Inflatables Regulations

The city is proposing allowing the use of inflatables and air dancers for advertising by businesses throughout the city, except, of course, for some reason, for the downtown business district. This is a good move, except, of course (and you knew there was going to be another "of course") for the time limit. Businesses will only be able to use inflatables and air dancers to promote their business  for 2 48 hour periods or one 96 hour period per year. This pretty much guarantees no business in their right mind will spend the money to invest in something it can only use 4 days a year.

Carbondale has a pretty undeserved reputation as a city unfriendly to business. Enacting an ordinance with this short a time frame on the used of an advertising tool does not help mitigate that image. If the city must put a time limit, make it 90 or 120 days in order to justify businesses investing in them, though even better would be no time limit at all.

Bryant vs. Kilquist

A day doesn't go by that I do not receive a postcard from the Democratic Part of Illinois bashing "insider politician" Terri Bryant for doing something or other. A friend has collected a stack of cards attacking her that tops two inches. The problem I have is that the mailings do not attack her on anything substantial, nor do the ones my neighbors have received attacking Bill Kilquist.

Looking at these, I have no idea where either candidate stands on school funding, the income tax extension, Tamms Correctional Facility, Illinois pensions or any other issue of import (I do know where they stand on these but it is not due to these mailings). However, I do know that each is a professional politician who took multiple pay raises and tax breaks while opposing policies that would benefit Illinois. At least that's what I know from reading their mailings.

Given the amount each side has spent on media, I think the post office and television stations will be sorry when the campaign ends. Me, I'll be quite happy with fewer items in the mailbox.