Bags in a Pickle

At the beginning of March this year the city of Austin started banning the use of plastic bags. This ban includes all plastic bags that are not used for trash, wet items, and freshly baked and/ or cooked items. Some  people say this law impedes on our individual freedom, while others state it is better for the environment. Is the government taking a step in the right direction, or is it overstepping its boundaries? Texas Representative Drew Springer has filed his new bill, "Shopping Bag Freedom Act", that would allow businesses and restaurants the ability to offer a customer a bag, made of any material, at the point of sale. I can remember the days of being asked if I would like paper or plastic, but now there is no question; Does this ban on plastic bags really infringe on individuals' right to choose?
Yes the ban would help the environment, by reducing the amount of litter caused by the bags, but there are other ways to reduce the waste; reusing the bags for little trash cans or picking up dog poop. Target used to put the "Top Ten Ways to Reuse Your Bag" on their plastic bags. Now pet owners may be forced to go spend money on special bags made for picking up waste, and people may have to find smaller trash bags at the store, when they would have received a free bag when the purchased there items. However not every person will reuse or recycle their plastic bags, which is why we should offer options, paper, reusable bags, or ask if the person needs a bags. There have been too many times when I go to the store for one or two things that I carried all throughout the store and the cashier automatically puts it in a bag that I do not need. This ban against plastic bags has risen awareness about the waste issue caused by unnecessary use and/ or littering of bags and the affect they have on the environment. But I still do not believe that the government should be able to tell us what we can and cannot put our things in.
I work in a store that has been affected by this ban and now the paper bags we are forced to use are heavier, take up more dry storage, have less in a case, and rip more easily because they  are weaker than the plastic. Paper bags also use more paper than plastic bags, so do not start complaining when more trees are being cut down to provide all these paper bags, that cannot be reused for trash bags, because anything wet would destroy the bag. I believe the people should be given the facts about different bags, the affects of littering these bags as well as an option to choose which one they feel works best for them.

Twisted Views

In Eileen Smith's blog "In the Pink" she shines a light on Texas' slanted view on gun rights. Her blog "Under the Texan Gun" Smith comments on a news segment Piers Morgan did, back in early February of this year.  She has a way of pointing out the opposing side’s reasons, which tend to contradict common sense. Greg Abbott's reason for not supporting universal background checks when purchasing a firearm is, if you want to sell your friend a gun you should not have to humiliate them by having them complete a background check. Smith uses this example as well as many others to frame the unflattering picture of what a majority of people think the population of Texas believes.  According to the interview by Morgan, there are many people who favor anti- gun control for silly, and what seem to be irrational reasons. One of the persons interviewed by Morgan was Ted Nugent, who said, “You don’t understand that it’s a simple inanimate tool that tens of millions of American families own that have never caused a problem, never had an accident and will never commit a crime.”  After reading statement I cannot help but side with the Pink Lady on this issue. Eileen Smith keeps up with the current news; local, national, and international, in order to grasp a more developed response to the topics facing the state of Texas. Ms. Smith and her blog has been recognized by the Austin Chronicle, along with the Dallas Morning News and the San Antonio Current. She is not a novice to this blogging world, in fact she has been dedicating time to be the editor of this engaging political blog since 2005.