Leave those Signs Alone Flowery Branch!

Is there anything that government thinks it does not need to regulate?  Just because you get your friends to vote you into office does not make you smarter than everyone else.  Flowery Branch entertains us again with their decision to regulate how fast billboards change.  WTH?  Why is government getting involved in this?  Just another unnecessary government regulation.  Another “gotcha” for unsuspecting businesses.  Thse electronic billboards cost upwards of $1,000,000.  If Flowery Branch wants to regulate what is on them, then BUY THE SIGN.  If you can’t afford to buy the sign then don’t worry about it.

Safety?  Bureaucrats always invoke “safety” when they want to do something.  It sounds better than “because I want to.”  (Or worse yet, “because my friends can’t compete so I will use my position to help my buddies out.”)  Unfortunately these areguments are no more persuasive.  Have there been any accidents because of signs changing on I-985?  Anywhere?  Councilman Craig Lutz says he is concerned.  The State of Georgia already has a 10 second minimum (because they want to).

Craig wants the timing to be 53 seconds (as opposed to 50 seconds or 54 seconds?).  Ok Craig, here is the perfect solution:  get $1,000,000, go through all the headaches to get a permit (it is already a nightmare in Hall County), negotiate the lease for the land, negotiate a contract to erect the sign, put your sign up and set it to 53 seconds.  Simple solution.  Then you compete with the guys (who already have $1,000,000 and the lease and the sign) who have their signs set at 10 seconds.

Why 10 seconds?  Is that a good idea?  Is 53 seconds better?  Who knows!  The right answer is that if you are the government the default position should be that it is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. 

In the meantime legitimate businesses are losing money because Flowery Branch is trying decide how to get involved in something they should not be involved in!  Flowery Branch:  Leave those signs alone!

Read The Times story here –>Speed limits for ads on highway?