Spanish prostitutes in Catalonia have been ordered to wear reflective yellow traffic vests—a precaution, authorities say, because they pose a threat to drivers on a rural highway outside Els Alamus. Authorities are enforcing a 2004 law that requires pedestrians on highways to wear highly reflective garments. If they’re caught without the vests, they face a fine of €40 ($56). Prostitution is not illegal in Spain, but profiting from the sale of sex by another is.

Read it at The Daily Telegraph

Posted at 3:03 PM, Oct 25, 2010

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/?cid=hp:cheatsheet6#cheatrow_21034

Well this is a new take on The Scarlet Letter motif, I suppose.

Not as bad as the Star of David emblems employed by the NAZI’s I suppose.

There are public interests being addressed by these traffic regs, I suppose.

I mean it is hard enough when you have had a few drinks at the local pub, gottten in your car and ran into a deer. I mean these mammals do tend to stop and stare at the headlights. Think about a law that made deer wear proper reflective clothing!!!

Do Spanish prostitutes tend to stop and stare at headlights? Probably should ask Mr. Seaton.

But this entire Spanish affair (if I may call it so) gives me pause.

Maybe there are some other applications for this type of traffic regulation employed by our Spanish friends.

But we have to think outside of the box.

I mean forget about the peds for a sec. What about the cars? I mean, shouldn’t we be warned about the drivers who kill tens of thousands of people every year in this country?

We could enact legislation mandating bumper stickers that properly identify hazards associated with the driver of the car that may be following us or that may be ahead  of us or in an adjoining lane.

In order to do this properly and effectively stickers would have to be placed on the front bumper, rear bumper as well as both passenger doors.

The stickers might read:

I TWITTER TO MY BFF WHILE ON CRUISE CONTROL!

 

SOMETIMES I CHANGE LANES WITHOUT NOTICE!

 

I DO AFFIRMATIONS WHILE I LISTEN TO THE RADIO!!!

 

THE GPS SOMETIMES DISTRACTS ME!

 

SOMETIMES I’M TOO INEBRIATED TO WALK SO I DRIVE!

 

I USE RECREATIONAL DRUGS AT TIMES!

 

THIS CAR IS NOT MINE, I STOLE IT AND I AM IN KIND OF A HURRY!

Now, no one is going to allow these stickers to be attached to their automobile or rather the automobile that is being driven.

But an extra charge can be attached to the criminal charge or ticket for every infraction.

So, when a cop catches someone driving and twittering, the additional charge of failure to properly disclose the conduct in question can be added.

Or what about these big political campaign busses that run all over the country.

Why not make it a law that every pol’s campaign bus must have a sticker disclosing every goddamn corporation that contributed to the pol’s campaign.

The name of every corporate contributor, every religious front contributor, every PAC contributor, and every contributor who deposited more than ten grand to a campaign must be prominently displayed on the pol’s vehicle.

Now, many politicians will not go along with this mandate. But when it is discovered at a later date that some corporation contributed some grand amount to the politician’s campaign, the politician can be charged with failure to properly disclose. The infraction might carry a sentence of up to year in prison as well as a $500,000 fine for each infraction.

But what if we made it so that the pol would have to carry stickers on his or her person for every corporate contributor while that pol was on the campaign trail? Which is always when you think about it. Each politician would wear his contributions. And it could also be mandated that if there is some trouble reading a sticker or two, a reporter would have the absolute right to request the name and address of each contributor along with the amount of the contribution.

Just a thought.