What are some signs of poverty in the average American city? Poorly manicured lawns? Badly paved roads? How about storefronts and windows covered in signs?

The latter has been considered a sign of poorer communities by Dallas, Texas officials.  But that is rapidly changing. 

Dallas recently passed a law dictating how much of a store's windows and front can be covered in signs, posters, and ads. Windows and glass doors must be 80 percent flyer-free so customers and patrons can see in and out of the store. This is reasonable for safety reasons. The ability to see into a store by a police officer is important to the safety of customers and store owners alike.

But what about the stipulation that outside walls can only be 25 percent covered with signage?  That's obviously more a matter of taste than security. And as the adage states: there's no accounting for taste.

Store owners use signs to draw in customers. The more deals you can promote, the more appealing the products will be to consumers. The companies whose products are being sold in the stores provide the signs to shopkeepers for free, so there is little disincentive to keep the posters out the storefronts...save for that pesky city law.

The new Dallas law may end up negatively impacting sales in the stores - an ironic twist given that Dallas is seeking to curtail the appearance of poverty in neighborhoods by limiting signage.  Are appearances really more important than the well-being of the city's residents?   

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