The City of Bellingham ban on plastic shopping bags has gone into effect, and shoppers are beginning to feel the effects of the ban, and encounter the realities. You can't have a plastic bag, but you can pay extra for a paper one. You get a rebate if you bring a reusable one. Ironically, if you bring a plastic one, that doesn't qualify, despite that you are in fact, re-using it.
Many households used to re-use their plastic shopping bags as lunch carriers, wastebasket liners, kitty litter wrappers, and doggy-do0-bags. Now, we will have to find other alternatives, most of them more substantial than the free, wafer-thin biodegradable shopping bags.
When WE describe a bag ban as an infringement on liberty, 'progressives' will say, "come on man, it's only a shopping bag, get a life!" Unfortunately, the lives and liberty of the people who produce these bags are certainly curtailed. The freedom of the stores to provide a convenience to their customers is curtailed. The customers who like the convenience are... inconvenienced.
"But these bags are killing wildlife and damaging the environment in the name of convenience and greed", you argue. Well, what you call convenience, I call choice. What you call greed, I call livelihood. So instead of a government mandate, what say you put your money where your mouth is, and use your First Amendment rights to raise awareness and convince people to do (your interpretation of) the right thing? You can stand in front of supermarkets and department stores, hand out reusable bags (at your own expense), and let the rest of us make the decision voluntarily, based on our individual needs, preferences and beliefs. But before you mount your self-righteous crusade, you should probably consider the following from Real Clear Science:
Across the country, cities are joining the latest environmental trend – banning plastic grocery bags. Concerned about the amount of plastic that reaches our oceans and the impact on wildlife, communities have decided that banning the bags is a simple and environmentally responsible approach.
But is it? What does the science say?
The evidence points to the fact that banning the bags may actually be a net negative for the environment, yielding little benefit to wildlife while significantly increasing carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. (Read more...)
This is a political fad, and nothing more. They're doing it because it sounds good -- and because they can:
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ~ George Washington
If they're this cavalier about our liberty when it's "just a bag", what happens when they infringe on something really important? Just because they can, man.
Many households used to re-use their plastic shopping bags as lunch carriers, wastebasket liners, kitty litter wrappers, and doggy-do0-bags. Now, we will have to find other alternatives, most of them more substantial than the free, wafer-thin biodegradable shopping bags.
When WE describe a bag ban as an infringement on liberty, 'progressives' will say, "come on man, it's only a shopping bag, get a life!" Unfortunately, the lives and liberty of the people who produce these bags are certainly curtailed. The freedom of the stores to provide a convenience to their customers is curtailed. The customers who like the convenience are... inconvenienced.
"But these bags are killing wildlife and damaging the environment in the name of convenience and greed", you argue. Well, what you call convenience, I call choice. What you call greed, I call livelihood. So instead of a government mandate, what say you put your money where your mouth is, and use your First Amendment rights to raise awareness and convince people to do (your interpretation of) the right thing? You can stand in front of supermarkets and department stores, hand out reusable bags (at your own expense), and let the rest of us make the decision voluntarily, based on our individual needs, preferences and beliefs. But before you mount your self-righteous crusade, you should probably consider the following from Real Clear Science:
Across the country, cities are joining the latest environmental trend – banning plastic grocery bags. Concerned about the amount of plastic that reaches our oceans and the impact on wildlife, communities have decided that banning the bags is a simple and environmentally responsible approach.
But is it? What does the science say?
The evidence points to the fact that banning the bags may actually be a net negative for the environment, yielding little benefit to wildlife while significantly increasing carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. (Read more...)
This is a political fad, and nothing more. They're doing it because it sounds good -- and because they can:
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ~ George Washington
If they're this cavalier about our liberty when it's "just a bag", what happens when they infringe on something really important? Just because they can, man.
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