It was and should be again that monopolies, read: social utilities, could not advertise because they NEED not advertise. So, the Post Office, the electric co., the gas co., state government, the US Army, etc., should NOT advertise because they are the only source providing what you pay for there -- if you want it, you have to go to them. So they don't get to advertise -- no 'market' competition, no ad need.

No advertising expenditure. Lower cost of operations, and 'overhead.' For example, take away the US Army ad expenditure, save taxpayers and decrease taxes over one billion dollars. Anyone who wants to 'buy in' the Army, knows or finds out where the only supply of that is.

Advertising budget is an above-the-line item. So it offsets taxes. Spending money to advertise on, say, police car bumperstickers, is selectively controlling what societal public services are funded. That is, instead of paying the money as taxes into public 'general' funds which are then appropriated through the public consensus in legislature assembled, the 'advertiser' (i.e. corporation) decides, itself (unilaterally) to disburse the money as an 'ad buy' on police cars, and fund police, and since that money went out marked 'advertising' it was not paid as taxes under public oversight which might or might not have funded police.

Another angle regarding the government buying advertising: That's one way they indirectly control the media and what they report and don't report. If you get a significant portion of your income from government advertsing you're not going to bite the hand that feeds you. Such is not limited to mainstream media as Lars Larson refuses to report on a power company here in The Dalles that would rather take land via the legal process so their lawyer can make more money instead of negotiating an easement with the property owner. Maybe the only source of truth nowadays is the internet.

Cultivate that source of truth. Water it with caring, feed it with facts you know.

At the same time, weed out and kill the sources of lies and misreprentation. BOYCOTT sponsors of LIARS Larson on Paul Allen's KXL 750 AM radio 'media property,' (where, actually, the 'media' radio waves cannot be private property, the air and atmosphere is public property we breath in common).

Facts I know, as example to start with, BOYCOTT LIARS sponsors:
MARQUIS Spas
Shilo forgot-to-cross-the-'t' INNS
Kuni BMW
...

Call 'em like you see 'em. They pay for fascism.

(keep it going ... talk about your 'target rich environment,' the ad-money people paying LIARS fascists, say their NAMES, right OUT LOUD ... fascists are those who are so far extremely rightwing, that they deride real Republicans standing up and voting against lying Bush's War ...)
...
Les Schwab tires
Sterling Health Plan
West Coast Vinyl windows
Timberline Dodge on Sandy Blvd.
The Home Depot
...

Governor Kulongoski got Marine Corps bumperstickers to put on Ted's new car. The Marine Corps money to pay for printing bumperstickers they give away, might better have been spent instead to buy plane tickets for Senator Gordon Smith to get to Oregon to honorably attend one. single. funeral. of a Marine killed in lying Bush's War. In fact, travel tickets for one. single. Oregon. congressperson. (Representative OR Senator) to stand in funeral appearance and gravely honor one single Oregon fatality from the deranged criminal invasion of Iraq that Congress didn't stop Bushfascism from aggressing.

LIARS vowed today to donate $50 to buy a bicycle for the son of a deployed Army man. Likely the boy would rather have the money spent on his Dad's plane ticket home.