posted on June 5, 2003 04:47:15 AM new
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered altitude and
spotted a man below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I
promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I
am."
The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon
approximately 30 feet above the ground at an elevation of 2346 feet above
sea level. You're at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100
degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.
She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a republican".
"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically
correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and I'm still
lost. Frankly, you have not been much help to me".
The man smiled and replied, "You must be a democrat."
"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going.
You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a
promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your
problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but
somehow, it's now my fault."
