By Barry Curtis
I don’t expect much from our local Dallas City Council so I tend not to be shocked or surprised at their sheer lack of real world worthiness. Recently, even I was a bit perplexed and outraged at the council’s spiraling into Twilight Zone type stupidity.
The council just voted into effect the so called “environmental fee ordinance” which bans the single-use carry out bag at all city events and facilities. However, it does still allow retailers to use paper or plastic bags.
Sounds interesting huh? Well it gets worse.
Beginning January 1, 2015 retailers will have to charge you 5 cents per plastic bag. That right 5 cents for the use of a bag. The store gets to keep 10 percent of the money they charge you. That is a kind of bag kick back to the stores I presume.
If stupidity amongst Dallas politicians were a virus, Dallas would be in the throes of an epidemic and councilman Dwaine Caraway would be the most infectious. Councilman Caraway is the brain child (and I use that term loosely) of this ill-conceived law. His winding, shifting and convoluted logic concerning this ban defies even the most liberal of homo-sapiens intelligence.
Keep in mind there have been no studies done to see if these plastic bags are even an issue? I would argue that the greater problem is water bottles; at least that’s what I see more of.
Here are some points that Councilman Caraway should take note of, and indeed research: How did the council come to this conclusion that paper bags are a grave threat to the Dallas environment? Was it personal observation by Councilman Caraway? Perhaps he came to this rush of intellect on a windy day?
This ordinance is anti-business. It imposes on the retailer an unreasonable burden of charging their customers for a product or service they have historically provided for free. This burden of inconvenience and a fee will be passed on to the Dallas consumer.
There will undoubtedly be lawsuits from bag manufactures and retailers. Did you calculate that cost to the city into your plan Councilman Caraway? Of course you didn’t. This is just the classic radical liberal intrusion into our lives. At the core of radical intrusion is a belief that for every problem the solution must be big government taxation to solve it.
No matter what, in the end if the bags are taxed or not, they are still being used. The same plastic bags will end up in the same land fill or under the same oak tree on a windy day. The only difference now is they will be a more expensive eye-sore.
Thank you to the Dallas City Council.
You can reach Barry Curtis at www.thecurtisreport.com.
