A Riddle Wrapped in a Paradox Smothered in Irony

Knock Knock.
Who's there?
A lower raise.
A lower raise who?
A lower raise (percentage-wise) than last year, even though my review was more positive.

That's probably not the funniest joke you'll read today, but it's the news I received today when they made announcements about raises.  And sometimes, the truth, in its own twisted way, is funnier than any joke you can come up with.