Advertising on Amber Alert Signs

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.