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10 things AEA could have bought with the approx. $7 million they spent on primary races

The Alabama Education Association (AEA) had a tough day on Tuesday. After the traditionally Democratic-leaning group spent roughly $7 million dollars to influence Republican primary elections, they weren’t able to win any statewide races or senate contests, and only picked up a handful of low-profile house seats.


RELATED: Alabama’s Republican primary was an unmitigated disaster for the AEA


The AEA, however, claimed victory, saying they feel like they won 6 house seats. Even if that’s the case, it’s hard to imagine it being a “victory” to spend over a million dollars per win in local state legislative races where campaign budgets are usually counted in the tens-of-thousands, not millions.

So all of that got us at Yellowhammer thinking; if the AEA just wanted to waste $7 million of teachers’ money, what other options might they have had?

Well… Here’s what we came up with.

1. L’Oiseleur doll toy

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L’Oiseleur (The Bird Trainer) is the most expensive (and creepiest?) toy in the world. This 4-foot-tall, one-of-a-kind automaton holding a flute and dressed in Renaissance garb has over 2,000 polished-steel parts. If you’re into that kind of thing, it can be yours for between $6 million and $7 million.

2. 1964 Ford GT40 Prototype

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This factory race car, which finished third at Daytona in 1965, sold at auction for an astounding $7 million in April of this year.

3. Kim Jong Un’s yacht

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While his people starve and live in isolation from the rest of the world, North Korean dictator Kim John Un relaxes with Dennis Rodman on this $7 million yacht.

4. Mark Zuckerberg’s house

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Considering the fact that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is worth over $25 billion, he and his wife live a relatively modest lifestyle in this $7 million home.

5. Kim Kardashian’s engagement ring

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The 15-carat diamond ring Kanye West gave to Kim Kardashian reportedly set him back “at least $6 million,” according to Universal Jewelers in New York City.

6. Nick Saban for a year

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University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban’s recently announced new contract is worth about $7 million per year.

7. All of the Obamas’ assets

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President Obama’s total net worth is around $7 million, according to a financial disclosure form released by the White House.

8. A pair of dueling dinosaur skeletons

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The “Montana dueling dinosaurs” sold at auction last year for over $7 million. According to The Verge, “the fossil contains a tyrannosaurid and ceratopsian, intertwined in what some believe was a prehistoric death match.”

9. Help find the Malaysian jet

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As of last month, the United States military had allocated over $7 million to help find missing Malaysian Flight 370.

10. Cell phones for everyone in the world who lost theirs today

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Internet security firm Lookout Mobile conducted a study recently showing that about $7 million worth of smartphones are lost every single day.


RELATED: Recapping Alabama’s 2014 primary elections in 90 seconds


Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

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