It's nice to see that the southern Oregon coastal town of Coos Bay has resolved all other problems, so they can now focus on the pressing concern of banning plastic shopping bags - at least, that's what City Councilor Mike Vaughan seems to believe. Hey, the economic powerhouse known as Portland did it, so Mike's eager to follow. It's known as "leading from behind".
Apparently unaware that most stores offer bag recycling stations, Mike offers up the same old mantra:
Vaughan said he is eager to hear public comment on the issue at Tuesday's meeting. He called the proposed ordinance a way to get people to think about recycling and bettering the environment.
'The intent of the ban is to change habits," he said.
'This starts at the bottom of the recycle stream, which is one-time use plastic bags."
As is so often the case among today's politicians, Mike eschews the quaint but outmoded concept of representing constituents; in his view, his job is to limit their choices with an eye toward changing their behavior toward something that he personally finds more suitable. Question, Mike: when you were running for office, did you tell citizens that you wanted to enact a ban on plastic bags, require them to pay for paper bags, and take other steps to modify their behavior?
Of course you didn't. Seems more than a little sanctimonious and deceitful.