Atlanta Forward readers responded to last week’s columns about the lifting of an injunction that allows billboard companies to cut trees on state-owned land that block their signs. Here are some select comments:
MrLiberty: Root cause: government ownership of the land. If "everyone" owns it, nobody owns it. It is not used for the "public good," it is handed out to friends of government at the expense of everyone else. If the land was private, this would be a property rights issue, and the owner would be able to do what he/she wanted. As always, the solution is to have as little government as is possible to achieve (realistically, none is needed whatsoever).
Stacey: Sounds like a reasonable compromise to me: Remove a tree — plant a tree. Does the print media plant a tree for each tree they saw down for advertising in newspapers? No.
Sawb: Personally, I hate billboards and wish there were none to be seen anywhere. However, this is a private property issue, and as long as they fall within the parameters set up by the state, I guess we've got to tolerate them. If people really want to get rid of billboards, simply stop patronizing the businesses or buying the products they advertise, and the billboards will eventually disappear. This is sort of like folks complaining about outsourcing to foreign countries as they rush over to Wal-Mart. Most people don't stop to realize that the evil corporations are simply giving them what they want.
Cyberteach: I-75 through Georgia is one of the ugliest stretches of interstate in the country, thanks to billboards. I'd like to see some statistical proof that billboards stimulate economic activity. Maine's tourism industry seems to do just fine without them, and I think Georgia's could, too.
Dawgfan: I am not seeing the issue here. If the billboard company has to plant a tree for a tree removed, then we are still with the same number of trees. It does not seem like it should be an issue, unless it is just an issue of not liking billboards.
Mangler: I don't believe I've ever passed a billboard anywhere and said, "Ooh, I'll go try the steaks at that strip club," or whatever. The only advertising signs I ever pay attention to while driving on a highway are the gas station price signs. That's it.
Road Scholar: Have they not heard of GPS? Or the preview exit signs that list nearby eateries, gas stations or motels/hotels? Does anyone care when acres are cleared to build a community, a Wal-Mart, a retail center? Or do we say, that is private land, so those trees do not matter? The size of the tree matters. Replacing a large tree with a short tree is not equal. Most counties and cities have ordinances concerning tree removal, variable fines for the differing size/type of tree removal, and requirements for replanting.
Observer: There are certainly too many billboards on certain stretches of highway in our state, but if they didn't work, why would businesses buy them?
