A financial bailout ?

Courtesy of Brian Duffy

...On this particular day a rich German tourist is driving through the
town, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling
the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one
to spend the night.

The owner gives him some room-keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked
upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his
debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the €100 note and rushes down the street to repay his
debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to
pay his bill at the supplier of animal feed and fuel.

The guy at the Farmers' Co-op takes the €100 note and runs to pay his
drinks bill at the friendly neighbourhood pub. The pub owner slips the
money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar - who, in spite of
facing hard times, has always gladly offered him her ‘services’ on credit.

The hooker then rushes over to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the
hotel owner with the €100 note.

The hotel proprietor quietly replaces the €100 note back on the counter, so
that the rich traveller will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, states that none of the
rooms are satisfactory, picks up the €100 note, pockets it and leaves town.

...No one has produced anything. No one has earned anything. However, the
whole town is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more
optimism.