Ban of NASCAR military sponsors sought

UPI ^ | 16 Feb 11 | staff

[saganite]

The U.S. military should not be spending money on sponsoring NASCAR teams, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said in a budget bill she sponsored.

McCollum's chief of staff, Bill Harper, told The Virginia-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk his boss sponsored the budgetary amendment to address the plight of a growing number of veterans and their families.

"There's an amendment on the floor to eliminate all funding for homeless veterans," he said. "On one hand, we're eliminating assistance to men and women who served our country ... and on the other hand, we're paying for race cars."

[Tanniker Smith]

The question is should the military have an advertising budget at all. If yes, well, this will get the message out there to the people who might consider it better than, say, advertising in the Sunday magazine section of the New York Times.

If not, then don't sponsor race cars.
Unless there's a cool looking turret or a Ma Deuce mounted on it!
(I'm assuming that a 105mm cannon is out of the question ... but then again, who am I to assume??)

[Tanniker Smith]

[Old Student]

I don’t know about that, personally.

I got recruited by the sign in the recruiters window offering $326.10 a month, 3 hots, and a cot. I saw a number of my high schools students enlist because of 9/11. I think recruitment stating the facts is fine. I am not at all understanding how sponsoring a race car presents facts about our military or our country.

I think the tactical video ‘game’ is useful, too. Some do well at it, some don’t. I wouldn’t, from experience with similar games.

I knew I wasn’t suited for combat arms before I ever enlisted, from listening to a friend who’d been in the first wave to hit the beach at Iwo Jima talking about what had happened there, and what he had to do while he was there. We’d hunted together, and it was obvious to us both I’d not make it in combat.

[US Navy Vet]

So how much was the sign?

[Batrachian]

Nonsense. If recruiting is a legitimate function of the military, and it always has been, then I can't think of a more effective way then to sponsor stock car teams. A better cost saving strategy would be to discharge pregnant soldiers. They have no place in the military and no doubt cost a fortune. Let's also cut out housing allowance for married enlisted soldiers and send their families home. That costs billions and serves no good purpose that I can think of. In a $600 Billion or more budget, we can cut many wasteful things before getting rid of a useful recruitment tool like NASCAR.

[montanajoe]

We are losing the WOT as the events in Egypt last week show. The military needs to attract recruits whether we are broke or not. I'm mystified by those cant grasp the simple fact that it we don't start winning the WOT saving a few bucks on advertising for recruits wont matter.

[antiRepublicrat]

The Army also sponsors a video game, America’s Army. Great recruitment tool, and on a cost-per-person-hour basis far cheaper than TV. Even better, the Army then turned around and started using it to train its own troops, even using customized versions to train Special Forces.

The only thing that’s missing is a phone-home feature to single out the best players for targeted recruitment. Kind of like in The Last Starfighter.

[Ben Hecks]

If the military is restricted from sponsoring NASCAR entries, then they have to restrict the entire government who owns GM and Chrysler. The government spends millions on NASCAR and, as opposed to the military, doesn’t serve any recruiting purposes.

[cripplecreek]

I agree on the basis of cost but the democrat I saw talking about it on the news today clearly just hates the military having any kind of public face at all.

However, NASCAR advertising is a real bargain compared to other advertising dollars. Basically if you cut NASCAR sponsorships, you can’t really justify any military advertising at all.

[saganite]

I wonder how that Democrat would feel about military advertising if the Navy, for example, sponsored a gay pride parade in light of the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell?

[P-Marlowe]

The military should not be running ads anywher. We are broke.

The advertising is part of the enlistment program. It always has been. Without the ads, we get no new enlistees or we have to settle for substandard enlistees.

If we can't field a decent military, then the whole country is at risk.

While the advertising needs to be focused where it will due the most good for the money, NASCAR events is probably the best place to spend the money, since a substantial portion of our military recruits come from places where NASCAR is King.

They certainly should not be wasting advertising money by sponsoring Oprah, or the View or Masterpiece Theatre, however there is no doubt but that the military sponsoring NASCAR events is clearly advertising money that is well spent.

[xzins]

The military’s been advertising since the beginning of the nation.

Believe it or not, Frantzie, protecting the nation is one of the Constitutional obligations that actually finds itself mentioned in that document.

It’s not the result of an emanation of a penumbra, nor an overeaching extension of the commerce clause.

[WOBBLY BOB]

A republican should co-sponsor this AND ADD an addendum banning all federal $ to colleges that disallow military recruiters on campus.

Call her bluff.

[VeniVidiVici]

I agree with her sentiment on this, but I was always under the impression that the U.S. military was a NASCAR sponsor because it’s been a successful element of military recruiting over the years.

Yup. The hazards of an all-volunteer army. I think it probably returns more bang for their advertising buck than anything else they've got.

Obviously though it would be much cheaper to go back to a draft and pay a few dollars a day.

[scbison]

Not after DADT is repealed. Probably last place they want ot recruit.

[P-Marlowe]

[Always Independent]

They sponsor cars in the NHRA also and have been doing it for years. These are places where young men are found and are great tools.

[WOBBLY BOB]

Senate Wastes Millions of Stimulus Road Signs

http://www.aim.org/don-irvine-blog/senate-wastes-millions-of-stimulus-road-signs/

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/signs-stimulus/story?id=11163180

Betty was pretty quiet about this...

[buck61]

NASCAR. That’s a generally conservative patriotic audience and I’m sure the services benefit from the publicity.

Had to read twelve post until I found the reason, the real reason for no sponsor for NASCAR. A majority of NASCAR viewers are conservative ! Now while we’re at it lets stop sponsoring NPR and PBS !!

[cripplecreek]

Also important is the morale value. Our military men have near total access at the races. I’m pretty sure they get in free here at MIS.