For years now, we have been subject to commercials at home and on the Internet. For the most part, we just ignore them. All of the commercials and advertisements are nothing more than a minor annoyance. We see them so often we don't really even notice them anymore. We see advertisements for McDonalds and Holiday Inn on billboards as we drive to work. Advertisements dominate our Sunday newspapers. There are even ads on the clothes we wear and in the movies, we watch.

The amount of money companies spend on advertising is increasing at mind-boggling rates. In 1998, US advertising topped $200 billion, a 24% increase from the $161.5 billion spent in 1990, and an 89% increase from $105.97 billion in 1980 (The Center for a New American Dream). The future shows no sign of this changing anytime soon. The goal of big business is to get you hooked as soon as possible, the younger the better. If one company can acquire product loyalty, it could mean upwards of $100,000 per person (The Center for a New American Dream). Product loyalty seems to be a good incentive to get people loyal as soon as possible.

Kids are no longer just an entree to their parents. Marketers

Aidman, Amy. "Advertising in the Schools." ERIC Digest. 20 March 2001,

All of the officials have been saying the advantages outweigh any negative aspects. Most of the school districts of theses officials are under funded and can not afford to purchase this equipment without the assistance of Corporate America, so they are not going to bite the hand that feeds them.

These companies have even managed to offer punishment for those students who refuse to cooperate. A student in Georgia was suspended for wearing a Pepsi shirt on a school-sponsored "Coke Day." (Study Says commercialism Rampant in Public Schools)

"Channel One Emphasizes Ads over Knowledge." March 1997 Education Reporter. 20

The most visible examples of direct advertising appeared on soft drink vending machines and high school scoreboards. Although some high school sports facilities displayed banners and signs with the names of businesses that had contributed to sports programs, several placed these signs to acknowledge donations rather than in exchange for them. Advertisements were delivered through the media in some schools. For example, schools in two districts had contracts with Channel One, a company that provides free televisions and videocassette recorders to schools that agree to air its news show and commercials, and two schools had signed up with ZapMe!, a company that provides free computer equipment and delivers ads through the Internet. Officials from participating schools said the benefits of having free technology outweighed any negative aspects of the advertisements that were shown. Officials from other districts, however, had decided not to participate in such programs (Public Edu!

"Marketing to Students: Corporations launch assault on schools." January 2000

Phyliss Schlafy, President of the Eagle Forum, summarized the dilemma best while testifying to the senate committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

Commercial activities in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools have been growing in visibility throughout the last decade, a period characterized by tightened school budgets. As visibility has increased, so have concerns about commercial activities that generate cash, equipment, or other types of assistance and their potential effects on students' learning and purchasing behavior. Commercial activities include (1) the sale of products, (2) direct advertising-for example, advertisements in school corridors or on school buildings, (3) indirect advertising-for example, corporate-sponsored educational materials or teacher training, and (4) market research (Public Education: Commercial Activities in Schools).

The problem we encounter as taxpayers is our elected officials are part of the problem.

http://www.newdream.org/campaign/kids.facts.html

More than 40% of the teens in the United States watch Channel One every weekday morning. That is more than the viewers for the Super Bowl (The Center for a new American Dream). To advertisers this is an untapped gold mine. The companies advertising on Channel One pay the price for that air, too. For a 30 second spot, advertisers pay between $185,000 and $200,000 (Study Says Commercialism Rampant in Public Schools). Commercial's aired on Channel One range from clothes and shoes, beverages, and even movies. Movies being advertised are not a major problem. However, considering Channel One is shown in middle schools, as well as high schools, the same broadcast is shown for the entire network. The problems have risen due to some of the content of the advertisements. Some of the movies advertised include very violent content. K-III Communications have advertised movies like "The World is not Enough," th

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