Government surplus
Oops. We meant surplus government. Here is an agency of the federal government whose budget should be on the chopping block. Ad Age:
The Federal Trade Commission is once again handing out subpoenas to companies that market food to children and teens. Three years after initially delivering what is technically known as “orders to file special report” to 44 marketers, the FTC last week began sending subpoenas to 48 companies…
Twelve companies on this year’s list are new, but 36 companies are once again receiving subpoenas — including Yum Brands, which was called out by FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in a December 2009 speech in which he said, “Many companies that market heavily to children and teens have yet to join or make a commitment. Why, for instance, hasn’t Yum Brands, with its KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut chains, stepped up? Or Chuck E. Cheese and IHOP? Or the marketers of Air Heads and Baby Bottle Pops?”
Unlike the companies the FTC sues, the FTC’s own 80-page Annual Report has no financial disclosures. These have to be found elsewhere. The FTC has 1200 employees or so and a budget that amounts to $260,000 for each person employed.
The FTC is not the biggest source of waste in Washington of course. But it seems like a no-brainer to us that its budget and personnel could be substantially if it is spending its time investigating Chuck E. Cheese. HT: GP