What are we to make of a chief executive officer of the state who sends out conflicting messages? This issue isn't going away as Gov. Jodi Rell presses forward on her idea to eliminate billboards from state lands at the same one of her departments has purchased billboard space to promote energy efficiency.

 

I happened to come across a One Thing billboard in Stamford last week. It's funny. It was last Sunday afternoon, and I couldn't believe that laborers were hanging out on a chilly March weekend evening trying to find jobs. Who needs laborers on Sunday afternoon?

 

So I was concentrating on pulling onto the on-ramp and capturing an image of the labor pool men, probably not a safe driving move, but no less than texting while driving. When I downloaded the image, I saw it contained the bonus of Jodi Rell's Snow White mug.

 

The billboard is owned by Clear Channel Communications, the same company whose radio stations in Florida held a "Breast Christmas Ever" contest which gave away boob jobs as a prize.

 

That, I suppose, isn't Clear Channel's worst sin(which could be any number of speech violations, market share consolidation, closeness to George W. etc), but considering Jodi Rell's health issues, she ought to be more carfeul about who her departments send state tax dollars to.

 

From the billboard, you can't tell that she is promoting energy efficiency. The message of doing "One Thing," juxtaposed with crew of immigrants who are looking for work, is striking. I am sure the immigrant laborers would love to do one thing - like, say, earn a living.

 

The laborers are always there, and I don't know if they are illegal immigrants or not. I doubt it, though, because on the telephone pole going through the "i" in "thing," a sign says "Labor Pick-Up" with an arrow pointing at the men. So if nothing else, it seems to be a sanctioned labor market.

 

As I cruised up I-95, and turned onto Route 8 North, I spotted these triangular billboards interrupting a gorgeous sunset. And I said to myself, I love Jodi's idea of banning billboards on state lands, and I say we move it a step further and ban them everywhere. They destroy the beauty of our state for hamburger advertisements.

 

 

But the whole controversy and contradiction makes Rell's government looks incompetent, like one hand doesn't know what the other is doing.

 

Although, it could be worse than that. The Governor could have understood the mixed signals her billboards and her ban were sending but went ahead with it anyways.

 

The Governor's spokesman Rich Harris suggests that the One Thing billboards were in the works for months before her Feb. 6 executive order aiming to eliminating billboards on state land. In a Feb. 15 AP story (discussed here first), Harris said, "It may appear that there is a contradiction, but it's a matter of timing."

Link...