When the Governor says the state is short on money, what does a smart state agency do? Propose a way to get more money!
Enter the Department of Tourism, which proposes Senate Bill 59 to open up our Interstate rest stops to advertising. SB 59 authorizes Tourism to contract for ads “exhibited solely within the information center… not legible from the main traveled way.” SB 59 requires that Tourism spend that ad revenue on the rest area exhibits.
I suspect any argument that we preserve rest areas as places where we can rest from our corporate overlords’ constant invasion of our mindspace will fall on cranked earbuds. The rest areas are already festooned with flyers for Wall Drug and Deadwood casinos. The trucks outside and the tourists milling about are all plastered with brand names and logos. Charging advertisers for placement of their ads inside the rest areas might actually recoup a little more of the indirect subsidy advertisers get for the billboards with which they blight our highway vistas.
Besides, South Dakota will do anything for an ever-elusive buck. So let’s go whole hog: where else besides the rest areas could South Dakota sell ads?
- How about commercial decals on our Highway Patrol cars? “This sobriety checkpoint brought to you by Budweiser. Drink responsibly… or else!”
- Amend our campaign finance laws to allow top donors to add their logos to their favorite legislators’ badges.
- Let corporate lobbyists buy enhanced and gold registration badges: $40 still gets them their regular lobbyist badge, but for $80 they can wear enhanced badges with their corporate logo, and for $160 a pop they can get gold badges to stick on each legislator whose vote they get!
Senate Bill 59 will likely sail through our cash-strapped Legislature. Next up: naming rights for the rest areas.
That naming rights idea could get legs with such names as the Thune Dump Station or the Dump NOem Dump Station, the Jackley Diaper Changing Station, the list goes on. Here is an idea to raise money, put a tax on the billboards along the highways. Zone those babies so that not only the state gets the money but so do the counties in which they are placed. If there are already taxes on the billboards, raise them.
Regarding the paid advertising at the rest areas, what political insider will get the contract to supply the ads and how will they block political enemies from utilizing them?
Are pay toilets far behind? Toll booth to use the rest stop? Buy a permit to walk your pet in the authorized area? State employed rest room attendants… keep your cheap cologne. Or, how about a franchise fee and put, say, a Starbucks at the rest stop, or a McD’s, Joe’s Doughnuts/Coffee… (if you get coffee, you will need to stop at the next rest area… cha-ching!)? :-)
Hey, if it is good enough for Sioux Falls, it is good enough for the state. Just drive by beautiful MIDCO . . . ah . . . I mean Spellerberg Park and see the nice signage.
Well, the DOT closed its Hiddenwood rest areas on I-29 between Watertown and Brookings. Lost some a revenues there. Iowa has interstate rest areas about every 30 miles. South Dakota is not at all accommodating. If you have to go, you might have to go elsewhere. There is one fuel stop in Watertown with a large convenience store that posts mean little signs about what it thinks of people who pee for free. Traveling in South Dakota is best done with a coffee can. Anybody want to buy ad space on my coffee can?
Take your salary and divide it by 12 and then give one month to the state. There that should do it, according to trump’s pastor. https://www.christianpost.com/news/paula-white-urges-followers-sow-first-fruits-offering-up-to-1-months-pay-or-suffer-consequences-212716/ To pee or not to pee that is the question that is now answered with the fruits from the fruits.
I have always been impressed by the rest areas in Wyoming. they are clean, modern buildings with architecture that allows them to make effective use of passive solar energy for lighting and heating along with explanations of how the design reduces the costs of running the rest stop. There are always displays explaining some interesting aspects of local history and often an interpretive walking path to stretch your legs. I usually leave smarter than I arrived.
“leave smarter than I arrived”—I like that, Nick, as a mission statement for the Tourism Department. Instead of commercializing our rest areas, let those state facilities remain oases of history, education, and art. Consider the new Dignity sculpture at the Chamberlain rest area. That sculpture by itself does more to boost South Dakota’s image—and thus, probably, our economic activity—than any commercial message at our rest areas.
David, I agree that some gas stations along the way send a more negative image about our state than any restful rural stop. The gas station on the east side of the Watertown exit—the Grainery?—sells all sorts of Gooney McBuckshot, anti-woman paraphrenalia that makes me embarrassed to bring my daughter inside.
Video Lottery at rest areas? Now that doesn’t seem too far off for some GOP whack job to think up.
It’s actually an embarrassment to me to see all the gaudy tourism signs dotted all across the state. It just seems like a sign of desperation that SD needs tourism money that badly.
Let’s place naming rights on our rest stops.
This potty stop brought to you by
COORS !
Or
EX-Lax ~
Next we , with consideration to truth in advertising , require state and federal legislators wear ( for a $pecial co$t acce$$ed by a citizen$ committee) LOGOs. Such as John Thune brought to you by KOCH BROs . Or G. Mark
sponsored by – ( fill in the blank).
Ms. Peters sponsored -( fill in blank).
I thought everyone just flew over South Dakota, like we do.