Annapolis Capital Punishment

Plastics. From “The Graduate”:
Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you - just one word.
Ben: Yes sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Ben: Yes I am.
Mr. McGuire: "Plastics."
Ben: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?
Ben: Yes I will. Mr.
McGuire: Shh! Enough said. That's a deal.

Is it a deal? There may not be such a great future for plastic bags in Annapolis. The subject of this week’s poll is Alderman Shropshire’s controversial bill to ban them in stores. The poll is posted to the left of the screen. See here for the bill: http://www.annapolis.gov/upload/images/government/council/Pending/O2707.pdf CP has used and reused and reused the same canvas bags for years and years. Most of them were free at conferences or various events. While in graduate school, CP researched the paper versus plastic issue and concluded that from an environmental point of view, it was a toss-up. They both have negative attributes. Others have come to similar conclusions, but when the plastic bag folks and the stores came out in full force to whine and moan and cry "hardship", that sealed CP’s decision. If corporations mount a pr campaign to fight rather than solve the problem, it can only mean one thing-they are messing with us, so we need to fight them. It’s not really about paper or plastic. It’s about waste or reuse. The only real solution is to reuse and reuse.
While I come down on the side of the ban because it‘s ultimately a good thing, and we should continue the momentum, I have not been completely pleased with the way that Alderman Shropshire has handled this. He was asked repeatedly to provide a posting for CP readers yet never provided one or an explanation as to why not. Apparently, he much prefers to be in Time magazine and The Diane Rehm show (NPR) rather than the leading political blog right here in his town. CP suggested that he work with the grocery stores and non-profits to make reusable bags with promotional and social marketing messages and sell them in stores to raise funds.
However, Whole Foods has already voluntarily banned plastic bags. Plastic bags are a hazardous and blatant example of our wasteful and overly consumptive society. Who needs them??? They end up in our trees and our water, harming and killing wildlife. This baloney about recycling is just a whole lot of #%@^*&#. Recycling is but a band aid for a major disease, and while not a bad thing, its shortcomings avoid the serious medicine, only prolonging the illness. We can live without these wasteful bags.
Banning plastic bags is a good step toward the ultimate goal of sustainability in a seriously flawed and wasteful system. If you think it will cause a hardship, well, I am sure you’ll manage. Get some canvas bags and try it. Every major step forward to protect our Bay has come about because of strong legislation such as the Rockfish moratorium, the phosphate ban and the Critical Areas Law. Sometimes it seems that is all that works. Speaking of paper or plastics, I’m more concerned about how our state government will cover our deficit. Will we be asked when the tax bill is due, “How would you like to pay for that? Paper or plastic?" Either way hurts.