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To: Queen Elizabeth,
Queen of England
Re: Household repairs
Dear Queen:
By all
current accounts, I know you are in dire straits and in need of some advice on
how to come up with the moola (American for dollars) necessary to keep you living
in the style you have become accustomed to as well as giving you enough to make
some long overdue repairs to your palaces.
We’ve been reading about the
fact that some of your residences haven’t been updated in over fifty years. The
reports I’ve read say the wiring is bad, the roofs leak and a lot of the rooms
need painting and redecorating. One report says that your rooms haven’t been redecorated
since your father died, which was sometimes back in the fifties, if I recall correctly.
I am appalled. I am shocked.
Even though you are currently receiving over
eighty three million a year to keep up your current lifestyle, in today’s troubled
economic times, that just won’t cut it will it? I mean, eighty three million a
year just isn’t what it used to be, is it? I was also outraged to find that your
annual maintenance budget of thirty million dollars hasn’t been changed in over
fifteen years. Obviously the people who oversee your spending haven’t priced yard
men lately.
Well, I am the answer to your problems. I am here to help
you through these trying times and to get you back on the track to health, wealth
and financial stability.
Before I get into how we can pay for all of your
much needed repairs, I want to give you a few words of advice.
Warranties.
Since you folks live in those big old houses of yours for centuries at a time,
I’d recommend you not even look at any contractor who doesn’t offer you a lifetime
warranty. I don’t know who built Buckingham Palace, but if one of your ancestors
had gotten a lifetime warranty, you wouldn’t be having this problem with the roof.
Same goes for the plumbing. The wiring is a little different since it didn’t come
with the house in the first place. Still I would look into some type of extended
warranty package, if I were you. Oh, and be sure you get them to install internet
service and wireless, the next King will thank you for doing so.
Now about
raising money. Take a look at how we get corporate sponsors for racecars in this
country. Virtually every inch of their cars have some sort of logo or corporate
emblem plastered onto them. The driver as well as the pit crews (the guys who
change the tires and put gas in the race car) wear uniforms that have advertising
on them as well.
Think about this. How many people look at those guards
you have in front of your place every day of the year? All of those tourists from
all over the world take pictures and videos and send them back to their friends.
I’d slap some internet or dot.com sites on the front of those red jackets or those
bearskin helmets and you could be raking in some serious money. I bet Google.com
or GoDaddy.com would grab those spots up the day you offered them. Same goes for
those mounted cavalry horses. Plenty of places for advertising on those horse
blankets. I know you haven’t ever thought of using that big old gold carriage
of yours as a way to advertise, but I’d be willing to bet some beer company would
pay a pretty penny to have their logo on the doors. Companies like Budweiser and
Coca-Cola are constantly looking for ways to get their names out in front of the
public. The cars you drive as well as those carriages are a perfect place for
their corporate logos.
Think about it.
You’d want to stick with
something nice and tasteful such as Nike. I’d shy away from Cialis or Viagra.
Another way for you to bring in some bucks would be to auction off some
of your clothes. I’ve never seen you in the same outfit twice and you always wear
a hat. You could put those things up for sale on E-Bay and they would fly out
the door faster than you could say something like….. “Good golly, King Henry”
or something else that rhymes.
I realize you are going on eighty three
and probably set in your ways, but why not rent those tennis courts and swimming
pools out by the hour? I’d bet there are a lot of folks close to where some of
your places are that would love to have a nice quiet place to swim a few laps
and lob a few balls. I bet you hardly ever use them anymore yourself.
Well,
that’s about all I’ve got at this time, but I’ll write more when I think of some
other options. Oh, one more before I forget…..cell phone antennas, big money…put
them on your roofs, hardly ever notice them, they bring in lots of cash.
I hope these few words are of service to you. Let me know if you want the names
of some good contractors. I can fix you up. They do lifetime warranties.
© Peary
Perry
Letters
From North America
July 17, 2008 column
Syndicated weekly in 80 newspapers
Comments go
to pperry@austin.rr.com |
