Posted on 02/03/2010 11:03:57 AM PST by My Favorite Headache
Taxpayers to Fork Out $2.5 Million for Single Census Ad During Super Bowl
Taxpayers might want to pay close attention to this Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast or they'll miss Uncle Sam's 30-second, $2.5-million reminder to stand up and be counted.
A screenshot of a U.S. Census Bureau advertisement featuring actor Ed Begley Jr. (YouTube).
Taxpayers might want to pay close attention to this Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast or they'll miss Uncle Sam's 30-second, $2.5-million reminder to stand up and be counted.
That's what the Census Bureau paid CBS to get their message notched somewhere between a National Lampoon reprisal, a weird dude with big glasses, a beer-can house and men without pants.
And, that's just a fraction of what the bureau plans to spend this year to get Americans to answer a simple, 10-question survey.
The bureau is spending $133 million between January and May -- or, more than $13 million for each of 10 questions, one of which reads: What is your telephone number? -- to publicize the national head-count. Part of that effort is the Super Bowl ad, which Kendall Johnson, a spokeswoman for the bureau, confirmed Wednesday to FoxNews.com cost $2.5 million to air. The ad, produced by actor and director Christopher Guest, also will appear in other media, Johnson said.
"We have rotations across all kinds of cable properties on network and cable TV," she said, adding that the bureau plans to advertise in 28 languages, including some as obscure as Hmong, a southeast Asian dialect.
$132M Census Ad Campaign in 28 Languages
"What an absolute colossal waste of money," said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste, a government watchdog group based in Washington.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Related ads are running now:
“Make sure you file to get to some pie”
Creepy.
Will the ad be in 38 languages?
It is as if we have given our checkbook to a twelve year old.
I can see it now. This ad shows airs during the game, I’ll make my usual snarky comment about how many “jobs” the $2.5 million could have created, and my far left mother-in-law will bare her fangs and go after me.
Between the Tebow ad and the Census ad, things could get ugly in many living rooms around the USA.
thankfully, not in mine. all close relatives on both sides, are
conservatives. we have great time together!
[Texas:]Census 2010: Keeping tracks of Colonias proves difficult
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2443477/posts
Colonias: Among the border states, Texas has the largest number of colonias approximately 1,800 communities, with more than 500,000 residents. Sixty-five percent of all residents, and 85% of residents under the age of 18, were born in the United States. (aka Anchor babies)
Ninety-eight percent of the residents are Hispanic and speak little or no English.
Funding
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $1 billion to help the Census Bureau conduct a successful Census in 2010. This plan focuses on $100 million being added to the advertising contract (a component of the 2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign), which is used primarily to raise awareness and to educate residents about the 2010 Census and the importance of their response...
U.S. Census Bureau’s Budget Estimates As Presented to Congress - May 2009
"... 2010 Decennial census program: Budget Authority of $6.9 billion (105,391 FTE), an increase of $4.1 billion (69,027 FTE) over the FY 2010 base. The Obligation Authority of $7.8 billion in FY 2010 includes $897.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds carried over from FY 2009:
As mandated in the U.S. Constitution, the decennial census provides the official population counts for determining the allocation to states of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and for determining how the districts are defined for those seats. The program also provides data for small geographic areas and population groups that federal agencies need to implement legally mandated programs.
Fiscal Year 2010 funding is requested to conduct the enumeration of the population, with Census Day falling on April 1, 2010. Specifically, in FY 2010 the Census Bureau will conduct the major 2010 Census operations, including mailout, receipt, and processing of returned census forms; conducting the non-response followup operation whereby households not returning a census form are contacted by census enumerators who collect the information.
Other major operations include Group Quarters Enumeration, Update Leave, Update Enumerate, Military Enumeration, conducting census operations in Puerto Rico and the Island Areas, and numerous other operations. These operations will be supported by an extensive partnership and communications effort. The Census Bureau will also conduct Coverage Follow-up operations and conduct Coverage Measurement field operations. Additionally, the Census Bureau will continue to support these operations through a network of local census offices and regional census centers, as well as at headquarters..."
How much to see Ed Bagley drive a Prius into a wall?
There should be no need for any marketing spin - or - influence on completing a census form.
Total waste of money. How much did Begley get paid?
Should be a simple PSA stating the purpose IN ENGLISH ONLY like a weather warning.
I’d love to see Begley run a Prius into a wall. His is that incoherent mode of liberalism that embodies Garafolo. Completely mindless.
With all Toyotas problems as of late, the Bagman may do just that.
The Census boondoggle: $340 million ad campaign
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2420752/posts
Thanks Wobbly;)
Under our more freedom loving ancestors, the census was a useful, practical informative exercise.
Unfortunately, like everything else designed by a benign legislature; the census is now an instrument for manipulation.
crazy stupid administration
I wonder what the final bill for the census will be.
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