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(Census 2010 commercial montage)

Census advertisements will amount to $338 million - just a drop in the bucket for a program totaling nearly $15 billion. The 2010 Census will be the most expensive in history and is already facing criticism for reckless spending.

 We're looking at perspectives from the Boston Globe, CNN, the Bay Net, Fox News and MSNBC.

About 25 percent of the advertising budget was spent on postcards reminding people the official survey would arrive in their mailboxes in a few days. The Boston Globe questions the necessity of the reminder.

"Am I being picky, here, or is this first letter an enormous waste of taxpayer money?"

But a Census spokesman says all of the pre-census activities, specifically the postcard reminders, are the best way to encourage cost-saving citizen participation. 

"Our own research here at the Census Bureau, we estimate a 6 to 12 percent bump in the response rate. So, by spending the $85 million to print and then send those post cards out up to 120 million mailboxes that we did last week, we're actually going to hopefully save about over $500 million. That's on the low side by increasing response rates."

Mailers and commercials are not new to Census promotions, but The Bay Net asks why didn't the census cut costs by taking it to the web?

"Perhaps, a more efficient and effective use of taxpayer money would have been for the Census Bureau to create a dynamic Internet reporting mechanism where people could interact, answer the 10 basic questions, and file via online portal." 

On Fox News Census Director Robert Groves addressed that suggestion.

"The Internet will work for some people, but it won't work for every person. A growing consensus among people who do censuses and large surveys around the world is that we will do censuses with a lot of different methods."

Regardless of budgeting criticism, the 2010 Census will be important in determining seats each state has in the House of Representatives, and the allocation of $400 billion of federal funding. MSNBC reports that is what is most important when discussing the 2010 Census.

"So I ask you. Do your civic duty, mail back this form, and be counted. It will help our nation, it will save all of us money, and, most importantly, you, like me, will feel good after you do it."

So do you think aggressive promotion is a waste of money? Or does the benefit outweigh the cost?

Writer: Amanda Klohmann