If I’m correct in reading this article on the top 10 donors in this election cycle so far, Sheldon Adelson, Foster Friess, and William J. Doré contributed around 23.75 million dollars to the doomed campaigns of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Since those contributions were to Super Pacs and Super Pacs mostly run political advertisements, that money has essentially just vanished. Except for a bit of a multiplier effect (where the money spent on those TV ads went to some cameramen, sound grips, and graphic designers then subsequently went to grocery stores, car mechanics, landlords and such) the original millions of dollars were essentially wasted. TV ads only exist in the ethereal; now that they’re not running and the dickish, snearing campaigns of both the Sweater Vest Pope and the Amoral Jewelry-Debt Piglet are over, that money and the products it purchased have vaporized.

While I enjoy the idea that zillionaires just bought food and rent for a bunch of working stiffs in blue-collar states and those zillionaires got no return on their investment, I still wonder what else that money could have been spent on if it weren’t for these sputtering campaigns that denigrated poor people, black people, immigrants, women and a host of other innocent groups –including sci-fi enthusiasts like me who would enjoy a moon colony if only the idea hadn’t been spoiled by the likes of that odious farting toad, Newt Gingrich.

Let’s look at how that money could have helped society rather than tear it down:

1) The entire yearly revenues of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation for 2010 was $151 million.
- The $23.75 million that the Gingrich and Santorum campaigns used in order to further their healthcare-for-profit schemes would have been an almost 16% increase in revenue to fight AIDS in little kids.

2) The Carnegie Institution for Science (named for a famous capitalist cum wealthy philanthropist, hint, hint) brought in a little over $92 million.
- The $23.75 million that Gingrich and Santorum used to deny scientific evidence to the public would have been an almost 26% increase to that charity which actually furthers scientific research.

3) The Children’s Defense Fund had a yearly income of $17.9 million.
- The $23.75 million that Gingrish and Santorum used to vilify poor children would have meant a 133% increase in funds meant to lift children from poverty.