It's a new year and I'm inundated with a lot of annoying little pieces of news. The latest is at least 3 "new" proposals brought to us involving plastic bags.
You know, the ones that groceries and major retailers have been providing us with for years ever since they decided it would be a better idea than paper.
Anyone remember how or when we stopped using paper in most grocery stores? I'm guessing it was the mid 90's when we stopped caring about "Earth Day" again. I didn't know there was an Earth Day til 1992 and after that I assumed it was a one time thing, because no one mentioned it again.
Maybe it when Wal Mart rose to prominence in the grocery department and "provided" us with plastic bags.
Now, there is a new proposed tax for those of us that dare use the plastic bags that major retailers are providing us. From three different states.
First up:Conecticut.
Sen. Ed Meyer has proposed a 5 cent tax on us for using plastic bags. Per bag. This would be used as a deterrent for us to inspire us to not use these bags that the store provides us and are so handy.
Washington D.C. already does this and it has helped raise money and the amount of people using plastic bags has dropped dramatically.
Good for them. So Mr. Meyer, you didn't come up with this on your own.
Same goes for Indiana. At least Oregon wants to ban them altogether and prevent taxes completely.
Look we all know that plastic is a problem, but what about those of us that recycle? That take our bags back to Wal Mart? Do I get a deposit back like I used to on glass bottles before they were replaced by plastic?
Look, I don't know what you consider America to be anymore, but I no longer think that this nation is above pushing their beliefs off on the rest of us.
If you don't want us to use plastic bags, QUIT MAKING THEM. Same with cigarettes. Just be done with it. It's what you really want, though I'm sure you'll enjoy these out of control heathens that insist on killing our environment with those plastic bags you set right at the edge of the check out counter and they pay a nickel apiece for them(which varies by state)
Or maybe, just maybe you can just order your stuff from Amazon and have it delivered in a big cardboard box. That way the state won't be bothered(or make any money either)
So make mine cardboard. I need to save back for my retirement, cause I know things aren't going to get any better at this ridiculous rate.
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They could always go another way and bring back bag boys with the paper bags. That way you create jobs and bring back paper.
ReplyDeleteOf course you can get around the tax as long as you buy the carry out bags that they sell for .50 a pop next to the check out. You just have to remember to bring them. I am fairly certain they do that in the UK, you bring your own carry bag or they charge you for the plastic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch
While I like the idea of creating jobs, even if just for bag boys, I don't know that paper would really change much. That is, this past Thanksgiving, I was regaled by a friend who'd recently spent a couple of weeks filming in DC of the change there, and by their account people were being taxed across the board for *any* bag, not just plastic. (The only really noticeable side effect of it that they mentioned was seeing the "wino" population lose their little brown paper bags, choosing instead to keep their bottles tucked under their shirts or in coats, sneaking furtive drinks to avoid the "criminal" act of having a liquor bottle exposed publicly as well as the shopping bag tax.)
ReplyDeleteOr in other words, the whole "plastic" bag tax doesn't really seem to be about plastic or its sundry "evils" as much as it's about yet another means of taxation.
Shows how far we've fallen when we tax plastic bags to jumpstart the economy...
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