Dec 05, 2005
RAY: As you might guess, Tom and I have a signed contract with National Public Radio. Thank God it's signed, or we'd be out on our sorry butts. Do you have your copy?
TOM: I never signed anything!
RAY: I signed for you. And, as you might expect, we each get paid the same amount of money every week. But there are provisions in the contract that allow NPR to either reward us or punish us financially - as they see fit - you know, within certain limits.
Last year, Tommy got a raise of 10 percent. I think they cited two things that primarily were responsible for that: perfect attendance and improved grooming.
And I got a pay cut of 10 percent. So while Tommy got an increase of 10 percent, my pay was cut by 10 percent. The reason they gave was "poor puzzler performance."
TOM: P-P-P!
RAY: Exactly. This year, however, they raised my salary by 10 percent, and they had the good sense to reduce Tommy's by 10 percent.
TOM: For what?!
RAY: I don't know, but I'm sure it was for a good reason.
The question is, who's making more money now, and why?
TOM: I never signed anything!
RAY: I signed for you. And, as you might expect, we each get paid the same amount of money every week. But there are provisions in the contract that allow NPR to either reward us or punish us financially - as they see fit - you know, within certain limits.
Last year, Tommy got a raise of 10 percent. I think they cited two things that primarily were responsible for that: perfect attendance and improved grooming.
And I got a pay cut of 10 percent. So while Tommy got an increase of 10 percent, my pay was cut by 10 percent. The reason they gave was "poor puzzler performance."
TOM: P-P-P!
RAY: Exactly. This year, however, they raised my salary by 10 percent, and they had the good sense to reduce Tommy's by 10 percent.
TOM: For what?!
RAY: I don't know, but I'm sure it was for a good reason.
The question is, who's making more money now, and why?
Answer:
RAY: Let's say that Tommy starts off at a hundred bucks a week. If he gets a ten percent raise, he'll be making 11/10ths of what he makes now, which is $110 a week.
TOM: That was last year.
RAY: Right. When he gets his pay cut of ten percent he'll be making 9/10ths of what he's making this year which is 9/10ths of 110 bucks, which is 99 bucks a week.
I start off at the same hundred bucks and I get cut by ten percent, so what did I make, last year?
TOM: 90 bucks last year.
RAY: Right. And then I get a raise of ten percent.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: So I'm making 11/10ths of 90 bucks, which is, are you ready for this?
TOM AND RAY: 99 bucks!
TOM: So we ended up a buck short of what we had started with two years ago. And NPR saves two bucks a week. They're probably telling us, "Hey guys, you're right back where you were!"
RAY: Better read the fine print. Who's our winner?
TOM: The winner this week is Tom Choice from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts - a local boy! And for having his answer selected at random from among all the correct answers that we got, Tom Choice is going to get a 26-dollar gift certificate to the Shameless Commerce Division at cartalk.com where he can order, get this, this our brand-new CD featuring calls about cars and animals.
TOM: That was last year.
RAY: Right. When he gets his pay cut of ten percent he'll be making 9/10ths of what he's making this year which is 9/10ths of 110 bucks, which is 99 bucks a week.
I start off at the same hundred bucks and I get cut by ten percent, so what did I make, last year?
TOM: 90 bucks last year.
RAY: Right. And then I get a raise of ten percent.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: So I'm making 11/10ths of 90 bucks, which is, are you ready for this?
TOM AND RAY: 99 bucks!
TOM: So we ended up a buck short of what we had started with two years ago. And NPR saves two bucks a week. They're probably telling us, "Hey guys, you're right back where you were!"
RAY: Better read the fine print. Who's our winner?
TOM: The winner this week is Tom Choice from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts - a local boy! And for having his answer selected at random from among all the correct answers that we got, Tom Choice is going to get a 26-dollar gift certificate to the Shameless Commerce Division at cartalk.com where he can order, get this, this our brand-new CD featuring calls about cars and animals.
