Bagged - Why Little Gets Done

The State of California is attempting to ban single use plastic bags in markets and require patrons to purchase a paper bag or a reusable heavy duty plastic bag should they forget to bring their own canvas bag to carry their groceries or other purchased items.

Single use plastic bags are not degradable and often wind up in sewer drains, landfills, or stuck on trees and bushes.  A ban on their use is in fact in place in a few municipalities and was even proposed for New York City.  It is, IMHO, an idea whose time has come.  But wait, this is America, where money mixed with politics remains a force to be reckoned with.  It seems the plastics industry, led by Hilex Polly, one of the nation’s largest manufacturer of plastic bags has single-handedly spent over $1 million lobbying against a bill to ban the bags and has made contributions to state senators who oppose the bill.

So let’s extrapolate.  Do you think it’s a good idea to do away with pennies?  Go fight the zinc industry.  Let’s get rid of dollar bills which have a life of approximately 18 months and substitute one and two dollar coins instead.  Go fight the folks who supply the Mint with the paper and various ink dyes.  Let’s see what happens when the government tries to curtail production of the inefficient and problem plagued F-35 fighter or some other overrun laden piece of military hardware which the Defense Department no longer deems necessary.

Always and everywhere it comes back to one thing, money manipulating the political process for the benefit of the few and without regard to the greater good.  Unless and until we place ironclad limits on the amounts any individuals, groups, corporations, entities and whom and whatsoever can spend in the way of political contributions we will be stuck in neutral as the rest of the world eventually catches up and surpasses us economically.