SPOTLIGHT: You don’t build a free society by removing individual choice.
BIG PICTURE: The push to ban plastic drinking straws is all symbolism and no substance. If every last straw were to vanish, 99% of the plastic polluting the oceans would remain. So would most of the litter that washes up on beaches.
Impoverished Asian and African countries lack proper waste management systems. They, therefore, use rivers as sewers. That’s the real world. Banning straws in Europe and North America will do nothing to address this real-world fact.
But banning things makes people feel good. They pat themselves on the back, imagining they’ve done something admirable. Pardon me if I don’t applaud.
It’s one thing to persuade your neighbor to stop using an item she considers convenient, sanitary, or even necessary to her daily life. Those who rely on persuasion don’t undermine other people’s liberty. The neighbor remains free to choose her own path.
Green activists are in the business of taking away choices. Coercion and force is their idea of progress. Siccing the government on their neighbor is their idea of a normal day’s work.
They’re OK with their neighbor being harassed by the state, entangled with the legal system, fined, arrested, even jailed. For failing to conform. For failing to fall into line.
Even when the matter at hand is purely symbolic.
TOP TAKEAWAY: People who respect you don’t want the government to punish you for choosing differently.
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The pagan new age false religion of Ecology where Trees,rocks,animals and plants are consitered sacred and are worshiped by the Back to Nature weirdos just look at some nuts to take part in their Earth Day Celebrations
Well written Donna, as usual. But you and Richard above and almost everybody has missed the root cause of the problem. The problem from which you can start to create an intelligent solution comes from modern societal INDOLENCE. We have evolved into a ‘throw away’ society simply because its easier but oddly more expensive. There are also many ways to cut down polymer waste and its up to industry to lead the way. Examples, make a BIC lighter refillable (Big Brownie points for Bic). Sell ballpoint pens with the exterior case and ink refills (generic sizes for all). Refill stations for 2litre laundry detergent containers. Increase product modularity to repair/replace the mechanical parts that inevitably fail.
There is an age old problem here and its called ‘built in obselence’ and industry is guilty of this. The auto industry is so, so guilty of this.
I hope anybody reading this can run with my thought pattern.
If I can understand your thought pattern, it’s the conventional ‘green’ thinking that everybody should be pushed several generations back in history. My great grandmother had to bring a basket to the shops with her to put her vegetables in. Now, in many parts of the world, ‘green’ thought police are banning plastic bags and even plastic packaging. Pushing us back to pre-WW-I times.
There are many other examples, but the key principle is the classic socialist approach: forcing your neighbour to do the things you won’t do yourself.
This whole Go Green movement is based almost entirely symbolism and the fuzzy wuzzy feelings liberal Eco-Wackos like to feel because most of them fall Hook.Line &Sinker for all the BS that passes as news
I agree the whole Go Green Movement was started to shut down oil production and coal burning by the wind and solar proponents. But I looked into reducing emissions and now coal burning, natural gas burning, diesel burning and fuel oil burning can all be zero emissions and a whole lot cheaper than shutting down to build solar or wind power.
We have developed technology so waste plastic can be burned with absolutely no emissions, generating steam so that electricity as clean as solar, wind, hydroelectric or nuclear power. If our webpage does not have what you need try my LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-hood-b150b5129/ .