By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
The young drop coverage to avoid higher premiums
The government has spent more than $16 billion over the last decade on outside advertising, marketing and public relations contractors, feeding a cottage industry of inside-the-Beltway and Madison Avenue firms that help federal agencies burnish their images and tailor their messages, an investigation by the Washington Guardian and Northwestern University's Medill News Service has found.
The Army National Guard is staying on as a sponsor of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup team.
Fast cars, young — mainly — men and the U.S. military. For years, America's armed forces counted on that combination to boost recruitment, spending tens of millions of dollars to sponsor NASCAR teams to get its brand name in front of the kinds of young men who provide the backbone of the country's fighting forces.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is optimistic about his sponsorship relationship with the National Guard despite the U.S. Army's decision to end its association with another team, Stewart-Haas Racing, next season.
The Army announced this week that it was ending its sponsorship of NASCAR racing. At the same time, a struggle continues in Congress over whether the military services should be permitted to underwrite any sporting events at all.
The U.S. Army will not return to Stewart-Haas Racing next season, effectively ending its sponsorship in NASCAR altogether after a decade.
The U.S. Army will not return to Stewart-Haas Racing next season, citing a reallocation of its marketing budget that does not include a presence in NASCAR.
Once again there will be no repeat champion at the Sprint All-Star race.
NASCAR Chairman Brian France is aware of the fan debate surrounding the last two months of racing, and acknowledged the sanctioning body is studying several areas to ensure the on-track product is entertaining.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, said Tuesday she will run for her old 6th Congressional District seat even though newly drawn congressional maps put her home in the 4th District.
"The Army made the right move to eliminate a wasteful program and protect taxpayer dollars - which has been my goal all along," she said.
"I will continue to work to save taxpayer dollars by ending all of the Pentagon's multi-million dollar professional sports sponsorships of motor racing, bass fishing and ultimate fighting."
