| To build a fence...
The city council decided to build a nice fence around the town library. Simple yet functional. So they solicited bids for the project and got three respondents. The building committee chairman called all three bidders and asked them to come to city hall to present their bids. They all showed up at the appointed time and the Chairman called each in one at a time.
The first bidder was from Arkansas. He came in and said "I can build that fence for....uhm.....$1000.00!"
The Chairman said, "OK, you are our first bidder and we have two more to go so please go outside and sit down till all have presented."
The second bidder was from Texas. He comes in and says, "I can build that fence for $800!"
The chairman says, " Well, you certainly are competitive with the other bid, but I still have one more bid to hear. Go out side and wait."
The third bidder was from Chicago. He comes in, plops down in the chair and soon has the Chairman laughing with his witty stories. Soon he looks at the Chairman and says, "Well, the soil is pretty good for digging the holes, and the outline is pretty square....I can build that fence for 2800 dollars!"
The chairman about swallowed his tongue and proclaimed in shock "Why, we have had three bidders in here and all are much lower than you! What makes your bid so much higher than the others?!"
The Chicagoan says, "Easy, a thousand for you, a thousand for me and we hire the Texan!"
__________________ The first rule of tinkering is to save all the parts. | 
