Road sign fonts and states' rights

[Mr. Matté]

I'd rather have ... Wingdings.

Well, there'd be a lot of problems with signs on I-95 NB in North Jersey if that was the case...

[mightyace]

is a President allowed to resign?

only if he uses state-named shields.

ROFL  

And, if the president uses Clearview, is he/she to be impeached? 

[joseph1723]

the "slow your bleeding heart down, my immediate ancestor works here" signs are a bastardized version of Comic Sans.

You have a picture of one of these signs? I'm interested seeing how one of these looks 

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Here's a couple of shields I found that I posted before in erroneous road signs that were done in arial:

Some fonts just look wrong on a road sign 

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As for different fonts, I think that Canada allows the different provinces more leeway in sign design as Ontario and Quebec uses completely BGS designs from each other, I'm not too sure but I think each province can also choose their own font. I believe BC used their own custom font on their BGSs. 

[Brandon]

Well it would leave the decision to the states, which is what Enumerated Powers is all about. Those things you mention are functions of the federal government.

Congress has the power to (1) regulate interstate commerce, (2) establish post offices and post roads, and (3) pass any laws that are necessary and proper for the execution of (1) and (2).  Enumerated powers! 

Anyway, while we are on this originalist sidetrack, I have a head-scratcher:  is a President allowed to resign?

Apparently yes.  If it wasn't set before, it has a precident ever since Nixon resigned.

[shoptb1]

It is the whole idea of federalism, it is like an experiment and each state tries something out. We have a base line which is the Constitution and if it is not enumerated then the right is to the states or to the people.

Hello, this is 2010, not 1835.  Federalism is not an idea, it is our reality. 

[jdb1234]

I'd rather have ... Wingdings.

Well, there'd be a lot of problems with signs on I-95 NB in North Jersey if that was the case...

I was waiting for someone to say that.

[bugo]

I don't think sign fonts are a states rights issue.  It is good to have signs somewhat uniform.  What if Kentucky started using big blue signs instead of green signs?  What if Arkansas used red signs?  What if Oklahoma used signs that are half orange half crimson?  There should be some uniformity.

[TXtoNJ]

Well it would leave the decision to the states, which is what Enumerated Powers is all about. Those things you mention are functions of the federal government.

Congress has the power to (1) regulate interstate commerce, (2) establish post offices and post roads, and (3) pass any laws that are necessary and proper for the execution of (1) and (2).  Enumerated powers! 

Anyway, while we are on this originalist sidetrack, I have a head-scratcher:  is a President allowed to resign?

Apparently yes.  If it wasn't set before, it has a precident ever since Nixon resigned.

Yup. You can't force someone to be president.

And re: sign fonts, of course the Feds can do it constitutionally. Just tie it as a condition to the expenditure of federal monies on state-maintained roads. That's fully within the taxing and spending, necessary and proper, and general welfare clauses.

[architect77]

*  Drivers need to be able to recognize signs as official traffic control devices regardless of which state they may be in.

I offer Georgia to you as the exception. Georgia's freeway signage, being a different weight of "Highway Gothic," makes it appear to be an entirely different font. However, after you've passed two or three exits in Georgia, you know all the signs are going to look that way.

I don't think it would be too difficult for a motorist to grasp that after he'd passed a handful of signs in Arial after entering a new state, that Arial was the font used in that state.

Thank goodness Georgia has quit using the skinny font, and the new signage on the downtown connector (75/85) has oversized fat fonts with tabs.

[The Premier]

Okay, let's spin it around the other way: How would it benefit the general public (provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, etc etc) if the states could pick their own typefaces?

Well it would leave the decision to the states, which is what Enumerated Powers is all about. Those things you mention are functions of the federal government.

That's an understatement. In Cuyahoga Falls, some of their signs were Ariel fonts (I think) on their roadways. Not only decisions regarding fonts should be given to the states, but give or take, local communities as well.