This is an editorial in the Magic Valley Times-news. Corporate sponsorship of state parks?
“There may come a time — and it may come sooner rather than later — when a corporate logo on a front gate of a public park in Idaho doesn’t look so bad.
In any case, let’s keep our minds open.” Times-News
Buy a Coke, save a park? It could happen in Idaho
This recession is being used not to test out money-saving ideas, but to steal things and get things done that would never have a chance. I’d say there are plenty politicians and groups that are OK with our misery. It’s not just that we have lemons and they want to make lemonade.
The Wildlife News 
February 24, 2010 at 10:21 AM
Leave it to private industry to use a miserable economy to try and “brand” national treasures, not to mention expand concessionaire opportunities; aren’t those contracts usually for 25 years and customarily renewed?
BP Monument Valley anyone? Or Exxon Canyonlands….
Hope you are right that this won’t happen, Ralph..Floodgates, foot in the door, and all that…
February 24, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Liberty Taco Bell–ding ding!
On a related note, 2 years back at the NPS’ “big cheese” get together, a Coca Cola executive spoke about their brand of leadership as well as partnership with private industry during tough times. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know all the details, but I found it rather odd at the time.
Many, many schools are now billboards for Coke or Pepsi.
The tea-baggers of the extreme-right are always yammering about governmental control but they fail to see what/who is really pulling the strings. Where in our country’s founding documents does it provide for the rights of a corporation over a citizen?
Privatization of all things government is going strong. Even under Clinton/Gore it was time for smaller government i.e. more corporate control. There are equal numbers of mercenaries and military troops fighting our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Blackwater is in the news again today. Talk about fascism, where the heck are the tea-baggers on this?
February 24, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Kropotkin Man
We’re all equal now. You and me and Microsoft can now all spend 100-million on our “independent” political campaign this fall.
I’m so glad now that they can match me 😦
February 24, 2010 at 12:41 PM
Want to know something real scary? About 15 years ago Coca Cola came within inches of being approved for their logo being added to law enforcement vehicles in Yellowstone. Where are the moral and mission standards of our administrators?
February 24, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Dusty Roads
We can only hope that it will backfire on them.
February 25, 2010 at 10:01 AM
The thing that concerns me is that Money Rules still holds true…especially when an agency is desperate for money, I hope I am wrong.
I wonder if we can give up our human personhood and become a corporate personhood? Could we gain all sorts of tax breaks we don’t have now as humans? ;*)