I vote that we donate half of it to the Red Cross and then give the other fifty dollars to the Salvation Army

[güey]

Hi there,

There's a joke on the internet:
At the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce meeting the treasurer reported a deficit of two hundred dollars.
One of the chamber members stood up and said, “I vote that we donate half of it to the Red Cross and then give the other fifty dollars to the Salvation Army.”

It seems the main point of the boldfaced sentence is that the $200 was previously stolen by the members, and to cover up the theft they suggest making it appear that they were donated. But then what's with the lacking $50? ($100 + $50 = 150). I don't understand this second point. Would please explain it to me?

 

[Barque]

I suspect the joke is that the speaker (who might have been the one who stole the $200 in the first place) was hoping to make at least $100 though the shortfall had been noticed.

If half the deficit is donated to the Red Cross, the other half remains. If that remaining amount/half is $50, it'll appear the deficit is only $100 and that can be accounted for by the donations. But it's actually $200, so there's $100 left that needn't be accounted for.

Let's see what others say.

 

[5jj]

The joke is the stupidity of the speaker.

First they think that a deficit means a profit.
Then they think that giving away half of $200 will leave $50.

 

[Tarheel]

A deficit and a surplus are, of course, opposites. Could somebody on the Chamber of Commerce confuse the two? That's not likely, but who knows?

 

[güey]

The joke is the stupidity of the speaker.

First they think that a deficit means a profit.
Then they think that giving away half of $200 will leave $50.

It seems I was over-analizing it.

 

[5jj]

over-analizing it

I hope not! (Though that would be one way of getting to the bottom of the matter.)