Some Corporate Sponsorship of Public Amenities Just Makes Sense

When the U.S. National Park Service announced back in 2005 that it was considering accepting corporate sponsorships for park projects and facilities, critics of the plan worried that it could lead to businesses slapping logos all over America's beloved national park space.

The feared plastering with ads of our nation's federal parks hasn't happened. But at the local level, similar efforts by cash-strapped governments have led to mixed results. In the tackier camp, you have Florida's "John Anthony Wilson Bicycle Safety Act," which allows for "commercial sponsorship displays" as large as 16 square feet at trailheads and in public park parking lots. Also arguably tacky: Public school districts in several states, including Texas and Colorado, can (and do) sell naming and advertising rights for school buses. Are these things ugly? Sure. Are they also beneficial to the upkeep of public institutions? That too!