“Marketing is what you do when your product is no good.” As someone who makes his living in the field of marketing and communications, I generally disagree with that statement. Yet this is a perfect description of “advertising” done by the government. Whether it’s for programs like the Affordable Care Act or the post office, the government loves wasting our tax dollars to advertise its failing—and most importantly, mandatory—programs. Basically, the government is using money it doesn’t have to advertise a program that doesn’t work to people who don’t have a choice but to use it. There is something intuitively wrong with that. By using propaganda that would make government officials in the USSR blush, our government is more worried about improving its image than it is spending tax dollars wisely. Instead of doing something useful like addressing the major problems with many government programs, the government has opted to cover up the failures by trying to convince people (poorly) that these problems don’t exist. Here are a few examples of atrocious government marketing (featuring leading healthcare experts Pajama Boy and Lebron James.)
Don’t get me wrong; not all government advertising is unnecessary. There is value in recruiting Americans to join our armed forces, for example, but I draw a line when the government advertises programs that are mandatory such as Obamacare or operate as government monopolies like the post office. Instead of wasting our money on advertising, the government should go back to what it does best: spending our money inefficiently on programs we actually need. -Mark Cunningham
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US
LATEST POSTS
The Principled Case for Education Freedom
Education freedom is both a principled and practical way to fund education in our state.
The Case for Regulatory Consistency in Artificial Intelligence Policy
Policymakers face the challenge of creating a regulatory framework that provides clear guidelines without stifling the very innovation that...
April 2025 Beacon Poll Results
New Beacon Poll results are here...
The ABC’s of Private School Regulations
Simple policy solutions could remove some of the more heavy-handed regulations and improve the ability for educational entrepreneurs to offe...
From Classroom to Career: How Tennessee is Empowering Students Through Career and Technical Education
CTE is setting up Tennesseans to enter the workforce and improve their lives.
Policy in Action: A Recap of the 2025 Legislative Session
The 2025 legislative session saw monumental wins for freedom in Tennessee.
Expanding Opportunity: The Future of Education in Tennessee
Join us for the first installment of Beacon's new quarterly webinar series!
First Principles Series: The Policy Case Against Tariffs
It was free trade, not tired old tariff policies, that made us the strongest country in the world.
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US
WANT TO DO A STORY ABOUT SOMETHING YOU SEE HERE?
CONTACT US AT:
mark@beacontn.org
(O) 615-383-6431
WHO ARE WE?
The Beacon Center of Tennessee empowers Tennesseans to reclaim and protect their freedoms, so that they can freely pursue their version of the American Dream.