When the Jets paused to honor soldiers of the New Jersey Army National Guard at home games during the past four years, it was more than a heartfelt salute to the military — it was also worth a good stack of taxpayer money, records show. The Department of Defense and the Jersey Guard paid the Jets a total of $377,000 from 2011 to 2014 for the salutes and other advertising, according to federal contracts. Overall, the Defense Department has paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million during that time, of which $5.3 million was paid by the National Guard to 11 teams under similar contracts.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who routinely posts examples of what he calls wasteful spending, called out the Jets’ agreement as wasteful and disingenuous.
“Those of us go to sporting events and see them honoring the heroes,” Flake said in an interview. “You get a good feeling in your heart. Then to find out they’re doing it because they’re compensated for it, it leaves you underwhelmed. It seems a little unseemly.”
The agreement includes the Hometown Hero segment, in which the Jets feature a soldier or two on the big screen, announce their names and ask the crowd to thank them for their service. The soldiers and three friends also get seats in the Coaches Club for the game. “They realize the public believes they’re doing it as a public service or a sense of patriotism,” Flake said. “It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”
As a veteran, I too get teary-eyed……every April 15th.
The heart of America at her best!
Being inoffensive, and being offended, are now the twin addictions of the culture.
“First Lady on Trial”
http://martinamisweb.com/commentary_files/ma_takesavillage.pdf#search=%22%22now%20the%20twin%20addictions%20of%20the%20culture%22%22
Off topic, or just a comment on your perception of “society”.
Way off topic.
… And in other news, the NFL’s New England PATRIOTS and quarterback Tom Brady are investigated for CHEATING! You heard it right. The NFL continues to investigate the “Deflate Gate” scandal with a new sense of urgency to restore the NFL’s faltering image now that Tom Brady seems to have orchestrated the whole thing. Watch as Tom Brady may become the NFL’s version of what Pete Rose became to major league baseball. (Never mind that other thing about players saluting and all.)
Brady will not be in Rose’s club. Poor Pete.
Weak case. They declare as damning evidence ‘You must be under a lot of stress to get these done.’ Well he was doing this, then why were the footballs overinflated? That overinflation was what started the whole conversation with this supposed damning statement.
Still off topic….
>>>U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who routinely posts examples of what he calls wasteful spending, called out the Jets’ agreement as wasteful and disingenuous.<<<
WASTEFUL AND DISINGENUOUS? Lets try just PURE EVIL!
the 2%'s are ripping off taxpayers, and short changing the veterans, those millions should be spent on them. they only volunteered their lives. (the military bean counters that allowed this money to be spent should be court martialed)
We investigate a team/coach with a record of cheating but yet we have a secretary of state who willingly violated the law by not turning over state department e-mail, takes millions from overseas donors to buy her influence and lets an ambassador and 3 other Americans die in Benghazi but we don’t do a damn thing about that.
Oh yeah, the NFL is a non-profit organization too. Peachy.
On topic.
Wait…wait, what about Wal-Mart pumping Sacramento water into bottles and selling it back to the public at a 65,724% profit!
What drought. Oh yeah, the NFL and military money, GO USA!
Off topic. 😈
Its a good topic, but yeah….way off.
Come on, did ya see the size of the flag. That must of cost a pretty penny. sarcasm/off
NFL=National Felons League.
5 million is less than 1% of the amount spent just to fix the ObamaCare website.
They could have hired Mark Perkel for 1 % of the cost.
The state of Oregon paid Oracle $300 million, and at the last minute scrapped the whole thing and went to the federal exchange instead.
Meanwhile the government paid $400,000 each to half the NFL teams, and you call that big money? I bet the NFL spent more than that on the report investigating the Patriots.
The point is the lie that is perpetrated upon the adoring American public. Patriotism at its worst.
Yes ObamaCare was a lie perpetrated on the American public.
A few years ago there was a backlash against public service announcements for the military. Congress mandated that anything that appeared to be recruiting related be paid for by the military.
The money that changed hands is the minimum amount to satisfy the rules. Pocket change for the NFL and penny loafer money for the military.
http://goarmy.com/army-racing.html
It may well be “Pocket change” for the NFL and “penny loafer money” for the military, but; the point is for the citizen tax payer who votes it’s wasteful, disingenuous and expensive!
The really sad truth is, the citizen tax payer who votes has no meaningful say in how our government runs; as “Professors Martin Gilens (Princeton University) and Benjamin I. Page (Northwestern University) found out when they looked at more than 20 years’ worth of data to show the government doesn’t represent the people (but maybe the voters)!
Exactly, thank you. BTW, this is a “non-profit” tax exempt org. But they have no problem taking my hard earned money. F them.
Of course “they have no problem taking my hard earned money”. Life seems to be in large part, your call on “long shot bets”, financially and otherwise, waxing philosophically.
We don’t know the truth until the bet payout, if we win or lose. So, McCullough I applaud your effort (I would say hopefully it’s not a waste or not worthwhile) to improve the health of U.S.A. democracy!
Reality is, certain results are largely outside our control but effort is something us mortals can expect. If only more people would do the same. There shouldn’t be anything to regret and hopefully we all benefit in some measure.
““Withhold of adjudication is something that exists only in Florida and it’s kind of a legal fiction,” said Miami-Dade County Public Defender Carlos Martinez. “It’s a conviction, a judge has made a finding of guilt, but we are going to say you are not really a convicted person, but in fact you are. Immigration does not look at the difference between a withhold or no withhold, they look at it as a conviction. And most employers that I’ve talked to about these issues, and they see withhold, to them it looks like a conviction. They don’t see the difference.””
http://washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/05/14/the-ongoing-criminalization-of-poverty/
Welcome to the land of flame and fizz & legal fiction. What we need is Gonzo shotgun football. Hit it in a spiral with a shotgun. Watch both the air go out of it as it goes out of the air.