Signs of stupidity
: I’m walking through Manhattan the other day and suddenly realize that the WALK/DON’T WALK signs have all changed, practically overnight.
Who the hell made this numb-nutty decision?
We’re struggling to come out of a recession. We’re struggling to defend ourselves against terrorism. We’re struggling to pay for a few wars. We’re struggling to get people employed. We’re struggling with ever-increasing taxes. We’re struggling with ever-decreasing services.
And some nitwit decided we had to change WALK/DON’T WALK to HAND/WALKMAN.
Why? Because we’re all illiterate (well, the way the schools are going…)? Because we want to be nice to foreigners (as if they couldn’t figure out what the red letters DON’T WALK coinciding with a red traffic light meant?).
It’s idiotic but worse, it reflects an utterly irresponsible stewardship of our money.
People will make fun of me saying this one more time but it’s relevant in this discussion: I’m a liberal. Thus I don’t object to spending tax money for good ends of a civilized society, such as education and protection and, yes, safety nets for the poorest among us.
But I do object to spending money on stupidity.
And this is far from a Republican/Democratic thing. This is a power thing. People in power spend the money because it’s there and because they can. They don’t act as if the money is their own. They don’t say, do we really need to spend that? And they don’t say, do we really need to spend that right now while suffering budget hell.
No, they put up stupid signs for the stupid.
Now this is not entirely New York’s fault — nor will it be limited to crosswalks here. The AAA reports:
The days of the old-fashioned WALK message are numbered. In the world of traffic signals, symbols are in, words are out. Symbolic pedestrian signals have long been the staple in Europe, and can be found in many parts of this country. New York City has announced that it is joining the crowd for the same reason that new federal guidelines will soon call for symbolic signals: They’re just plain easier to see and comprehend. Plus, people don’t like to spell anymore. So look for a brightly lit pedestrian figure to tell you when to walk, and a red hand to tell you when to stay put.
And one other thing that bugs me about this: Schoolmarmish government. I hate the government treating us like a bunch of idiots.
: But even more idiotic is this sign that has spread across New Jersey faster than the West Nile Virus:
Keep New Jersey Moving. (signed) Our Governor.
What the F does that mean? Go faster? Rear-end the guy in front of you? Get out of town? Eat fiber?
The pinhead who decided to spend tax dollars to buy and install those signs should be strung up from any of the signs he installed. Actually, I’m sure it’s a committee of pinheads. I can’t imagine the meeting at which this was decided. Wasn’t there just one sane soul in the room who (a) asked what the F that sign was supposed to mean (b) asked why the F the state should spend money on it, and (c) reminded everyone else in the room that the economy is still in the crapper (see rant above)?
: I’m on a rant-roll here. I’ve started shouting about similar issues on my hometown blog.
My city fathers and mothers (Republican, every one) just put up a new and expensive sign at the pool for no reason; we all know where the pool is.
They built a road to and from nowhere.
They want to raise parking fees.
They plan to spend a lot of money to create a town TV channel.
STOP! Spend money on my kids’ education, great. Spend it on plowing the snow, fine. But don’t waste it on this stupidity.
