The Courthouse Flag Pole

Two township officers are standing on the lawn of the county courthouse near the base of the newly erected flag pole. Both are looking up as a school board member walks past them on her way to a meeting in the courthouse.   The school board member notices her two local government colleagues and asks, "What are you guys up to?"

 

One replies, "We are just wondering how tall this new courthouse flag pole is."

"Perhaps I can help," she replies and she walks back to her car, opens her truck, and returns with a small canvas bag. From the bag she takes out a wrench and asks the two township officers to steady the pole.   With the wrench, she loosens two bolts running through the base of the pole.

As the bolts are loosened, she directs the two township officers to let the pole tilt over slowly.   Once the pole is on its side in a horizontal position, the school board member takes out a tape measure from her tool bag.   She has one township officer hold one end of the tape measure at the base of the pole and she walks to the other end.   As she begins to reel in the tape measure, she announces, "The new pole is twenty nine feet, six inches."

 
She then asks the two township officers to return the pole to its upright position and she resets the two bolts and fastens them tight.   With the pole stabilized, she bids her colleagues farewell, returns her tool bag to the trunk of her car, and enters the courthouse.

Once she has gone inside the courthouse, one township officer looks at the other and says, "Now that explains why our schools are in so much trouble.  Here we are talking about the height of this new courthouse pole and she gets involved and gives us the length!"