Published: March 14, 2010
Op-Ed Contributor
Potholes Sell Like Hotcakes In Small German Village
By Robert Paul Reyes
I never know which one of my stories will capture the fancy of my readers. Sometimes I write an article about a hot topic, but it fails to get many hits, and sometimes I pen an essay about an obscure subject, and it garners tons of hits.
Case in point: Early this month I wrote a piece about a cash-strapped village in Germany that put its numerous potholes up for sale in an effort to finance the repair of its deteriorating roads. For some reason this editorial has been getting a lot of hits the last few days.
See: German Village Sells Potholes
For what it's worth, here's an update on this curious little story:
Photo: Alan Gray, NewsBlaze |
"A novel idea by a hard-up east German village to sell its potholes to finance their repair looked Friday to have got off to a good start, with 111 already snapped up, the official website showed.
Since last week people have been able to buy a hole in Niederzimmern near Leipzig for 50 euros (68 dollars). In return the authorities will repair it, and 'sponsor' it by putting a personal message on top."
AFP
In my original essay I praised the German village for thinking outside the box, and I predicted that individuals, and not just corporations would buy potholes. We would all love to see our name in lights, but if that ain't gonna happen, we will settle for potholes being named after us.
There are many municipalities in America that are faced with the problem of crumbling roads, and with the economy in disrepair there just isn't enough money to fix potholes. If New York City put up its potholes for sale, thousands would jump at the opportunity to "sponsor" a pothole. Americans are obsessed with fame and celebrity, and what red-blooded American wouldn't settle for the dubious honor of having a pothole named after him?
Follow Robert Paul Reyes on Twitter: http://twitter.com/robertpaulreyes
Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
Search News
