If you care about the environment, I have a number for you to call: 330-453-3700. But first, I want to tell you about Vermont.
My wife and I visited Vermont in 1998, part of trip covering eastern Long Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Quebec and northern New York, and Vermont was easily the most scenic part of the trip thanks in part to long stretches of forest and mountains but also because Vermont at the time had a statewide prohibition against commercial signs along roads. The only signs we saw were road signs, including frequent moose warnings. (We never saw a single moose, but after all that traveling, I nearly hit a big buck half a block from home the day we returned.) It was refreshing to see scenery devoid of advertising.
So what does Vermont’s sign law have to do with the phone number I listed above? Maybe you’ve seen that phone number as you’ve driven around Stark County. It’s part of an advertisement, printed in black marker on small yellow signs, about 2 feet by 2 feet, that says, “$99 DOWN BAD CREDIT CAR LOANS (330) 453-3700.” Read the rest of this entry »