Stimulus Package at Work

The precipitous drop in oil prices, plus the pandemic panic left the little town in West Texas at a loss. Like an image from the old West, a single tumbleweed blows through the town’s main street. Times are tough, seems like everyone is living on credit.

A tourist, a Millennial from Austin, drives through town, thinks he (or she) might like to stay at the motel, it’s kind of a classic with a retro-vibe to it. He (or she) asks to see a room, laying a hundred dollar bill on the counter as a deposit.

As soon as the person from Austin trundles off with a couple of room keys, the motel manager grabs that $100 and runs next door to the grocery. The guy who own the grocery has been letting the motel slide on credit, and the $100 pays that off.

The guy who owns the grocery calls up a local cattle rancher, and tells him to run by and get paid $100 for the back-due bill on beef. The rancher, not doing anything, hops over and collects the $100 from the grocery guy.

The rancher’s been living on credit from the Feed and Seed store, so he drives over there, and drops that $100 on his bill.

The manager at the Feed and Seed store owes the local hooker, as she’s been providing a service on credit. He calls her up and she walks over to get paid.

The hooker, who has been renting a room at the motel, takes the $100 and lays it on the counter at the motel.

While burnt-orange shag carpet does have a delightful, retro-vibe to it, as far as spending the night there? That Austin Millennial changes his (or her) mind, and asks for the money back. The $100 is sitting on the counter, where the hooker left it.

No one did anything, no products were produced, but someone got screwed.

Stimulus Package at Work

And note.