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Should the freeways signs that display amber alerts and travel times also be used for advertising to help raise money for our cash-strapped state? The Schwarzenegger administration is considering an idea from Clear Channel Outdoor that would let a billboard company upgrade the signs for free if some kind of advertising deal would be worked out.
The Bad? Distraction, safety, blight.
The Good? If there's an Amber Alert, the digital screen can not only tell you the make and model, but give you a visualization. It will also raise money for the state.
Maybe Ted Wu of the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight said it best. "If we need to do this to get money, maybe the state should go ahead and open a brothel." Next up, he predicts, is selling advertising on the state capital.
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Ah, hell no.
What an awful idea. While visualizing the cars might be useful, the whole reason people pay attention is because it is important or relevant information.
If you dilute that with advertising, nobody will pay attention to these things anymore.
Instead of a valuable amber alert system, you'll have a bevy of mostly ignored electronic billboards blighting our freeways more than they already are.
I was reading about this ancient concept for generating revenues by the state. It's kind of weird, and I doubt it really existed, but according to archealogical sources, state governments use to have something called "progressive taxation". Apparently, wealthy people would actually pay more of their income to the state the poor people, and as a result, the state would benfit by having more resources.
I personally don't see how such a system was sustainable. It seems to me that our current system of tax cuts for the rich, while raising the costs of essential services like education and health care for the poor and middle class, and selling off our infrastructure to private companies is a much better system.
In fact, we ought to go futher and privatize the police force, fire department and maybe even the government itself.
People are distracted enough with illegally chatting on cell phones while clicking their iPod and drinking coffee, let alone flashy screens projecting pictures everywhere. Do not want.
Uh, well, we can't put those on federal highways as it's illegal to have billboards within 600 feet of federally funded roads (so that's the 5, the 10, etc, etc). Of course I'm sure Clear Channel has a small army of lobbyists who will get special waivers if need be.
"Apparently, wealthy people would actually pay more of their income to the state the poor people, and as a result, the state would benfit by having more resources."
Wow Ross, you mean this civilization speak of actually required wealthy people to have some type of social responsibility?
What a novel concept.
Smacks of Communizim though. Never work in this day and age.
Not unless they reverse the stupid hands free law.
If it can get us out of this deficit faster, I am for it.