Doing the People's Business, Baltimore Style

Obviously, all of the problems with crime, education, drugs, and poverty have been tackled by the Baltimore City Council, since Robert Curran now wants to tackle political signs:

Baltimore's City Council banned pizza menus from vestibules. It condoned tearing down advertisements promoting cheap houses and work-from-home jobs. Now the council is faced with a dose of its own medicine - a bill that would regulate political yard signs.

Responding to an increase in larger-than-ever political signs that have proliferated in some neighborhoods during this year's gubernatorial campaign, Councilman Robert W. Curran introduced a bill yesterday to ban political signs larger than 16 square feet in residential neighborhoods.

"Not only are they unappreciated ... they're unsightly," Curran said yesterday. "We've never seen 4-by-8 signs in the neighborhoods before."

I just can't see the point in taking time and energy to pass this. Frankly, this seems more like an restriction of the right of free expression of people to support candidates of their choosing, and an overreaction planted by the O'Malley campaign thanks to the large 4x8 Ehrlich sign across the street from the Mayor's home.

Amazingly, this is my 500th post.