The South Dakota Senate Race

If you know someone in South Dakota, call them, urge them to vote for Tom Daschle and to urge their friends and neighbors to do the same. His opponent, 3-time former congressman John Thune is one of those GOP hollowmen, in the great tradition of Norm Coleman: just another pretty mouthpiece with a hot wife and a lousy voting record. $31 million (that's 31,000,000 DOLLARS) has been spent in that campaign. Thanks to the US Census and other sources, here's some context about the SD senate race:

SD Population: 764,309
Median household income: $35,282
people living below the poverty line: 13.2% (100,888.79)
population of largest city (sioux falls): 123,975
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 = $79,600
estimated monthly payment of a mortgage for $79,600 at current 5.75% interest rate= $464.52

THUS that campaign money could have instead been spent on...
Dollars per person: $40
OR
# of houses that could have been bought outright and given to a family living below the poverty line: 389
OR
# of households whose entire annual income could have been subisdized: 878
OR
# of median mortgage payments that could have been made: 64793.91