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The Watercooler ~ Friday’s Open Thread With Miscellany [Amended]

By: westcoastpatriette (Diary)  |  March 22nd, 2013 at 11:46 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Saturday, Mar.23, 2013 9:22 PST: Added a link in the third paragraph related to ecoli-spreading plastic bags.

***

Had a hard time coming up with a theme for today’s open thread, so I have been scouring the net for interesting tidbits.

Found this one on the mini-war taking place in California over the evil existence of plastic bags. Seems the city council of a small town in San Diego County — Solana Beach — is rethinking the original policy after a lot of complaints about it, including the threat of a law suit.

To incentivize compliance, the city policy requires retailers to charge ten cents per paper bag for customers who resist bringing their own ecoli-spreading cloth bags. The city claims the money will not be used for the city’s coffers at all. Huh?

***

For a peek into California politics, there is an interesting discussion taking place at the FlashReport — California’s leading blog for conservatives — over how the Republican party should handle social issues. A number of well-known conservatives including Ray Haynes and a Log Cabin Republican are debating the issue.

Have a great weekend.

The Watercooler is always an open thread.

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COMMENTS

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  • cheesycon

    they should take a page from Wisconsin :) we don’t outlaw bags but the local grocers have big recycling bins in the front for old bags (you aren’t supposed to put them in the regular recycling) and also if you bring your own bag you get 10c off your total. Its a small incentive but it isn’t forcing you to do anything.

    We do reuse our own bags, mainly because I can carry it all into the house in a strong bag more easily than with those plastic ones. I usually get paper bags anyway though. What’s this about ecoli? you mean the bacteria?

    • westcoastpatriette

      You hadn’t heard? Yes, ecoli bacteria found in cloth bags that most people don’t wash in between uses. http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-green-bacteria-in-shopping-bags,0,4837500.story

    • cbartlett

      Agree cheesy’ – we use our own bags because it is much easier to carry a lot more stuff with fewer bags because they are larger and the handles are much stronger. I don’t generally wash them but I also do not use them for meat, which is probably the worst culprit for contaminating things. I ask for the store plastic bags for meat and bring them back to the recycle center in the store the next trip. A good compromise IMHO. (BTW – my husband has designed sewer systems for over 30 years – there is e-coli in lots and lots of things that you’d never suspect….)

  • runner12

    As a health care provider, this irritates me to no end. Plastic is not the evil that the environmentalists make it out to be. It can be recycled. The potential for disease is just astronomical when re-using these bags. Most people will not wash them in between uses. Why not find a way to recycle plastic bags? We can both be ecologicall responsible and hygenic at the same time!

    • westcoastpatriette

      I love my plastic bags so I loved it when I heard about the studies showing all the bacteria in the dirty cloth ones. If it ain’t broke….

      • runner12

        I think the radical environmentalists forgot why plastic was used in the first place, namely to make the bags disposable. Personally, I prefer paper when I go to Sprouts, more durable :) . I have a ton of the cloth bags but never use them for groceries, to be honest.

        • lineholder

          runner, would you use a vinyl bag that can be wiped clean with antibacterial wipes or paper towels that have been dampened with antibacterial hand cleaner?

          I’ve just started making them. Clear, but have special trim to give variety.

          • runner12

            That sounds like a good idea. Where do you get those?

      • bobmark

        Which do you suppose has the greater environmental impact – a
        recyclable plastic bag that’s made from a teeny tiny amount of plastic
        (i.e. oil), a biodegradable paper towel made from a renewable source
        but which is sprayed with antibacterial (i.e.toxic) chemicals and is
        manufactured using God only knows how many chemicals, or a wipe (just
        what are they made from anyway?) saturated with antibacterial (i.e.
        toxic) chemicals which come in a (hopefully) recyclable container made
        from enough plastic (i.e. oil) to make oodles of plastic bags?

        I won’t pretend to know the answer, but I would hope that the bag banners would have found out before upsetting the apple cart.
        I have this sneaking suspicion though that they couldn’t be bothered to
        find out if their edict would actually be beneficial rather that just sound good, and have no idea either!

        • westcoastpatriette

          I doubt it (“I would hope that the bag banners would have found out before upsetting the apple cart”) and that’s what’s so irritating about it. An argument could be made for or against just about anything if you want it bad enough. The ECO cops. So far, my city has not gone down that road.

  • Jack_Savage

    New Yorkers now being asked mimic the citizens of North Korea and Cuba. From the AP:

    “Nearly a year before signing the nation’s most stringent gun control
    measure into law, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched a hotline that
    allows state residents to report illegal gun owners in exchange for a
    $500 reward.”

    I wonder how everyday citizens would know who was an illegal gun owner? And as a side note, isn’t it interesting how this reads when the emphasis is a little different:

    *illegal* gun owner
    *illegal gun* owner

    I really think it is time for the good people of New York, and in particular New York City, to decide whether they are interested in freedom any more. If not, I know a few people overseas who are. A Christian minister held captive in Iran springs to mind.

  • lineholder

    New study out showing that Obamacare regs kicking in 2014 will threaten 3.2 million small business jobs. Study limited to franchise operations. State-by-state data provided.

    http://washingtonexaminer.com/study-obamacare-threatens-3.2-million-small-business-jobs/article/2525125

  • Kyle-MI

    Welcome to liberal fascism. The state of Washington is considering mandating that all health insurance policies cover abortions. What happened to “freedom of choice”? Nobody has a choice in health insurance if you oppose abortion? I am waiting for the outcry of all of those people who are personally opposed to abortion but don’t want to force their views on society. No doubt I will be waiting for a long, long time.

  • tcgeol

    I apologize if this is obvious and everyone else knows, but how do we get into the diaries now, since the “Diaries” button is gone from the menu? I’ve been about half an hour trying to find them.

    • Bill S

      Use the “Redstate Community” box that appears on every page.