Nov 6, 2012 — One of the things at stake in a federal election is control of the federal budget. And compared with that, campaign spending is a rounding error.
n p r n e w s
on:
NCPR is supported by:
This is a Visitor-Supported website.
More from NPR
May 25, 2013 — President Obama banned enhanced interrogation techniques, but he's largely avoided discussing whether the tactic ever produced valuable information. He might not be able to avoid it forever: The CIA is preparing an official response to a report that concluded the techniques were worthless.
May 25, 2013 — As residents of Moore work toward recovery after Monday's deadly tornado, supplies are pouring in from across the country. Volunteers and relief organizations are sifting through everything from diapers to food and teddy bears. But the groups say what's really needed is the flexibility of money.
May 25, 2013 — With rising economic power, a new generation of Indian women is giving matchmaking a modern twist. While most Indian marriages are still arranged, single women are increasingly making their own choices, meeting potential mates via marriage-focused websites and companies that organize group outings.
May 25, 2013 — The contentious little creatures were allowed in the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time in its 100-year history. Their presence has been hotly debated, but celebrity-decorated gnomes will be sold for a cause.
May 25, 2013 — In our latest installment of the StoryCorps Military Voices Initiative, we hear from Lance Cpl. Travis Williams. In 2005, while serving in Iraq, Williams lost his 12-man squad lost his squad to an IED. He was the only survivor.
election spending promo (Lam Thuy Vo / NPR)
Here's One Number That Makes $6 Billion In Campaign Spending Seem Low
by Lam Thuy Vo
Nov 6, 2012 — One of the things at stake in a federal election is control of the federal budget. And compared with that, campaign spending is a rounding error.Today wraps up what is set to be the most expensive election in the history of the U.S. Total spending on federal campaigns will be about $6 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This includes both official campaign spending and spending by outside groups for the presidential, House, and Senate campaigns.
This, obviously, is a lot of money — as our colleagues at It's All Politics noted yesterday, it could buy you 30 million iPhones or a year of lunches for 11 million schoolkids.
But it's worth remembering that one of the things at stake in a federal election is control of the federal budget — which is about $3.5 trillion a year. Compared with that, $6 billion is just a rounding error.
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.9(MDAxNzgwMTg5MDEyMTQ4Nzc4MjdiNWVmMw004))
Missing some content? Check the source: NPR
Copyright(c) 2013, NPR
