The Return On a Twenty-five Cent Investment

On March 5, 1976, about 4:30 AM my fiance (now bride of 33 years) picked me up from my basement appartment and gave me a ride to my recruiters office in Boulder, CO. As the snow fell, we kissed the first of many navy induced goodbyes. She returned to Longmont and this two time high school dropout headed to Denver with his recruiter to be sworn in.

There was no Harvard or Yale in my future. But, the navy was offering something that no other employer was offering me at the time - opportunity. By the time 1983 rolled around I was visably excelling in my chosen career. I had been promoted to to Pettty Officer First Class (E-6) for a couple of years and was headed for shore duty as an instructor of basic electricity and electronics.

In 1984 or 1985 I was car pooling to work (NTC San Diego) with Bob Sholes. Now Bob was a pretty sharp guy and had decided to start taking some college classes. Being frugal with his money he had searched for and found a used book store where he could get a text book he needed. We stopped there on the way home and he bought his text book. On the way out of the store I spotted a paperback in a stack of books laying with its binder title upside down.

I'm not sure what drew me to it although I had heard of the title before. It was not marked so I asked the store owner "how much?"

"Twenty-Five cents" he replied.

I reached in my pocket and experienced one of life's embarassing moments... "Bob, I'm broke. Can I borrow a quarter?"

For twenty-five cents I bought the second edition of "The Incredible Bread Machine." I've never seen the first edition and it's nothing like the third edition. I got home, sat down on the couch and began reading. It was incredible. I couldn't put it down. It made so much sense. It was historical, factual, well researched and footnoted. It should be required reading for history, civics, American Goverment. Middle schoolers can understand it, high school and college students could do countless studies and papers on it. However, it is over the heads of most congressional seat holders in both the house and senate.

I've long been an advocate for smaller and less intrusive government. I taught my sons that the first place to look for a helping hand is at the end of your own arm. To have a friend you must first be a friend. Cliche' but true.

Unless you just stumbled on to this page you know that after retiring from the navy I became self-employed. Our business has been blessed for nearly ten that we have worked out of our home. This past Friday I signed a multi-year lease on 1800 sqft of office/warehouse space. My hope is that even in this present, government induced down turn in the economy that my business will continue to grow and that I will be able to hire on some technical support thus improving someone else's personal economy.

If you read my previous post you'll understand that I believe people vote daily with their hard earned dollars to keep you in business or put you out of business. It's called the free market and is driven good or poor business practices - not political boycotts or government regulations. "The Incredible Bread Machine" did an incredible job of expanding my mind. I wish I could post it in its entirety but since I can't, I will post the poem with which the book ended.

Nobody Asked Me, but... America's best days are yet to come!


The Incredible Bread Machine

By R.W. Grant

This is the story of a man whose name
Was a household word: a man whose fame
Burst on the world like an atom bomb;
Smith was his last name; first name Tom.

Now, Smith, an inventor, had specialized
In toys, so people were surprised,
When they found that he instead
Of making toys, was BAKING BREAD!

The way to make bread he'd conceived
Cost less than people could believe!
And not just make it! This device,
Could in addition, wrap and slice!
The price per loaf, one loaf or many,
The miniscule sum of under a penny!

Can you imagine what this meant?
Can you comprehend the consequent?
The first time yet the world well fed,
And all because of Tom Smith's bread.

A citation from the President,
For Smith's amazing bread,
This and other honours too,
Were heaped upon his head!

But isn't it a wonderous thing,
How quickly fame is flown?
Smith, the hero of today,
Tommorow, scarcely known!

Yes, the fickle years passed by,
Smith was a millionaire,
But Smith himself was now forgot,
Though bread was everywhere...
People, asked from where it came,
Would very seldom know.
They would simple eat and ask,
"Was not it always so?"

However, Smith cared not a bit,
For millions ate his bread...
And everything is fine, thought he,
I am rich, and they are fed!

Everything was fine, he though,
He reckoned not with fate.
Note the sequence of events,
Starting on the date,
On which the business tax went up.
Then, to a slight extent,
The price on every loaf rose too:
Up to one full cent!

"What's going on!" the public cried,
"He's guilty of pure plunder!
He has no right to get so rich
on other peoples hunger!"

(A Prize cartoon depicted Smith,
With fat and drooping jowls,
Snatching bread from hungry babes,
indiferrent to their howls!)

Well, since the public does come first,
It could not be denied
That in matters such as this,
The Public must decide!

So Anti-Trust now took a hand,
Of course, it was appalled
At what it found was going on.
The "Bread Trust" it was called.

Now this was getting serious,
So Smith felt that he must
Have a friendly interview
With the men in Anti-Trust.

So hat in hand, he went to them.
They'd surely been misled;
No Rule of Law had he defied.

But then their lawyer said:
"The Rule of Law, in complex times,
Has proved itself deficient.
We much prefer the Rule of Men,
It's vastly more efficient!

Now let me state the present rules,"
The lawyer then went on,
"These very simple guidelines,
You can rely upon:
You're gouging on your prices if
You charge more than the rest.
But it's unfair competition if
You think you can charge less!


"A second point that we would make
To help avoid confusion...
Don't try to charge the same amount,
That would be Collusion!
You must compete. But not too much,
For if you do you see,
Then the market would be yours -
And that's Monopoly!

Price too high?
Or Price too low?
Now, which charge did they make?

Well, they weren't loath to charging both,
With Public Good at stake!

In fact, they went one better!
They charged "Monopoly!"
No muss, no fuss, oh, woe is us!
Egad, they charged ALL THREE!

"Five Years in jail," The Judge then said
"You're lucky it's not worse!
Robber Barrons must be taught,
Society comes first!"

Now bread is baked by government.
And as might be expected,
Everything is well controlled.
The Public well protected.

True, loaves cost a dollar each,
But our leaders do their best!
The selling price is half a cent..
Taxes pay the rest.