Money is burning in New York! The economy is crumbling in the heartland! It's not just the poor bankers who are going broke now; it's the cities where they live. And the cities where they don't live, which were broke to begin with. Michigan towns are already reduced to selling ads on their school buses. Could any municipality possibly be more desperate than that? Yes, New York City could:

Council Member David Yassky of Brooklyn is calling for the city to begin allowing advertising on municipal trash cans and suggested that such a move, which he estimated could bring $2.5 million in revenue, would help during difficult economic times.

That's sure to be an advertising hot spot for trash bag companies and, uh, any number of others. The city is also proposing to sell space on its scaffolding , zoos, swimming pools, and other park facilities. As long as we can still look down on Michigan. [NYS]