John Salyer sent the following letter to the Enterprise Record, printed today. I know this is a hot topic, so I’m posting it here. Thanks John!
From Chico Enterprise Record, March 1, 2013:
Thank you Scott for your letter/opinion: Research not a valid health study 2/15/13! I have the same concerns about this type of study, but oftentimes my concerns are met with “if it will save one life it is very much worth it!”
Big Government Progressives (like yourself and the majority of the Chico City Council) like to use studies like this to scare the ignorant and/or the extremely busy public into giving up more of their individual freedoms for the (supposed) good of the collective. Plastic bag ban, smoking outdoors in the park, global warming (ooooops excuse me climate change since that actually happens naturally with or without us), the list goes on and on………
I am also concerned about the negative economic consequences of plastic bag bans and plastic bag taxes, both for bag manufacturers and businesses that use the bags. Not to mention that any environmental benefit we’re likely to see from bag bans and bag taxes is speculative at best.
If it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg what difference does it make to me? I would say that banning plastic bags picks the pockets of most citizens especially the poor who are least able to adjust to arbitrary price increases. Maybe there is a grant for that so we can financially enslave future generations more than we already have 😦
Here are more links that are discussing this potential safety issue:
http://www.publicceo.com/2013/02/food-borne-danger-of-plastic-bag-bans-studied/
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/saunders/article/S-F-s-plastic-bag-ban-may-be-unhealthy-4264075.php
I guess we will have to agree to disagree!
John Salyer
Chico Taxpayers Association 
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