CONFESSIONS OF A PLASTIC-A-HOLIC

(I love plastic bags!)

I almost never leave my home without carrying a plastic bag.  I always have “stuff” I am taking to some meeting and if I use a fabric tote bag I will be stuck with it at the end to carry around.  I probably have 10 tote bags in my closet, including a beautiful Gucci tote, but plastic is more efficient for my needs.  Now while some cities in whacked-out California have banned plastic bags, it is surprising to hear that the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois is thinking along the same lines.  The Midwest should not be following a lead from LaLa land.  We are independent farm-stock people.

Last week the Evanston City Council discussed a potential total ban on both paper and plastic bags brought up by Alderman Ann Rainey.  If the interdict passed, Evanston would become the first Illinois Municipality to impose such restrictions.  The Chicago Tribune reported, “The proposal remains in its infancy, and the logistics of how a ban would be implemented aren't clear. City officials plan to meet with small-business owners, national chain store representatives and residents to discuss the possible bag ban before revisiting the topic at a May 23 committee meeting.”

In September, Evanston Alderman Coleen Burrus had proposed a 25 cent tax on each disposable (paper or plastic) bag given to customers at check-out.  Bags used for produce, newspapers, dry-cleaning, yard waste and garbage would not have counted under her proposal.  Burrus’ ordinance was withdrawn because of significant opposition from other aldermen.

Even though that idea did not gain any legs, Rainey still proposed her outright ban on all plastic bags and brown paper bags saying she hates them (strong emotion for something as trivial as a bag!) and would do whatever it takes to get rid of them. 

One would think that in a municipality where the City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz told Alderman only three weeks ago that general fund spending is projected to grow at twice the rate as revenues during the next two years, Aldermen would have more important things to discuss than banning paper and plastic bags.

And in a city where statistics from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas show that Evanston has one of the highest debt levels per capita among local government, Aldermen would have more important things to discuss than banning paper and plastic bags.

And in a city where a Chicago Tribune editorial said, “Example: Evanston lists debts of almost $368 million as of 2009, but operating revenues of $94 million. Each Evanstonian's share of those liabilities is a bracing $4,736 — and that's for municipal government alone, not schools and other local taxing bodies. The city could barely pay off its debts even if it didn't spend one dime on anything else for four years,” Aldermen would have more important things to discuss than banning paper and plastic bags.

But obviously some elected officials of Evanston have decided that the bag issue takes precedence over the fiscal survival of the city.  Sounds like a bunch of garbage to me, but I guess I won’t have a plastic bag to hold the rotting fish because they will be banned.