Day Three of 14 Days of Gracious Reflection (Note: these messages are not meant to be derogatory in nature, they are just my opinion after some reflection.) Paper or Plastic? I never knew that this was actually a question of cost and government control. The only time growing up that we opted for paper was around back-to-school time. (Well, when plastic was even an option. I remember when plastic shopping bags did not exist.) Does anyone else remember covering school books with paper shopping bags? On our recent trip to Southern California, I went into a grocery store with my mother and upon leaving, I started to bag our small amount of groceries into a paper bag and the cashier stopped us and said, That bag is 10 cents. I promptly tossed him a quarter and said (in a smart a$$ manner), Keep the change. He then informed us for the 25 cents, we were entitled to a plastic bag. WOW! The Long Beach City Council enacted a law that banned single-use plastic bags and added a 10 cent charge for paper bags. The non-single-use plastic bags come at a higher cost to the consumer. I never understood why Wal-Mart sold reusable bags for $1.95 at the check out in Mississippi because bags are free in both paper and plastic form. If I lived in Southern California, I would probably purchase some of these bags and keep them with me at all times because I am known for my sincere cheapness in matters non sequitur like shopping bags. I had a discussion with people from California and some that were not and we felt that it would be better to incentify people instead of charging them at point-of-sale. If you had your own bags, the grocery store would take 25 cents off of your sales tax bill for every bag not used. However, I guess that would cut the government out and that would never pass through a city council with a vote of 5-0 (as the plastic bags ordinance did in Long Beach). In our house, we have a collection bin for used shopping bags and we use them for various other things. They are not single-use. They usually get used until they are worn out. As mentioned before, the paper bags are also used for covering books or other craft projects. We reuse things without our government imposing sanctions against us. Are we a rare exception? Does anyone else out there reuse their bags? If you throw away single-use plastic bags, wouldnt you also throw away the 25 cent reusable bag? (It was not that much nicer of a bag.) I think we should be more aware of the consequences of our actions. I think we should worry more about the ecology of our planet. I think we should do things because we want to do them not because we are being taxed by an over-bearing government that wants to collect money off of us at every turn. At this point of my vacation, I was drowning in the fine print of hidden taxes at every turn (shopping bags, sugar, and bottle deposits to name a few). I am grateful when I see a price on a store shelf and I know that is what I will be paying with just one 6% tax. I am grateful that I have a freedom to choose (lacking financial punishment) and can be responsible for the sake of being responsible to myself and to others not because I fear being choked to death by Big Brother. I am grateful that I live in a place where the government is present, but not at every turn grabbing at my wallet.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 14:32:16 +0000
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