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Friday, April 13, 2012

More rebranding at taxpayer expense. Elsewhere besides Ramsey.

If Ford, or Best Buy want to rebrand themselves, I might regard it as stupid, but as their prerogative.

If wholly private universities such as Carelton or Macalester want to consume time and resources in rebranding, let them.

When taxpayers ultimately are paying for something as inherently stupid and unproductive a thing as rebranding, the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig, it is bothersome.

Republican blogger Gary Gross has a very recent item posted about wasteful use of taxpayer money, in rebranding a university.

SCSU, good at hockey, and not noted for much else that I have heard of is the target; specifically top management . This link.

Then, this link, for SCSU distinguished alumni - and how many stood distinguished because of skill with a hockey stick.

While a sound argument can be made the place needs something to raise the bar, rebranding is changing nothing but sizzle, same tough quality cut of steak.

If the problem's the steak, don't waste time, money or focus on touting or revising a sizzle - that being an understanding good for a private sector operation that might or might not value sizzle over steak. Baja Sol, or some such - if that is in fact how that operation operates.

But when it's public money and a public glitz-over effort, hoaxing to hide a lack of substance thing, form over substance. everybody then ends up paying a share for institutional stupidity.

Is that how you enjoy seeing public money spent?

In Ramsey?

At SCSU?

Rebranding?

An interesting aside, at SCSU there are "Libertarians" who make tenure and then denounce in whole or in part the union that helped them get there.

If truly "Libertarian," why do they not argue for their institution to be cut loose and privatized, since that would give them the liberty of not relying upon the State and taxpayers for a paycheck?

This link.