MY DAY: THE RIDICULOUS BAG FEE
Some years ago, a retired military officer was looking forward to a vacation on the famous train ride from San Francisco through Oregon to Seattle. Amtrak used to heavily advertise this lovely route on the open Dreamliner. Major Fluellen, U. S. Air Force Ret., was disgusted and disillusioned upon his return and recorded it in a memoir entitled “America’s Back Yards”. Emphasis was on the plastic bags flying in the statuesque trees and the unpicked up trash of bags along the fence lines, ditches and alleys.
I was having a ‘snack attack’ two day after new years and stopped in a convenience store where there happen to be a long line. There was a colorful conversation going on about the ‘bag fee’. I listened with no comment for several minutes thinking I need to vacate the premises, but my interest in the congregates got the best of me and I stayed in line. This ‘opinion sense’ session was entertaining as you can well imagine. The random acts of participation ranged from ‘taking-our-money’ to . . “and I voted for Caraway, didn’t know he was going to do this”… to “what’s five cents”.
My turn at the cash register I was asked what did I think? I had a prepared statement. “The intent of the law and the City Council is not to generate money, the intent is to change behavior”. Continuing, I asked what do you suggest be done?” Adding, if you feel that strong about it, City Council meetings are every Wednesday.
The environmental bag fee is about two years old national wide. Something has to be done on this earth we all occupy and everyone has to play a part on this stage. It is a simple chore. If you have ever taken the TRE from Dallas to Fort Worth for dinner or just for a date ride, the site is full of moving trash. . . on the ground, in the trees flying around. Everywhere. Bachman Lake has to be drudged every year. Dirty plastic bags wedged between rocks and wrapped around tree trunks. . . bags in the declining discoloring stages are just awful to look at. Ducks are trying to avoid them and the turtles refuse to surface.
Washington D. C. became the first major city to implement a 5-cent bag fee. Their bag fee has generated about two million a year, and a portion goes to a cleanup fund which includes the rivers, their banks and branches. The positive impact is that the places that sells these bags are cleaner and that is a good thing. Bag Fee?? A good idea for Dallas. Get over it.
Affordable Care Act SUPER Sunday!!
January 18, 2015.
