Why Banning Plastic Bags Is Not a Great Idea

Obviously, a ban on plastic bags doesn't hurt a Costco, or even a Safeway -- where people do their regular shopping, and know beforehand, what they're going to buy.

But a ban on plastic shopping bags would impact the marginal mom and pop operations, at which people are not expecting to buy, but would be willing to look around, and see if there are bargains too good to turn down. In those cases, they would not be carrying their reusable bags with them, because those would be impulse purchases -- or discretionary expenditures, or purchases of opportunity.

All that would be cut out or dampened. It hurts places like the Dollar store -- where people may go in for one specific thing, and end up buying 10-20 things -- without having their reusable bags on them, because they didn't expect to find so many good bargains -- often coming on foot, bus, and bicycle..

It hurts the Goodwill stores, the Salvation Army stores, the consignment shops -- all those businesses teetering on the brink, all those businesses these liberals and progressives are whining about keeping the Walmarts, and the megastores out so that these businesses can't stick around -- but they won't support in any meaningful fashion.

And if you're tired of seeing all the litter, then once a week, take one of these plastic bags and go around the neighborhood and wherever one is not personally responsible for and pick up the trash until that bag is full -- as one's personal public service project. If everyone did just that, the community would look like Disneyland. That's what it takes -- and not passing all these idiotic laws that really don't get to the root of the problems -- as these people decry the waste of resources -- as they drive around with all their toys and containers in their SUVs to demonstrate what conscientious, considerate, thoughtful and well-intentioned people they are.

All that shows no understanding of what it means to be conscious and aware of anything.