Public Notice, a fiscally conservative, non-partisan group known for its clever marketing and Times Square billboards, has a new Washington warning circulating the Internet to commemorate Veterans Day and remind Washington, D.C. — and the budgetary super committee — of the virtues of sacrifice.
“Washington could learn a lot from veterans,” the graphic, which features an armed soldier walking through the sand, begins. “Sacrifice: Sometimes we have to put the needs of our country ahead of ourselves.”
The image closes with a thank you “to our troops, past and present, on this veterans day.”
The Veterans Day commemoration is an add-on to a larger campaign, “Washington could learn a lot from: (insert noun),” that pokes fun at politicians while making an argument about spending cuts. The lead advertisement, “Washington could learn a lot from a drug addict,” aired on Comedy Central, Fox News, NBC, Bravo, CNN and MSNBC. (RELATED: Super committee put on ‘Public Notice’)
“America could learn a lot from a drug addict,” a strung-out, tweaking man tells the camera as he sweats and takes drags of a cigarette.
“Even though this country’s $14 trillion in debt, Washington raised the debt ceiling 10 times in the last 10 years. Each time, it’s like another hit — another spending hit. But you’re the junkies. Forty-one cents out of every dollar you spend is borrowed — from places like China. So China is like your dealer, and your addiction and your dealer control your life. To borrow less, you need to spend less.
“Yeah,” the addicted narrator concludes, “Washington could learn a lot from a drug addict.”