First We Count the Money, and Then We Count the Votes

Sen. David Hoyle of Gaston County, the Democrat who makes some other Democrats break out with prickly heat, has gotten his Billboard Industry Empowerment Act of 2007 through committee, and it will now go to the full Senate. The bill will allow billboard companies to cut a 375-ft. swath of trees, so that tail-gating motorists can better see that Even a Caveman Can Do It.

Bill Ross, secretary of the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources, objects to the bill, saying the proposal undermines the state's preservationist policies. "It's green that makes us strong and great in North Carolina," he said.

To which Hoyle replied, with more truth than wit, "When we talk about green, I agree. Green is what pays the bills."

What an enlightened representative of the people.