Economists are not really known for being funny. Let me give you an example.

You know the old joke about a man who falls out of a plane and on the way down, he passes another man shooting upward. The first man says, “Do you know anything about parachutes?”

The second man says, “No. Do you know anything about propane barbecues?”

That’s pretty good. It has a nice twist and it’s easy to visualize.

The economics equivalent involves the head of the Bank of China running into the head of the Bank of Argentina at a cocktail party.

The former says to the other, “Do you know anything about applying the brakes on inflation?”

The latter says, “No. Do you know anything about investment accelerators?”

Then the two of them laugh their heads off and go and get drunk together.

Stop and go. Brake and accelerate. You see, an “investment accelerator” is a term taught in Economics 101. It means…oh, never mind.

I tried to warn you. There is a reason that economics is called the dismal science.

Alex Carrick

Find Canadian construction-related economic articles in Canadian Construction Market News and in the Economic Outlook section of Daily Commercial News.

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