Memorials are best

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House Speaker David Wilkins has led a coalition of Republican lawmakers in filing a common-sense bill that would end the Legislature's practice of naming roads and bridges for living people. The Wilkins bill limits that honor to the deceased.

Extending such an honor prematurely has its pitfalls, evident in the naming of State 153 for Earle Morris Jr. He is a former lieutenant governor, legislator and comptroller general. Nearly 30 years ago, lawmakers named the highway linking Interstate 85 near western Greenville County with U.S. 123 in Easley the Earle Morris Jr. Highway. But after Morris' November conviction on 22 counts of securities fraud, there has been a groundswell of support for stripping his name off the highway. He no longer deserves that honor.

For every Morris there surely is a Sen. Verne Smith — a public official who deserves the honor and won't disgrace the state. If lawmakers choose to make an exception once this bill passes, this at least forces them to make an extra effort to do so. That would make it more likely that each proposed naming would be closely examined and the requests to name a road or bridge in honor of someone living would become rare.

The Earle Morris Jr. Highway signs taunt the thousands of investors who lost a combined $278 million in the Carolina Investors bankruptcy. This bill will protect lawmakers from themselves.