Another Mealtime Metaphor

(Authorship uncertain.)




Ten people go out for dinner. The bill comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four (the poorest) would pay nothing. Boopkus.

The fifth would pay $1. A buck.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh would pay $7. (So far, 11/100 of the bill has been paid by 7/10 of the dinner party.)

The eighth would pay $12.

The nine would pay $18.

The tenth (the richest) would pay $59.


They settled the bill this way and went home.


The dinner club liked the arrangement, and they continued to meet every day for a meal. The restaurant owner announced, "Y'all such good custamahs, I gonna gibb yoo twenny dolluhs off yoe bill." (In our little story, this would be a "20% tax cut".)

The dinner club wanted to use the same formula as they had for their $100 meal - which now cost $80.

The first four? Zero.

The remaining six had to decide how to divvy up the $20 savings in a fair way.

$20 divided by 6 = $3.33.

That would mean the fifth and sixth would get paid to eat. (Five paid a dollar, six $3, in the earlier arrangement.)

"Ah tell yuh wha' Ah'll doo", the restauranteur said. "Ah'll knock off abou' thuh same puh-sennage from each puhsun's bill as befoe."

Fifth? Paid zero.

Sixth? $2 instead of $3. (33% savings.)

Seventh? $5, instead of $7. (28% savings.)

Eighth? $9, instead of $12. (25% savings.)

Ninth? $14, instead of $18. (22% savings.)

Tenth? $49, instead of $59. (16% savings.)

Everyone ate for less.


After the meal, in the parking lot, the dinner club began to compare their savings.

"I only got a buck!" said the sixth. "And you", pointing to the tenth, "you, got ten!"

"Yeah" added the fifth. "I only got a buck's savings, too. He got ten times as much as I did!"

The seventh said, "I only got two dollars back! The rich get all the breaks!"

The first four looked at one another, and had the simultaneous thought, "HEY! We didn't get anything. This system exploits the poor!"


So, the other nine beat up the tenth there in the parking lot.


The next night, after the tenth person didn't show up, the other nine ate their normal meal.

When the bill came, they didn't have enough to pay even half of it.



Note from Alf: What will become of the dinner club?