MittWatch: $85,000 a Day for Ads

You know that former Massachusetts governor presidential aspirant Mitt Romney is rich. But did you know just how rich he is? He has spent a total of $10.2 million on TV ads--$85,000 a day, according to CNN.

Ponder that a second. $85,000 a day--much of it his own money. He's donated $17.5 million of his own money to the campaign so far. To give a little perspective, Team Romney can drop $85,000 a day, and the average salary in Massachusetts according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics was $47,340 in 2006. The average salary of a secondary school teacher in Massachusetts is $54,780. Police and sheriff's patrol officers made an average of $48,830 (not counting the details). And one man running for office can spend all of that. Granted, he's not alone--Barack Obama has spent $3.9 million so far, but that's a lot less than $10.2 million.

Given how much he's spent, he could have knocked a dent into Massachusetts budget problems, such as the Lottery's current shortfall, with his own money alone.

Image mashup by Caroline Roberts.