Misguided greenery

Dear Editor:

With regard to the fee on plastic bags about to be imposed on a struggling economy with many under-employed, why penalize the consumer? Why not impose a fee on the grocery stores for purchasing goods with so much packaging? Surely this would be a more green approach.

Why does everything we buy have to come double wrapped, stapled, vacuum sealed and triple boxed? You have to have a Sawzall to open half this stuff. Ever try to get into a CD case? We, as consumers, have a choice whether to use our own bags, but we have no choice about the packaging on the items we purchase. If government is going to interfere in this (yes, interfere), let the government do what we cannot do – create a law that affects the packaging of goods. That would have a real impact.

Secondly, is the environment the real motivation here or are the local governments seeking another income source? What will they do with our fees? If this is for environmental reasons, why are all the funds not going to be used on the environment?

Giving the fee money to the local schools would not be my first choice but if a portion of the fees do end up going to the local schools, I hope the charter schools will benefit equally regardless of whether chartered through the local districts like the Carbondale Community School or through the state as is the case with Ross Montessori, where my granddaughter will attend kindergarten.

Oh, and if there’s any question, I take bags with me when I shop, and I always recycle so this law will have no impact on me. Hopefully, like the Vitamin Cottage and Sam’s Club, the grocery stores will put out their free empty boxes as an alternative to bags.

And when my work takes me to Glenwood, I’ll be shopping there in protest of inappropriate government intervention.

Barb Forrest

El Jebel