NOTICE:

TO PRESERVE SCENIC BEAUTY AND THE ECOLOGY,

FENCES AND WARNING SIGNS HAVE NOT BEEN INSTALLED

IN SOME PARK LOCATIONS. CAUTION AND SUPERVISION

OF YOUR CHILDREN ARE REQUIRED WHILE VISITING THESE AREAS.

The above thirty-two word essay is routed onto a large wooden sign, which is painted a garish bright red with white letters and then hung at each highway entry point into most of Arkansas' fifty-one state parks. Most people probably pay little attention, if any, to this public service notice. It bugs the crap out of me. Aside from the obvious irony of a lengthy sign (at taxpayer's expense) telling people that we don't mar the "scenic beauty" with signs, the thing is normally passed at highway speed. This means that a determined reader will, unless gifted with total recall, get as far as, "Notice: To preserve scenic beauty and the ... I wonder what the rest of that sign said?!"

I hereby propose that all such signs be immediately removed and replaced with the following (rendered in forest green with gold lettering):

PLEASE WATCH YOUR KIDS

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