Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Dark humor at H5N1 blog

REALLY dark humor, considering the topic.

Jordan chooses the Jack Benny strategy

In a country where raising poultry keeps most of the people alive, the government asked its citizens to kill their chickens and ask later about compensation.

I've used this analogy before, and it's still valid. The American comedian Jack Benny got a lot of laughs out of his famous stinginess. In one skit, he's trapped by a robber who demands: "Your money or your life!"

Benny doesn't answer. The impatient robber says: "Well, what is it? Your money or your life?"

"I'm thinking it over," Benny snaps back.

The Jordanian government is thinking it over too. In such a predicament, it should pay its people for the culled chickens, and worry tomorrow about where to find the money. So should every government facing the same problem.

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