Editor: We are crossposting an article from the conservative San Diego Rostra by Brian Brady – who has been in a dialogue with our own Bob Dorn of late – and who now outlines where he and progressives agree and disagree.
Freeped Today and Feeling Fabulous
by Brian Brady / San Diego Rostra / Monday, September 16, 2013
I was the subject of a satirical post on San Diego Free Press. Bob Dorn had some fun today, using some garden-variety stereotypes about liberals and conservatives, because I dared to confront a premise, proffered by OBRag’s Frank Gormlie, supporting a single-use plastic bag ban.
I don’t think that Bob Dorn likes that I comment on the progressive’s little paradise. He’s discounting something, though–I AGREE with the Freeps on a number of issues. To wit:
- I think the “war on drugs” is an abject failure and waste of taxpayer money. Not only do I support the use of medical marijuana, I would like to see marijuana decriminalized completely. Too many lives are being lost to the violence prohibition brings.
- I don’t support a taxpayer-funded stadium for any sports team (and I certainly don’t support subsidizing drunks to get to the game).
- I support a less robust foreign policy. I want a robust MILITARY, defending American shores. While I support an aggressive intelligence community, I certainly don’t want them aggregating data about American citizens, especially without a warrant from an independent judge. I think the USA-PATRIOT Act is anything but patriotic. Security, while important to me, pales in comparison to a protection of our individual liberties (which is the most important role of government)
- I abhor crony capitalism and get uptight when progressives think it is emblematic of true capitalism. As such, I get it when Freeps rail about “downtown business interests”–those rent-seekers irritate me as well.
I’m different from the Freeps, too:
- Obamacare is an assault on on economic freedom. Forced purchases and indentured servitude are hardly ways to solve an insurance inflation problem.
- Education works best when parents are involved in their kids’ lives. I want to break the education monopoly and give parents a fighting chance at helping their kids determine their future.
- I support the right of free association and delegated collective bargaining agents. But I don’t support labor monopolies. Repeal The Wagner Act and I’ll be the biggest union supporter out there.
- I think free people really DO perform most things better than government. As such, I side with Thoreau when he said “That government is best which governs least”.
Conservatives think I’m a libertarian and libertarians think I’m a conservative. That’s okay; anarchists think we’re ALL statists. But today, the Freeps have now deemed me important enough to satirize and frankly…
…that kind of makes me feel good. Would that we listen to one another sometimes, we would discover that, in many instances, it’s more of a battle between the forces of tyranny and liberty than right and left. Even though they’re making fun of me, someone is listening to the Liberty message. That’s a good day.
I just hope they don’t draw cartoons of me !
Source
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Wow! I’m doubly honored. Thank you for the forum.
Brian, and don’t forget we also posted it over at our other liberal paradise, the OB Rag. http://obrag.org/?p=76914
” a single-use plastic bag ban”
You mean t’s been renamed? I fully support this ban. It had me worried when I heard they would ban those free bags I get when I go grocery shopping, then store in a box inn my kitchen to use to rewrap cheese, meats and other food once opened but not fully consumed. I was worried I would have to start buyingn expensive ziploc bags from the store.
As were I am certain all those people who fill boxes attached to fences and poles around OB for pet owners to use to pick up after their pets. You can’t walk a block in OB without coming across one, wherever neighbors have others with pets they are a friendly reminder to pick up after their pets. It’s an easy gesture to make since after all the bags are free and it keeps the community clean.
Do you think people will start purchasing expensive plastic bags and put them on poles and fences to give away to strangers instead?
All that dog poop is now going to go down the storm drains into the ocean now. Since the surfrider activists were strong proponents, perhaps some irony there.
John, now be reasonable, okay?
If you want help putting those plastic sacks out for dog owners
not carrying their own, just put up a sign asking for it. I’m sure
RESPONSIBLE dog owners will deliver ziploc baggies to you.
But I do have a question for you:
I don’t get the irony of dogshit going down the storm drains and
infecting “surfrider proponents.” Maybe you’re overthinking
this problem?
I thought it would be obvious: They didn’t want to dodge plastic bags while surfing but will now have to dodge doggie baby ruths.
To make my position clear I support all green legislation that is truly effective, and doesn’t send problems offshore where we don’t have to look at it, or make things a lot worse, or doesn’t just do either of the above just to appease people’s desires to “save the earth”.
The more this bag ban unfolds and I research it, it appears to be obviously the latter. I made several points in another article about this, including:
Nobody really just uses these bags once, in fact they take the place of bags we’ll now have to be buying.
If paper is used it takes 5x the energy to produce.
There are health issues with reusable bags, google is your friend- check it out, don’t just mock and dismiss it- and it’s why the city has already made the law toothless out the gate by excluding meat and poultry.
And since then two other issues I found included the dog poop issue (very real) and yet another:
When the health hazard issue is raised, now I see all those smart green ideologues telling me they are washing their reusable bags after every trip to the store. Obviously in hot water, in a washing machine, with detergent and bleach, then dried in a dryer. What’s the energy used to heat the water and run the load? What about the waste water and water usage itself? It can’t possibly be more than the dozen wafer thin plastic bags they saved? I think it is, maybe by a long shot.
They don’t want to hear about it. They just want to insist they are right and what they did saved the planet.
As for the dog owners, I think you don’t understand the situation. They put the bags in front of their property because of the thoughtless behavior of the owners. You think putting an empty box with a sign saying “please bring me bags and put them in my box for you and others to use” when the dog owners never before brought bags, is a real solution?
Isn’t that a bit flippant?
The dog poop issue is hardly a deal breaker on bag bans. Taken in addition to all the other negatives it’s weight on the camel’s back. It’s not going to reduce the bag total going into landfills because they are given second uses by nearly everyone who will now have to buy bags for those uses. In many cases thicker and heavier bags.
As to michael-leonard’s well, again, rather flippant “solution”: What is “fishwrap”? You mean those things our parents used to have delivered by a boy on a bicycle?
WRAPPED IN A PLASTIC BAG?
Have you seen the UT’s circulation figures? and for the few who still get it, it’s delivered by an adult, in a car, that is left idling at the curb while he walks it to your door. No free lunch but I am certain Doug Manchester would appreciate your solution.
Everyone stop using plastic bags and get a UT subscription instead. You heard it here first. I think I’ve made my points so hope to not pollute this thread excessively with further rants. Obviously my approval is not a prerequisite for the ban to happen, but hopefully others will consider these real issues and reject this if it’s just about politics and indulging personal feel good desires.
Jeez John, whatever did we do before SUPLs (single-use plastic bags) became ubiquitous? Oh, here’s an idea: use the “morning fishwrap” to wrap your doggie’s doo. Problem solved :-)