# Math Education Through the Years....



## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Teaching Math in 1950: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His
cost of production is 4/5 of the price.
What is his profit?


Teaching Math in 1960: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His
cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80.
What is his profit?


Teaching Math in 1970: A logger exchanges a set "L" of lumber for a set "M"
of money. The cardinality of set "M" is 100. Each element is worth one
dollar. Make 100 dots representing the elements of the set "M." The set "C",
the cost of production contains 20 fewer points than set "M."
Represent the set "C" as a subset of set "M" and answer the following
question: What is the cardinality of the set "P" of profits?


Teaching Math in 1980: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His
cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20.
Your assignment: Underline the number 20.


Teaching Math in 1990: By cutting down beautiful forest trees, the logger
makes $20.
What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class
participation after answering the question: How did the forest birds and
squirrels feel as the logger cut down the trees? There are no wrong answers.


Teaching Match in 2000: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His
cost of production is $120, paid to a partnership owned by his son-in-law.
His accounting department tells him his profit is $60. This is verified by
his auditing firm, Arthur Andersen, blessed by his lawyers, Vinson, Elkins,
and touted by assorted Wall Street investment bankers.
Question: How can Jesse Jackson share the spotlight on this deal?


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Very funny, Richard, and sadly, way too close to reality.  What if we look a few years into the future (as I am inclined to do)? With your permission, here is my take on selling that truckload of lumber in the year 2010.

A logger sells a truckload of now rare lumber for $100,000.
Taking into account the following allocated transactional 
components, what is the logger's net profit?

Production, Delivery & Sales Costs:
- protected union labor $15,500
- capital equipment depreciation $550
- fuel, including domestic oil consumption penalty $500
- non-renewable energy surtax $5,000
- Highway Use Tax $1,000
- Home Depot Preferred Vendor fee $450
- natural resource depletion tax $2,500
- Sierra Club replanting-assurance program (vol. donation) $1,000
- Rainbow Coalition cooperative hiring agreement $1,500
- Environmental Impact Statement $25,000
- OSHA compliance costs $11,200
- ADA workplace accessability modifications $10,900
- allocation of administrative, accounting & general overhead costs $45,000

Sales, Subsidies & Related Revenue:
- gross sale $100,000
- Home Builders (HBA) preferred-materials allowance $150
- star employer tax offset (state) $3,000
- tree farm subsidy (pro-rated) $37,000
- federal paperwork burden allowance $16,000
- federal crop depletion allowance $100,000
- federal employee job protection bonus $90,100
- federal small-business profitablity assurance program (bailout) $1,500,000
- SBA annual business longevity award (FFY 2009) $4,500

Oy vey! Have I got a headache!

Nick :smoking:


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## John Corn (Mar 21, 2002)

OMG.....:lol:


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

> With your permission, here is my take on selling that truckload of lumber in the year 2010.


Permission granted and very well done (as usual), but, you forgot a couple of items. Where is the ACLU fee and the National Trial Lawyer's Association Fee?


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

You are correct, Sir! My bad. We have fired our accounting firm of Dunce & Dumble for the oversight. Upon further investigation, I have discovered they also overlooked the following cost categories:

Al Sharpton Society (ASS) for Really, Really Cool Haircuts

The Jerry Falwell Alliteration Group (J-***) for the Prevention of Foot-In-Mouth Disease

Coalition to Promote Itinerate Trailer-Trash (PIT-T) on National TV

National Interest Council to Keep Nick Alive and Kicking (NICKNAK) :lol: 

(groan) I'm outta here.....

Nick :smoking:


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

lol


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