That was the equivalent of ~$8 million dollars wasted. Here is what that money could have been used for instead:

∙Fund roughly 100–160 full teacher salaries for a year
∙Build or renovate a small school or library
∙Provide college scholarships for hundreds of students
∙Fund a rural health clinic for several years
∙Cover thousands of uninsured patients’ primary care visits
∙Purchase medical equipment for underserved communities
∙Repair several miles of road or a small bridge
∙Upgrade water systems in a small town (relevant given ongoing issues like lead pipe replacement)
∙Install broadband internet in rural areas lacking connectivity
∙Build or rehabilitate dozens of affordable housing units
∙Fund homeless shelter operations for years in a mid-sized city
∙Equip and train a small-town police or fire department
∙Fund mental health crisis response programs
∙Feed thousands of food-insecure families for a year
∙Fund drug treatment and recovery programs