Apparently Hell has frozen over because the new contributor over at Vermont Tiger thinks the proposed plastic bag tax in Vermont is a good idea.
Either that or they are loosening their editorial standards over there.
I jest.
I have no problem with the intended result of this bill – to curb the use of plastic bags (or is that, to bolster the State’s coffers?).
What I do have a problem with is the method of accomplishing that goal.
Yeah, yeah, Ireland did the same thing and plastic bag use decreased 94% within weeks.
Can’t we find more creative solutions, though?
Must our knee jerk reaction to every problem be to levy a new tax?
When people want to make a change in our society, why don’t they try to find a non-government solution first?
Why don’t the sponsors of this bill instead call a press conference and urge the people in the state and the retailers to stop using bags?
The media can be a valuable tool in bringing about social change.
Speaking of which, why don’t the media outlets run PSAs touting the importance of using cloth?
Why don’t the many stores that already offer cents-off for using your own bags do more to promote those programs?
There is so much we can do as a society to make ours a better world.
But trying to force it to become one through taxes, won’t necessarily make it so.
February 5th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
The biggest problem with this approach is that government starts to budget the revenue. Then, if the change in behavior is successful, they lose that revenue.
If the appropriations are for some entitlement program, all of a sudden they have a shortfall that “has” to me made up.
And guess how they do that?
February 5th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Don’t worry Charity…if you scroll down enough…you’ll find another post from “VTGOP Tiger” where they rail against the plastic bag tax:
http://www.vermonttiger.com/co.....-neve.html
The latest post is just from the new guy over there…he’s the only one over there that I actually have any respect for at this point. Plastic bags have been around a long time, and I don’t see them going away anytime soon without something being done. I doubt that anyone is expecting a windfall for the state from this tax. The point is to just get rid of the plastic bags, period.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
“When people want to make a change in our society, why don’t they try to find a non-government solution first?
Why don’t the sponsors of this bill instead call a press conference and urge the people in the state and the retailers to stop using bags?”
Oooh, a “press conference”… that’ll get em going. Now yer talkin’ tough. The answer to the first question is, given the choice of convenience or whatever it is and being environmentally responsible, many people will choose the environmentally irresponsible choice. A tax really is ridiculous. Just ban em outright.
February 6th, 2008 at 11:33 am
“A tax really is ridiculous. Just ban em outright.”
JD Ryan….. our last defense against government tyranny!!