Golf? $35,000 for multiple contracts for promotional materials for a golf program (and it gets worse

[The Straight Story]

Within the Department of Defense, which had the largest budget for public relations and advertising
contracts, the Air Force provided the most detailed list of its contracts. The Air Force contracts
ranged from a $179 million contract for a “National/Local Advertising Partnership … in support of
Air Force recruiting programs” to a $288 contract to “embroider logo on bowling bags.” The list of
over 100 Air Force contracts reveals that the Air Force spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on
promotional materials, including $10,212 for “prize giveaways, such as cruises to Mediterranean
and to Canada/New England”; $10,152 for “Coca-Cola logoed items, including portable radios,
victory t-shirts, hats, coolers”; and more than $35,000 for multiple contracts for promotional
materials for a golf program, including “golf towel with embroidered design and golf tees with
imprint.” It was beyond the scope of the GAO report to evaluate the reasonableness of these
contracts or other contracts included in the report.

GAO Finds Federal Departments Spent More Than $1.6
Billion in Public Relations and Advertising Contracts

http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20060213110444-05660.pdf

[gristy]

1. Catapulting the propaganda to the tune of $1.6B

aargh