No Plastics, Please!

In a city of such active and open-minded people, you’d think it’d be a no brainer for the people of Austin to keep around the plastic bag ban. This new restriction is a milestone in keeping the city’s beautiful streets clear and our ecosystem clean. What Austinite wants to be in the middle of an afternoon job around Lady Bird Lake only to keep trekking over dirty H-E-B bags? What could be more of a day downer than floating into a patch of ducks strangled in cheap plastic while swimming in Barton Springs?

Local stores can also bring in some money by banning plastic bags. Everyone loves an economy boost! Instead of giving away the plastic ones for free, stores can start charging to sell their customers reusable bags. It doesn’t have to be much;  a couple dollars per bag can add up fast. Reusable bags can be stylish, bright, fun, and they can represent the city of the Austin. I wouldn’t doubt that such a trendy population would deny themselves a hip “Jeremiah the Innocent” bag, would you? These bags can act as both a trend for the buyer and advertising space for local stores, bands, attractions, events, etc.

The ban is a great step toward healing the environment and preventing further damage to it. Plastic bags litter both urban and rural areas. Most of them go to waste and aren’t recycled. I can’t tell you how many bags my family throws away every week after we’ve gone grocery shopping. Not only do they dirty our towns, but they continue to dirty the planet even after people are done using them. They contribute to landfills, aren’t made from renewable resources, and can kill harmless animals all over the country.

While it may be tough to replace the “bag in tree” game on family road trips, this ban is vital to the progress of not only our lovely city of Austin but also to the world as a whole. We’re setting examples of efficiency, style, and health without sacrificing much ourselves. Is this even really a debate?

Pedal to the Metal Jail Cell Bars

On March 6th, the Austin-American Statesman published an editorial about the texting and driving ban which soon may become a law in Texas. It was published by the editorial board, whose credentials I critiqued in my previous post. No one on the board seems to have significant experience in politics, but their arguments seem valid and well researched nonetheless.

This article weighed the pros and cons of the ban. While it did cite an incidence in which texting-while-driving bans actually increased car accidents, the board scorned Rick Perry for calling the law a "micromanagement" tactic. I do see Perry's point and understand that's a common opinion, especially among conservatives. However, I have to disagree and say I believe the ban is a vital step toward safer roads in America.

It is true that laws are managing techniques. They aim to change behaviors when the people have proven that they can't be deterred simply by the obvious consequences of an action, like taking illegal drugs or driving without a seatbelt. Some may feel these laws are too constricting and that we should be given the choice to take part in dangerous activities if we so choose. I agree with this to a small extent, but I mostly find it wrong for two reasons. One: many people do not have the education or common sense to forgo risky decisions. For those people, there are laws that strive to prevent these poor decisions by invoking fear of punishment. Two: laws are created for the good of everybody.  Billy Bob may be entirely confident that he can safely drive his Ford F250 down I-35 while texting his girlfriend, but that young girl in the smart car next to him might think otherwise. Then she ends up in a hospital bed from a collision, thinking 'what if'?

What if Billy Bob had passed a cop on the highway? What if there was a texting and driving ban and he'd have been pulled over before little Sally Smart Car even got on the road? Prevention is not the enemy; ignorance is. Laws are created to protect the preventative, cautious drivers from the reckless and ignorant ones. It may not deter all perpetrators, but it's a start.