Get a free iPod from your local government!

Fill out a survey, get a free iPod: this is a much better deal than you think. Most offers only offer the chance of potentially winning an iPod, but this one guarantees it. So why are people so offended about this failsafe offer?

Well, it comes from a Florida school district.

Polk County School district was offering silver iPods Nanos worth $150 each to parents of children with disabilities who complete a 10-minute online survey. This was to come from the $350,000 of federal money from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) the school has set aside to be used specifically for programs for developmentally disabled students.

The Assistant Superintendent of Learning Support, Nancy Woolcock, had defended the now dead iPod giveaway program as a fair trade, giving parents an expensive gift in return for needed education data. But that argument convinced very few.

In this case, it was other government officials that scrutinized and ultimately defeated the idea. Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, expressed concern about the iPod purchase plan and asked school district officials to review it.

Representative Adam Putnam and Senator Kelli Stargel both showed concerned and urged the school board to review the idea. “During these difficult economic times, we must be certain that every dime is being spent efficiently and that this expenditure will actually be used by students or parents and teachers in helping to educate their students,” said Stargel, showing strong concern for correct disbursement of government money. Following suit, the Florida Department of Education on Wednesday instructed school district officials to cease the iPod exchange. According to the FDOE, the funds used in the program should have flowed directly to students, not indirectly through parents.

This is a great example of how powerful public scrutiny of information can be. Once the information of the money being spent on iPods was out, public officials had to respond to it. And once it wqas clear that it was a poor use of taxpayer money, the school district needed to ameliorate the situation. Sunshine only helps taxpayers and the legitimacy of governments in the end.