# Waste of taxpayer money..... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 5, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817 "2018-09-05T18:38:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StraightTalk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straighttalk/32/9982_2.png) [@StraightTalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StraightTalk)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/1 "2018-09-05T18:38:50Z")
So, I’ve been hearing commercials on the radio saying to fathers “it only takes a moment to make a moment”. So, these commercials are encouraging men to spend time with their kids. I’m thinking that that men who don’t already spend time with their kids aren’t going to be affected enough by a radio commercial to change their behavior. I’m sure it’s the same for women too. Why does our government spend money on this stuff? Seems very wasteful. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/2 "2018-09-05T19:01:55Z")
The government doesn’t pay for ad time for public service announcements, so you can sleep easy tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/3 "2018-09-05T19:06:21Z")
Assume a 30 second radio spot cost $1000 and gets played 4 times per hour from 6-9 AM and 3-6 PM. Comes out to $24,000 a day or $8.7 million over the course of a year. A city of 1 million people might have a budget of 2 billion dollars. So, assuming the city is the source of the program, that represents 0.4% of the budget. So sure you can object that it’s not the role of the city to promote committed family structures ensuring mentally healthy and socially well adjusted children. However, for a reasonably small sum you might be able to prod/guilt some fathers to spend more time engaged with their kids and that may reduce the small/petty crimes disaffected youth can be entangled with. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/4 "2018-09-05T19:21:56Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > The government doesn’t pay for ad time for public service announcements, so you can sleep easy tonight. A very strong vote for everyone to read this post. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/5 "2018-09-05T19:24:00Z")
> [@StraightTalk](#): > > So, I’ve been hearing commercials on the radio saying to fathers “it only takes a moment to make a moment”. So, these commercials are encouraging men to spend time with their kids. > > I’m thinking that that men who don’t already spend time with their kids aren’t going to be affected enough by a radio commercial to change their behavior. I’m sure it’s the same for women too. > > Why does our government spend money on this stuff? Seems very wasteful. I feel the same way about sports stars endorsing products like sodas or cars. Who changes their preferences because a celebrity said so? But it must work, or they wouldn’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![StraightTalk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straighttalk/32/9982_2.png) [@StraightTalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StraightTalk)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/6 "2018-09-05T19:25:33Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > The government doesn’t pay for ad time for public service announcements, so you can sleep easy tonight. Ok - that’s good. Did they pay for the “WWE Superstar” to provide the voice over? That I don’t know. But it is good to know that at least they don’t pay for the airtime. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/7 "2018-09-05T20:12:16Z")
> [@StraightTalk](#): > > Ok - that’s good. Did they pay for the “WWE Superstar” to provide the voice over? That I don’t know. But it is good to know that at least they don’t pay for the airtime. I don’t know what the union rules are for PSAs, but I’d bet that if he got paid it was only scale, which isn’t all that much. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/8 "2018-09-05T20:13:46Z")
> [@StraightTalk](#): > > So, I’ve been hearing commercials on the radio saying to fathers “it only takes a moment to make a moment”. So, these commercials are encouraging men to spend time with their kids. > > I’m thinking that that men who don’t already spend time with their kids aren’t going to be affected enough by a radio commercial to change their behavior. I’m sure it’s the same for women too. > > Why does our government spend money on this stuff? Seems very wasteful. Why do you think it won’t affect anyone? Perhaps some fathers are busy and don’t spend time because they don’t think to, not because they don’t want to. This might motivate some of them to put their kids higher on their priority list. Do you think Smokey the Bear is useless also? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/9 "2018-09-05T20:17:30Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I don’t know what the union rules are for PSAs, but I’d bet that if he got paid it was only scale, which isn’t all that much. Or it might be a charitable effort on his behalf. I don’t know who sponsored the PSA, but if the wrestler was the public face of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America or something, I would suspect his time wouldn’t be compensated. I’m not saying that there’s zero cost involved in any particular PSA… but it’s probably close. