I recently went to the DMV in Horry County and noticed that they have flat screens inside the DMV advertising local businesses. After doing some research, Myrtle Beach and Georgetown have them also. I have a problem with that.

When did the state of South Carolina decide to go in business for themselves? Who is getting the money for these guys to hang flat screens inside the taxpayers’ government building and why can’t we get a tax break on our vehicle taxes if they are making money off people advertising inside the DMVs? This is wrong on all levels. The government should not be letting people advertise inside our government buildings. That's no different than wrapping your local school buses with decals of local businesses for advertisement.

I would imagine it’s got to hurt local newspapers like The Sun News, Horry Independent, Auto Trader, etc. How can these businesses compete with the DMV in which locals have no choice but to sit and watch the advertisements? I would love to know who allowed it and how these flat screens with advertising got into the DMV. Go sit inside the DMV and check it out yourself.

The writer lives in Conway.

Editor’s note: A spokeswoman for the state DMV said the advertisements are part of a deal made a few years ago to upgrade the agency’s queuing system. The monitors were provided to the state for free by the Motor Vehicle Network. In return, the company is allowed to sell advertising on them, from which the agency gets no revenue.