The Super Bowl commercial funded on your dime

Tweet

February 4, 2005

Last year at the Super Bowl it was Janet Jackson's breast that made a brief appearance, this year it's the F/A-22 Raptor that will (we were tempted to make a boob joke here, but we were stopped by our journalistic integrity).  If you haven't heard yet, this bird--which hasn't completed operational testing and evaluation and which crashed about a month ago--will fly over the Super Bowl during pre-game festivities.  POGO wonders: If the plane's so stealthy, will football fans even be able to see it?

Seriously, this is a blatant attempt to show off the $257 million per copy plane (note: several news articles say each Raptor will cost around $130 million, this price omits research and development costs and is a little misleading) to drum up public support when it's being threatened by possible budget cuts.  The Air Force is trying to use the "gee whiz" factor to muzzle debates over its outrageous costs and whether we need the plane at all. 

As the contrails from those F/A-22s evaporate over the stadium, think of them as your taxpayer dollars dissipating into nothing.

UPDATE: The Air Force openly admits its agenda:

"We are enthusiastic to showcase the air dominance capabilities of the F/A-22, and the Super Bowl is the perfect venue to do so," said Brig. Gen. Jack Egginton, commander of the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base.

Project On Government Oversight (POGO)

1100 G Street, NW, Suite 500    Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 347-1122     Fax: (202) 347-1116     Email: info@pogo.org

POGO is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible.

Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that champions good government reforms. POGO’s investigations into corruption, misconduct, and conflicts of interest achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government.