I Still Don’t Get It

Well Huh…Reuters reports via CNN that San Francisco, that left coast pillar of sanity, has decided to ban plastic shopping bags from large supermarkets.

Under the legislation, beginning in six months large supermarkets and drugstores will not be allowed to offer plastic bags made from petroleum products.

Why just the large supermarkets? Why not ALL the supermarkets? What about the mom and pop corner stores? Can they still use them? Do they even still exist in Frisco?

“Many [foreign] cities and nations have already implemented very similar legislation,” said Ross Mirkarimi, the city legislator who championed the new law. “It’s astounding that San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to follow suit.”

Nothing that the people of Frisco do astounds me. If there is a hair-brained idea, it probably came from there.

Mirkarimi said the ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year and remove the need to send 1,400 tons of debris now sent annually to landfills.

Stop and think about that for a minute. Do you have any idea how many plastic bags it would take to make 2 million 800 thousand (2,800,000)pounds of plastic bags? A box of 1,000 bags weighs 12 pounds, including the cardboard box. Some quick math shows that it would take 254,545,454 bags to create his number.

And what’s going to replace them? Why paper bags of course. So now the same people who decry the cutting down of trees are going to force businesses to go back to using paper.

1. Paper bags are more expensive than plastic, leading to higher grocery prices.
2. Paper bags take up more storage space than plastic.
3. Paper bags attract creatures like cockroaches.
4. Paper bags are more difficult for customers to carry (no handle).
5. Paper bags are much more expensive to ship, which the grocer just adds to his costs.

This one goes in the file marked loony left coast happenings.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox today announced the arrest of Reginald Brown of Charleston, SC. Brown is facing felony charges and owes more than $110,000 in court ordered spousal support to his now fully paralyzed ex-wife.

“This is a tragic case with horrific circumstances,” said Cox. “If sheer humanity cannot compel the defendant to live up to his responsibilities, then my office will remind him of the penalties for ignoring his legal responsibilities.”

On February 15, 2007, Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh referred this unique case to the Attorney General’s office for assistance. According to Oakland County Circuit Court records, Brown obtained a divorce from his wife, Sandra McSwain, on February 22, 1989, after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The Court ordered Brown to pay McSwain, $1,000 a month. As widely reported in the media, without the benefit of the spousal support Brown’s ex-wife has been left dependant on public assistance and volunteers in order to survive.

Cox continued, “My office will continue to fight for the rights and protection of our most vulnerable citizens. What has happened in this case is unconscionable. Ms. McSwain, who was left destitute and without the ability to work, deserves to receive the court ordered support owed to her. The responsibility in this case rests squarely upon Reginald Brown.”

“For over 20 years, Reginald Brown has caused Ms. McSwain to suffer through his criminal negligence for failing to pay Court ordered assistance,” said Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Nash. “I want to thank the Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina Police Department and Attorney General Mike Cox for pursuing this case.”

Records indicate that Brown owes more than $110,000 in back support to Ms. McSwain. The defendant is charged with Felony Non-Support, which carries a maximum penalty of four years and/or up to $2,000 in fines.

Brown is currently in custody in Charleston County Jail in Charleston, South Carolina.