PUBLISHER'S NOTEBOOK: Don’t bag on the bag ban

Last Monday, the Wasilla City Council voted to ban single-use plastic bags.

I, for one, say kudos to the council and here’s why. The first we heard of any action on plastic bags, Mat-Su Borough Assembly member Barbara Doty proposed a 10 cent excise tax per bag. After this was proposed, the City of Wasilla played some good defense by going on offense. Sure, there is an environmental impact that not having plastic bags in the Valley will have. Even though it is very a minimal impact and I’ll be honest I don’t give the environment that much thought. I have no clue what my carbon footprint looks like. I just don’t want to pay an unnecessary tax and the City of Wasilla saved me from having to do so.

Government overreach?

I heard the arguments about government over reach and big brother saving us from ourselves. But the reasoning for the ban wasn’t really about the City of Wasilla wanting to protect the environment or caring that the folks in the big city of Anchorage call us ‘valley trash.’ Anchorage folks can look down their nose at us all they want. We’re not setting murder records, or having to worry about being out and about after midnight. We’re not choosing between cops and snow removal in the City of Wasilla. The City of Wasilla does a pretty good job dealing with both.

The conundrum that the ‘too much government folks’ found themselves in is that they don’t like taxes, either. And really, that is what it all came down to in the end.

Do you want a ban or a tax? You don’t want either? Well, tough because you were going to have one or the other. Now there is a possibility of a statewide tax since Representative Andy Josephson (D-Anchorage) introduced HB264, which, if passed, could have you paying a 20-cent fee on every single use bag.

Paper or plastic? Doesn’t matter. You could be paying it on either.

A not-so-bold prediction

I’ll put my Swami hat back on and make a prediction.

A year from July, which is a year after the ban goes into effect, those of us who live in the Greater Wasilla area will wonder why we ever used them nasty little bags anyway. We’ll all be using our new sturdy reusable bags. No more groceries falling out in the parking lot because our new bags will hold up to the weight. No more wondering why the cashier at the grocery store decided to overload one bag yet put two small items in another. No more little wind blown bags hanging from trees. Sure there’ll still be other discarded trash in the trees but it won’t be the out casted little bags that escaped from dumpsters when we weren’t looking. The unruly little guys will be gone — unless you decide to shop in Palmer or Eagle River or beyond where those nasty little critters are still accepted. But then you have to use more fossil fuels to make the trip back and forth. This whole environmental conscience thing is a lot of work. I could shop for groceries in Palmer if I get the single use bag itch, but any further than that well I won’t miss them that much. I would imagine that Palmer will be making a similar move sooner rather than later. I’m surprised they weren’t the first to jump on the ‘ban the bags’ bandwagon.

Your move, Borough

The next move really belongs to the Borough. They can move forward with the proposed 10-cent bag tax. They could do nothing, or they could just let the people decide if they want a ban by putting the issue on the next ballot. The tax would put Palmer at a slight disadvantage. Some folks would take the short trip to Wasilla to avoid it. The best move at this point would be a ban throughout the borough. Otherwise, if Rep. Josephson has his way, we would be paying a fee and giving it to the State.

Philosophically speaking

There’s no sense in getting to deep in political philosophies on this issue. It really was never about the environment or government overreach. It was all about preventing a tax on top of other sales taxes and that tax money leaving Wasilla and into the borough’s hands.

It could be worse. You could be paying a 10 cents a gallon fuel tax like our highfalutin big city neighbors are now doing.