The $6 billion tab of 2011-12 election cycle political expenditures had barely been tallied before anti-free speech groups began calling for additional campaign finance reforms.
With all the hyperventilating over the supposedly outsized spending on American elections, we thought it would be insightful to examine some of the things on which Americans spend more – vastly more, in some cases – than their political system.
(Note: The tallies below are annual expenditures. If an election cycle is measured as a two-year time frame, a two-year comparison would actually double the totals below.)
Video games – $9.3 billion
Pet food – $19.5 billion
Cosmetics – $33.3 billion
Movie theater admissions – $10.4 billion
Halloween – $8 billion
Pizza – $27 billion
Bottled water – $21.7 billion
Lottery tickets – $59 billion
Tax preparation – $140 billion
Coffee – $11 billion
(h/t NRO)
Enjoyed this. Can't wait for a nit wit to complain about the cost of this election.
Actually, The cost of tax preparation is outrageous. Reform the tax code, eliminate the need for such an outlay. The average person (99.99% of the people) should not need an accountant or software tt prepare taxes correctly…
Pizza yes, but cosmetics?
What about tax preparation? What does THAT say about our system of taxation? Less is more?
This is a freedom of speech issue.
Let's try an get pizza to #1!
You are comparing Apples to Oranges here… the real point is that a ridiculousnes amount of money was spent on two Candidates that varied LITTLE on policy and had the same goals, just different ways of getting there.
Libertarians raised and spent $3 million for the presidential campaign of Gary Johnson.
Romney and Obama outspent Johnson 667 to 1.
Media: The media showered the Romney and Obama campaigns with more than 1,000 times the news coverage than they devoted to Johnson’s campaign.
Yup. Dior and video games in our house.
Most Americans spend more on TAX PREPARATION than on elections—-wow does that speak volumes about how over bloated & ridiculously difficult GOVERNMENT makes EVERYTHING!!!
That's an eye opener.
What about Beer & Firearms???
How about shortening the campaign time to 2 months? I truthfully get sick and tired of all the ads on TV, radio, and in the newspaper – they don't change my mind as to who I plan to vote for.
Thought this was interesting, to say the least.
None of this Free Speech / Campaign money was spent by bureaucrats, much was after tax and, in most cases, could be "controlled" by a remote control button labeled "mute", "chan" or "power"!
And, by the way, we live in a Fair Tax state – kinda- No income tax, no inheritance and soon, no Corporate tax. Our Florida tax preparation cost is $0 and our tax compliance cost is $0. compared to $140 billion and $356 billion federal, respectively.
Thanks Heritage for a real perspective.