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/10 "2018-09-05T20:24:37Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Or it might be a charitable effort on his behalf. I don’t know who sponsored the PSA, but if the wrestler was the public face of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America or something, I would suspect his time wouldn’t be compensated. > > I’m not saying that there’s zero cost involved in any particular PSA… but it’s probably close. He’d have to get a SAG waiver to work for free. You can - my daughter did to act in NYU student films, but even if that is against the rules it wouldn’t cost much. Don’t discount studio time and crew time. I think ad agencies do them for free, but I bet you have to pay someone. And there is always craft services! But it would be a lot cheaper than your normal ad. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/11 "2018-09-06T12:14:07Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Do you think Smokey the Bear is useless also? Smokey Bear. No “the”. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/12 "2018-09-06T12:19:06Z")
> [@StraightTalk](#): > > I’m thinking that that men who don’t already spend time with their kids aren’t going to be affected enough by a radio commercial to change their behavior. It’s not aimed at those who would never even think of spending time with their kids. It’s aimed at those who need a reminder or nudge. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/13 "2018-09-06T13:03:17Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Smokey Bear. No “the”. Damn! I’ve lived almost six decades and this is the first time I knew that! ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/14 "2018-09-06T13:16:16Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Why do you think it won’t affect anyone? Perhaps some fathers are busy and don’t spend time because they don’t think to, not because they don’t want to. This might motivate some of them to put their kids higher on their priority list. This. I’ll cop to being the target audience–a guy who was raised to be a selfless provider for the family, a tool, a money making, thing-fixing machine. The very idea that my kids might want to spend time with me, getting to know me as a person, makes about as much sense as wanting to cozy up to a hammer. Intellectually, I know I’m worth more to them than that, and that they would welcome my company. But after a few days of hacking away in the money mines it’s easy to forget. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/15 "2018-09-06T14:47:42Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Do you think Smokey the Bear is useless also? Useless? No. Overly successful? Counterproductive? [Perhaps.](https://www.history.vt.edu/Barrow/Hist2104/readings/little.html) > [@](#): > > However much some in the modern Forest Service may now wish otherwise, Smokey’s sponsors were correctly counseled by the Foote, Cone & Belding account executives that you cannot suggest some forest fires are acceptable and some aren’t. That may be good ecology, but it isn’t good advertising…[a few paragraphs later]…the bear turned on his masters even more significantly by inhibiting a modern “prescribed burning” policy aimed at reducing accumulated fuels in National Forests during a period–the first two or three decades after World War II–when adopting such a policy might have helped to mitigate the firetrap that present-day western forests have become. The [law of unintended consequences](https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/UnintendedConsequences.html)enforces itself once again. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/16 "2018-09-06T15:37:54Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Smokey Bear. No “the”. I know, but it still ruins one of my favorite “dad jokes”: What’s Smokey the Bear’s middle name? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/17 "2018-09-06T15:42:50Z")
It’s like spam or telemarketers. The one they get negates the 100s who don’t bite. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/18 "2018-09-06T16:12:54Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I know, but it still ruins one of my favorite “dad jokes”: What’s Smokey the Bear’s middle name? What do Smokey the Bear and Winnie the Pooh have in common? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/19 "2018-09-06T21:49:00Z")
> [@StraightTalk](#): > > Ok - that’s good. Did they pay for the “WWE Superstar” to provide the voice over? That I don’t know. But it is good to know that at least they don’t pay for the airtime. Community service. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817/20 "2018-09-07T03:24:10Z")
> [@](#): > > The PSAs are an extension of the **Ad Counci** l’s award-winning Fatherhood Involvement campaign, which launched in 2008. The ads will air and run in time and space entirely donated by the media. ( **Bolding** mine.) [Hey Dads! It Only Takes a Moment to Make a Moment | Fatherhood.gov](https://www.fatherhood.gov/dadtalk-blog/hey-dads-it-only-takes-moment-make-moment) > [@](#): > > The Ad Council produces, distributes and promotes campaigns that improve everyday lives. Our memorable work inspires ongoing dialogue, engagement and action around significant public issues, creating a measurable difference in society. > – snip – > In total, Ad Council campaigns receive more than $1 billion in donated media annually. Our non-profit organizations and federal government agency partners typically receive 10 times the return on their investment through donated media placements. [Our History | The Ad Council](https://www.adcouncil.org/About-Us) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waste-of-taxpayer-money/820817.md?page=2)