Naming bridges, Part 2

One other thing about naming bridges and other public facilities after politicians who are in office:

Every such naming deal is a campaign contribution. Whenever you drive into the Pullman Square parking garage, there is Nick Joe Rahall's name staring at you in big letters. When you drive across the 6th Street bridge or pass the new biotech building at Marshall or go past one of the new structures at Cabell Huntington Hospital, there is Robert C. Byrd's name.

Politicians in office, especially in Congress, use campaign spending limits to restrict the amount of money their opponents can raise and spend. At the same time, using taxpayer money to purchase naming rights to public facilities amounts to a campaign donation that challengers cannot hope to match.

It's past time for the names of all politicians in office to have their names removed from public facilities. Put the names back up when the pols leave office, but no politician in office now should have any public facility with his or her name on it.