We don't always agree with Senator John McCain, but he was right to scoff at the $2.5 million that the Bureau of Census spent on one 30-second ad telecast during Sunday's Super Bowl. Glenn Thrush and Meredith Shiner, McCain Scoffs at Super Bowl Ad, Politico (February 4, 2010). There are serious questions as to whether a single ad could be effective given all the folderol that surrounds the Super Bowl. Might many more targeted ads aired on local stations been a better use of the money?
This is evidence of tone deaf government administrators. Within half a second, the person that first heard the proposal should have thought, "This isn't going play well with the government piling up trillion deficits."
What we'd like to know is who received any of the benefits that we've heard come with being a Super Bowl sponsor? Did a government official sit in a fancy box, attend lavish parties sponsored by the NFL or CBS, or receive tickets for family or friends? If so, he or she should be a "Big Man" on his or her own nickel.
We'd like to see an Inspector General look into this.
