Banning Plastic Bags Won't Solve Environment Problems

Before I say anything to defend my position on the plastic bag ban in Austin, let me first say that I believe it's important to take care of our planet. This is why I use a reusable cloth bag instead of plastic bags when I go to the store. I didn't need the government's permission to make that choice, and neither does anyone else. Anyone that wants to help the environment has always had the option not use plastic bags, and I don't think there is enough of an immediate danger involved with plastic bags to warrant government intervention. Many grocery stores have already spent money to limit the use of plastic bags, or provide people with ways of recycling the bags they use. Not to mention, there are many people who find other uses for the plastic bags they take from the store. In my family, my mom may use plastic bags to take groceries home, but my dad uses them to clean up after our dog on walks.

The motives for passing this bag ban are also very questionable. Apparently, the government felt the need to get involved because banning plastic bags will significantly reduce the litter we have in Austin, as well as keep more trash out of landfills. Although there is not much data in Austin to support or oppose their claim, all we have to do is look to the West and see how the bag ban has worked out for California. According to this article, a study on California's waste revealed that plastic bags only make up .5% of the state's waste stream, so it's not likely the ban will significantly help the environment. Not to mention, the people of San Jose are very upset about the ban, and are demanding to vote on this issue.

If we let the government ban plastic bags, who's to say they will stop there? Why not ban plastic bottles and make everyone drink out of glass? After all, the average plastic bottle weighs about a pound, and the average plastic bag weighs only an eighth of an ounce. Let's ban soda cups too because soda's bad for you and we don't want people drinking it. Actually, let's just ban soda. Honestly, child obesity is more of an immediate danger for our children than plastic bags.

If the government must get involved with this issue, they need to provide a better alternative than the reusable cloth bags. It costs stores more money to provide them, which trickles down and forces customers to not only pay for their groceries, but pay to transport them too. This is a big step backwards as far as the free market is concerned. Not to mention, according to a University of Arizona study, these cloth bags are prone to collect dangerous bacteria like E. coli. It's unacceptable for the government to force people to use these bags.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that littering and the overuse of landfills are problems that should be addressed, but banning plastic bags is not the way to go. The only thing this will accomplish is angering the people of Austin by making grocery shopping more expensive, and less convenient.

A Different Apporoach to Preventing Shooting Tragedies

On July 23rd, Ed Hubbard wrote a blog entry for Big Jolly Politics regarding the recent Colorado tragedy. While I believe this has been used enough as ammunition by politicians both for and against stricter gun laws, Hubbard took a different approach. He is a conservative activist, so he doesn't believe that more government regulation on guns will solve anything. However, he does acknowledge that something needs to be done to help prevent future incidents like this, an by doing so, he's able to appeal more to some liberal readers, as well as his faithful conservative ones. This is important because he didn't write this blog entry for only fellow conservatives to read; he wrote it for all Americans, because it's going to take a unified effort from all Americans to stop gun violence. In his entry, he blames the "Baby Boomers," for the recent shooting tragedies at Columbine, Virginia Tech, a citizens meeting in Tucson, and now a movie theater in Aurora. This is a bold statement, but he does provide the reader with compelling evidence to support this claim. According to him, the Baby Boomers' search for "truth" during the 60s and 70s led them to embrace autonomy, which they called "liberty." This generation caused a shift in society where people began to do whatever they pleased, with little regard to others, because they had the freedom to do so. The truth is, we've always had the freedom to pursue our own happiness, but doing so by putting our own needs above others' is an irresponsible use of that freedom. This "don't trust anybody but yourself" attitude leads to us, as a society, to not be neighborly towards one another, and then we're surprised when that guy from math class brings a gun to school with no warning. Maybe if we took some time to talk to the troubled young people in our generation, we could recognize danger long before a tragedy occurs. Unfortunately, too many people are caught up in their own lives, and aren't willing to put in the work to help others. Instead, many of us choose the quick fix, and call on the government to implement laws, which is only a sorry attempt to mask the real problem. Hubbard acknowledges that it would take a lot of work, but that's exactly why he wrote this entry. The more people that get on board with this idea, the sooner we will begin to see positive changes in our society. Helping others isn't exclusively liberal or conservative, so no matter who you identify with, it's something we all should try.

In a recent commentary published in the Austin American Statesman, Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber took a stand against the construction of Texas 45 Southwest. The purposed plan would connect the southern end of MoPac to FM 1626. Huber likely wrote this to get more Travis County residents to realize what they will be paying for, should this project get approved. While she has the residents of Travis County's best interest at heart, her knowledge of transportation is limited compared to the Texas Department of Transportation's.

Huber's main concern is that Texas 45 Southwest won't do enough to relieve the congestion in that area, and therefore would not be worth the millions of dollars the construction would cost. This is a valid concern, however, Extensive research by TxDOT has already been done prior to drawing up the Texas 45 Southwest plan. What they found was that many Hays County, Buda, and Kyle residents use a small street called Brodie Lane to get from FM 1626 to MoPac. This traffic, combined with the school traffic Huber mentions causes a lot of congestion, and people in both Hays and Travis County are demanding something be done. Like Huber says, Texas 45 Southwest won't do much to cut down on the school traffic, but the truth is, not much can be done since the schools on Brodie Lane can't be moved very easily. The good news is, some of the other traffic on Brodie Lane can be eliminated by building Texas 45 Southwest.

Not to mention, the new road will provide other advantages as well. Compare a map of Austin's roads to any other major city in the nation and you will notice a big difference. Austin, despite having nearly a million residents and one of the fastest growing rates, does not have an outer loop. This is something TxDOT has been pushing for for years. Building Texas 45 Southwest would be a step toward establishing that outer loop that would make driving in Austin much more efficient. Add this to the fact that Texas 45 Southwest would still significantly reduce the traffic on Brodie, and I believe it's clear that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Huber also expressed her concern on the environmental impact this road would have. The good news is, this is Austin we're talking about. The Texas Department of Transportation is well aware of the importance of the environment to us Austinites, and they are confident they have the technology needed to build and maintain this road with minimal impact on the environment. However, I agree that more research could be done to ensure this is the case.

The bottom line is, the congestion on Brodie Lane is a major concern, and even Huber can admit that. Building the road will help relieve some of that congestion as well as benefit the Austin road system in the long run. Yes it will be expensive, and yes, more research needs to be done before the construction process can begin, but people are demanding this road be built, and there's a lot of pressure on the Texas Department of Transportation to get this done. I just don't believe this project can be put off much longer. Our population is growing fast and more roads need to be built to accommodate for a larger population.

Drama in the Runoff for US Senate Seat

People love hearing about drama every now and then, and the political world is full of juicy stories that we just can't seem to ignore. On July 6th, the Texas Tribune published an article about a heated exchange between Former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz, and a surrogate for Lt. Governor David Dewhurst. The conflict was quite childish, but unfortunately, this kind of thing is becoming the norm for political behavior. The exchange occurred after the two addressed a largely pro-Cruz crowd at candidate forum. It started innocent enough when Cruz walked up to the Dewhurst surrogate, Mike Richards, and thanked him for coming. However, things quickly heated up when Richards let his emotions get the better of him and told Cruz he did not respect him, or how he acted during the event. The two went back and forth for a while, until, like most childish arguments end, one man accused the other of twisting his words around. Richards later apologized for his behavior, and doesn't believe he will be asked to act as a surrogate for Dewhurst again.