pollutes nor his seas and rivers. He will be paying less for gas, traveling by high speed trains all over the country, I really am looking forward to trains.

[gratuitous]

5. Then what's the problem?

All those people in the deep end of the money pool shouldn't have any difficulty whatsoever with paying their fair share of taxes, since it all flows back to them anyway.

Or maybe I missed the point of this asinine, oversimplistic bit of class war hatred*? It's happened before.

*Not to impugn the original poster in any sense; just the person or persons who thought this stupid little story was an "explanation" of anything having to do with reality.

[progressoid]

8. "asinine, oversimplistic" That's the problem.

How does one deal with people that can't (or won't) understand anything deeper than a children's story?

[PVnRT]

15. Convince them not to have children

[Canuckistanian]

7. What a dumb-assed analogy

Way over-simplified and incorrect.

And the addition of a nameless "economics professor" is a typical "Appeal to authority" fallacy.

The sad thing is, people will fall for this shit.

[progressoid]

10. Yeah, maybe it's not even worth acknowledging.

I was thinking maybe another analogy about how most of us aren't allowing in that pool. Or that our pools were empty or cracked or nonexistent.

But maybe I should just let this one go. It's like arguing with 3rd graders sometimes.

SERENITY NOW!!

[louis-t]

11. I used to get these from an aunt.

She was very well-meaning but gullible. I would explain to her the truth, point out the illogic of the viral email, and always ended with "Cute story, though."

[progressoid]

12. Aha ha ha

I had a similar exchange with someone before the election about an email attributed to David Letterman. When I pointed out it wasn't his words, she said, "well, I liked it anyway and that's what matters." :eyes:

[Contrary1]

13. Just reply to all that there is a virus attached and delete it immediately.

Most of those who email this nonsense to their friend list have no clue on how to check.
Worked on my aunt. :evilgrin:

[progressoid]

17. Ha! That's one I hadn't thought of!!

:thumbsup:

[jillan]

14. I would tell them - the point they are missing is the majority of us don't have pools. And -

the reason for that is because many of us are out of work and can't afford a pool and because we can't afford a pool, there is no one calling the companies that make pools so those companies are telling their employees to go home. Now their employees don't have any money to buy pools. So, obviously the people that have pools just don't get it....they can play with their little buckets all day if they want to.

[JHB]

18. Not only that, it shows he doesn't know how to maintain his own pool

"No professor, we don't push the water around to "make the shllow end deeper" or whatever nonsense you said.

It's because the pool is healthier if the water circulates and has its content regulated so that it stays cool and clear, and doesn't turn into a stagnant, algae-choked, mosquito-infested pest-hole!

[jillan]

19. Haha - I think together we have come up with a perfect reply to this wacko email.

:toast:

[NeedleCast]

16. Why bother? You're not going to change their minds

Don't know why people get so worked up over them. Its why your E-mail program comes equipped with a delete button.