A pox on polymers, say eco-friendly Park Slopers, who want to outlaw plastic shopping bags, claiming they take forever to disintegrate, while choking sewers and clinging to trees when improperly dumped (“Plastic menace: Slopers rally to ban the bag,” online June 28).
New Yorkers, who use a billion of the flimsy holdalls a year, should follow Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, which have bagged the plastic plague and seen their carbon footprint slashed by up to 70 percent, they say.
Greenies invited passersby to swap their polys for free, reusable totes at an interactive community art project.
Online commentators debagged the issue.
Support the domestic paper industry — demand paper bags.
This carbon-based life-form thanks you, and reminds you that everytime you open a Coca-Cola and release CO2, a polar bear dies!Rufus Leaking from BH
This is an ill-advised, anti-urban, anti-envrionment proposal. While New Yorkers should be encouraged to use “go bags” and such, plastic bags should not be banned or taxed.
The availability of plastic bags, particularly in supermarkets, allows New Yorkers to carry heavy loads without using motor vehicles — a plus for the environment.
Instead of focusing on urban dwellers, who are by definition more considerate regarding their carbon footprint than are their suburban and country cousins, legislators should deal with the environmental sin committed by suburbanites every time they drive to a supermarket.
Impose a tax on every vehicle entering a suburban supermarket parking lot, or even a surcharge on every item sold in suburban markets.
This would be at least as environmentally sound an idea, as taxing or banning plastic bags in the city.Bob Scott from Brooklyn
Imagine trying to feed your family when you could only carry two things at a time before the magical plastic bag was invented?
If a bag wasn’t available (or at least not for free), people would buy a car and then dump all of their groceries directly into their trunk. Then, when they got home, they would shovel their groceries out of the trunk into a conveyor belt or some sort of magical machine.
What these folks are talking about is charging for bags, if you don’t have one. And not charging for a bag if you already have one.
Bodegas could save a lot of money, not giving out a plastic bag for every damn purchase. Do you really need a bag for that bottle of cola you’re going to immediately drink? However, this is expected by the consumer. You buy something, it gets put in a bag.
Folks in this town expect a cup of coffee to be put in a bag! A bag for a coffee! You need an economic incentive-disincentive to get behavior like this to change.
This is the only city in the world where I’ve see McDonald’s give you a special bag to carry your drink in. Not everything needs a bag.ty from pps
Remember when the cause of the day was to use plastic bags to save the trees, even though old-growth forest was not cut down to make paper bags? That was what was good for the earth that week. Now we have another cause of the week — ban plastic bags!
What you call plastic is often mixed with corn starch to make it break down in UV rays, and the plastic that is used comes from a waste product of oil refining that will once again be a waste product.Or from Yellow Hook
I often say “no bag.” Sometimes the guy-gal behind the counter has the item in the bag before I get it out.
A better idea than a ban is to have salespeople ask, “Do you want a bag?” when it’s clearly not necessary, and require supermarkets to offer paper bags, as well as plastic. When a shopper has a cart, a large paper bag is much better than several small bags that flop all over the place.
Also, don’t most people use supermarket bags for their kitchen garbage? Won’t they be buying bags for that purpose, if they are banned?Me from Bay Ridge
Amazing, fascinating, kinda revolting. Though there’s some bickering about the specifics, no one seems to notice the inherent arrogance in everyone’s readiness to legally ban a widespread, essentially personal, choice of using a simple, everyday item. Yes, there’s a bigger picture, and yes, it’s good, and necessary to be more responsible about the environment.
And finally, yes, there’s much waste in the way bags are distributed for every little thing.
But it’s also hard not to see the irony — and glaring hypocrisy — in a borough, whose population unabashedly and ceaselessly pats inself on the back for its tolerance, openness, and love of humanity, but is so utterly rigid, uncompromising, judgmental, narrow-minded, and inclined to resort to oppressive, heavy-handed government intervention — all to prevent people from making their own damn choice of bag to carry their stuff.
What a bunch of pompous, self-righteous a—-.Brooklyn from Wa-a-ay Back from Flatbush
Perhaps forcing businesses to reduce the amount of trash they sell with their products will cause there to be less trash strewn on the street after purchase?
K. from ArKady
Beep’s bling
To the editor,
I’m amazed how Borough President Markowitz can find $2 million dollars to put lights on the Parachute Jump (“Here’s the bling: New, brighter lights for Parachute Jump,” online June 25).
