Reply #17: That travel analogy almost made my brain stop...

[Blue_Tires]

The proper analogy of course goes more like:

200 Americans are aboard a flight about to take off for a 3-month vacation...The pilots are open to passenger suggestions on the destination (this is a one-way flight with only one destination), and are not above letting a little cash influence their decision...

Most passengers make the usual popular suggestions (Las Vegas, Miami, Hawaii, Cancun, Paris, Athens, etc.) but none of them have any more than few hundered dollars apiece to sway the pilots...Now the one billionaire passenger, who is only flying commercially because he can write it off as a business expense, has $5 million to pay the pilots, and wants to go to the South Pole...

"The South Pole??!? WHY?" asked the other 199 en masse.

"Because," the billionaire replied, "I have a 60-acre, luxurious secret underground compound there. Don't worry -- It's warm, stocked with enough food to feed a legion and has every next-generation convenience and recreational amenity you could imagine and more...It's fully staffed, including a stable of sex workers on the off chance I get bored! It will be like I never left home."

"Will we be able to stay with you? You certainly have enough bed space, food and PS3 games."

"No fuckin' way! Naturally I've set aside a couple of rooms for the pilots, since I need them to fly me back in three months...Not my best rooms of course, but they are happy to take whatever I offer. The rest of you are of no use to me and will have to fend for yourselves."

"How are supposed to do that?" the passengers asked. "There are no hotels, restaurants or even people for thousands of miles outside of your compound!"

"You might try camping out in the plane," the billionaire said. "At least you won't be in the cold, and with extreme rationing, most of you should survive three months on pretzels and ginger ale...In the meantime I suggest you use these three vacation months to try making a little more money, lest I change my mind on the last day and pay the pilots to fly us somewhere else rather than home..."