Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Good Guys Win One

Well, partly anyway. Republican Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown has backed off his proposed legislation to override local ordinances and allow digital billboards every 1,500 feet on major state highways. He's dropped that entirely, but is keeping language in the bill which will allow the billboard industry greater latitude in cutting trees to allow a passing motorist, or a visitor from outer space, more time to read the small print.

The NC Senate Transportation Committee endorsed the new language yesterday, but not without some spectacular whining from Republican Sen. Don East, whose district used to include Watauga:
...East, R-Surry, complained that vegetation had obscured advertising he'd purchased some years ago on a billboard near Boone, within three or four weeks of its having gone up.

East said he responded by asking the billboard's owner for a partial refund. "I wasn't getting what I paid for there," he said.

The only remedy for such injustice, evidently, is a new state-wide law on clear-cutting the roadside.

8 comments:

J.W. Williamson said...

Not so fast there, JW. According to the Sierra Club, via Rob Schofield, it's still a very bad bill. Not quite as bad as it was, but still.
http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2011/04/28/billboard-industry-gets-its-way/

he doesn't like people said...

So I am to understand Williamson prefers overgrown roadside, decreased sight distances and more accidents. Why not he approves of murdering unborn babies.

Brushfire said...

"I think that I shall never see, a billboard lovely as a tree. In fact unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at all!"
Thank you Ogden Nash.

brotherdoc said...

There have been no good roadside billboards since they quit advertising Burma-shave.

Not Really said...

@ he doesn't like people...

Is your comment for real? I don't think I've ever heard anything more ridiculous. Thank goodness for those billboards making our highways safer - LOL!

I have to give you credit for some creativity by tying JW's opinion about billboards to the issue of abortion. That's a new one!

Anonymous said...

Now, the question is: Just who are the good guys?

Anonymous said...

I have to give you credit for some creativity by tying JW's opinion about billboards to the issue of abortion. That's a new one!

Valid though.

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