So a 4-3 [Port Angeles] council majority has banned plastic carry-out bags at city stores (“Port Angeles council bans thin plastic carryout bags,” PDN, April 6).
This decision is a perfect example of moral preening by our “betters.”
As Councilman Moran notes, the list of plastics that will not be impacted by the ordinance is extensive, including “white kitchen trash bags, clear food storage bags, produce bags, newspaper bags, plastic cups and bottles, fast food drink lids and straws and pop can rings that ensnare wildlife.”
City residents are perfectly capable of making a reasoned judgment on this issue.
Many shoppers patronize Country Aire, a business that has already “eschewed plastic bags and now charges customers 15 cents for a recycled paper bag.”
But the City Council majority does not trust your judgment.
Rather than persuade, they turn to the force of law because they know what’s best for you.
My suggestion: After the ordinance goes into effect, plan to shop outside city limits for the next few months.
If there is one thing a politician understands, it’s money, and a 10-percent to 25-percent reduction in sales tax revenue might help the elites wake up and smell the coffee.
Jerry Ludke,
Port Angeles