Big deal, I say. As long as I have been getting off the subway at W. Eighth Street, I’ve watched seniors and families taking a leisurely stroll on the bridge over Surf Avenue, past the New York Aquarium, not having to contend with cars or emergency vehicles.
Yet, that bridge has been falling apart for many years, but I don’t recall hearing about fixing it up.
I had a chance to speak to Pat Singer, executive director of the Brighton Neighborhood Association, who told me she brought this issue up five years ago, but nothing was done.
The bridge was built because of a concern for the safety of people coming off the subway. Now we hear that it will be torn down, and people coming off the subway will have to cross Surf Avenue. Just imagine seniors during the summer attempting to cross Surf Avenue, while emergency vehicles, such as police, ambulance and fire trucks, are passing by. I’d be pretty scared being trapped with no place to turn to.
Instead of putting people’s lives at risk, rethink this stupid idea and do the right thing.Jerry Sattler
Brighton Beach
Anthony WOO-ner
To the editor,
When I saw the bright red pants Anthony “I’ll do anything for a vote” Weiner wore at the Greenwich Village rally (celebrating the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage), in hopes of getting the gay vote, all I could think of was how he will look in saggy pants, hanging below his butt with his underwear showing, in hopes of getting the minority vote.
Oh wait — Weiner showed his tight whites already.Minnie Mangenugas
Coney Island
Compost fan
To the editor,
Composting is not for everyone, but in front of my home I have a small area where I plant annuals.
So when the ground began defrosting I saved my coffee grounds, apple and orange peels, crushed eggshells, brushed-off cat hair, salad scraps, and almost daily dug a small hole, added the little bits to my front garden soil, then covered the area with soil. No grease or meat products!
Wowee! Now that I’ve planted moonflower seeds — a beautiful, aromatic vine with white, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom after the sun goes down — and other ordinary seeds, you’ve gotta see the hundreds of worms that I’ve got in my soil.
They’re wonderful ’cause they make tunnels in the soil for rain to pass through, as they aerate and loosen the soil. I love to know worms are in my garden, and they love the food I give ’em.
May seem strange, but when I see worms in the soil, I know it’s healthy soil.Joan Applepie
Mill Basin
Football felons
To the editor,
This is the new order of football: Pee Wee league, intermediate league, high school level, college level, NFL, and the new NPL — the National Prison League.Nufigity Sanzone
Coney Island
‘Abort’ pro-life
To the editor,
Congress is discussing restrictions on a woman’s abortion rights, once again. The current bill would refuse abortion after 24 weeks.
The right wing would like to eliminate a woman’s right to choose altogether. People who want to do this don’t realize the harm which would result.
Many unwanted children would be abandoned or raised by uncaring and perhaps abusive parents. Others would be shunted from one social service institution to another, accumulating psychological scars, without the sense of security necessary for normal development. Many would also have mental and physical congenital defects, causing them much misery, and their parents much hardship.
Many who oppose pro-choice also oppose the social and health programs needed to remedy those conditions. Many would seek services from illegal abortionists, as they did before legalization. Many who did, died from infections. Others, who tried to perform their own abortions, died from hemorrhages. The words that come to my mind are alone, desperate, excruciating, pain, final.
If those who call themselves “pro-life” have their way, this awful carnage will return. Jerome Frank
Coney Island
Split vote
To the editor,
It is reprehensible that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a 5-4 majority.
As Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsberg said in her dissent, “The sad irony lies in its utter failure to grasp why the V.R.A. has proven effective.”
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Now, states like Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia will have an option to enact photo identification for voters and potential voters.
I favor photo ID for subscribers of Medicare and Medicaid to help alleviate fraud, but it will cause racial unrest that the act alleviated.Elliott Abosh
Brighton Beach
Army order
To the editor,
Kudos to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) for exposing sexual abuse and ensuing cover-ups in the military.
A decorated war hero is more inclined to receive protection from his or her superiors — justified or not — because he or she may affect the outcome of the war.
Presidents George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower warned against the danger of military dictatorships, and that the civilian needs to control the military. Many officers, who are judges in the military, might go very easy on culprits, for fear of losing their own jobs. Bad publicity could also result in a reduction in military funding, which could affect the outcome of our military conflicts, and ultimately affect our nation.
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn once said about Gen. George Marshall, “He will tell the truth, even if hurts the Army.”
It is clear discipline has broken down, and respect and trust need to be restored.Elliott Abosh
Brighton Beach
