Seriously, the goal is to live in your own filth?

________________________________

Nah, nope, no way.

Leadership is moving forward as fast as circumstances warrant. We have huge land fill issues, waste issues, even the gasoline that goes for garbage trucks is an issue. We need to go faster on all issues realting to climate change, waste, and so on. Much, much faster!

Driving down Market Street after having a couple of cocktails at the BalMar -- that's when you need to go slow!

Pls. make a note etc.

Signed,
A loyal constituent

I'm also happy to pay another $1/gallon in carbon tax on my petrol if it will shut up the "planetary emergency" people.

Think of the children, you ass.

And I'll be triple-bagging, as a "fuck you" to everyone who thinks this is somehow a wonderful idea.

I miss Mr Poe...

I live in Seattle, work in Bellevue, WILL be voting yes on Sound Transit, and will now start shopping for groceries on my way home from work.

Look, the bag fee isn't the end of the world and there are a few good things to say about it. But between ineffectual feel-good bullshit like this and the Sonics, the mayor and council can kiss my ass in the town square.

I can't wait until this has been in effect a few years and the city realizes both that it had absolutely no positive impact and that, in fact, the "ban" did more harm than good in the long run.

The autoparts store can give out free bags, but the drugstore right next door cannot? Makes no sense.

And Trader Joe's paper bags go untaxed?

Help me here, someone. This just doesn't jell.

That'd be "billion," with a "b" . . .

So much mouth foaming over something so minor.

I can understand people getting upset over a threat to your civil rights; losing the right to free speech or practice the religion of your choice or the right to own hand-guns even, but getting worked up over plastic bags and styrofoam...

Really?

Mankind got along pretty well for a millenia or two without plastic shit. I think we'll survive.

Move the fuck on, already.

@15, what makes you think there will be any bags at the self serve checkout? (or see previous paragraph) For that matter, how will the checkout station know you are not trying to bag an un-scanned item if you put your canvas bag on the bagging platform?

Well?

Sure sounds like a tax to me.

any can anyone explain to me why paper bags are tossed into this mess? they are earth friendly!

As for the rest of you- you all will pay your 20 cents, moan about it and the continue to have your groceries bagged with paper or plastic, except for the cat lady ahead of me at Safeway, the hipster wannabe ahead of me at Whole Foods and ECB.

That is awesome leadership. I do think it takes a lot of effort to find some legislation that provides new revenue sources to corporations at the expense of the general public while barely addressing the problem it is suppose to solve.

I wonder when we get the first lawsuit from someone either hurting their back with an over stuffed reusable bag or accusing baggers from under-packing their bag to charge them for more bags. Or how about when they start buying cheaper plastic bags that will always need to be doubled.

Totally awesome, there are some many new ways to charge consumers more! Go QFC!

But seriously, what will the beatniks thinks?

By 2012 (or whenever this has been in full effect for a year) no one is going to fucking care. Just like the smoking ban. Move to Idaho, you whiners.

This is a completely stupid and ineffectual bit of eco-poseur bullshit that will do absolutely nothing to improve the environment, not one damned thing. I'd love to see one of the affected businesses sue the city over the fee on equal protection grounds, the mandate that customers at some businesses pay for their bags and other's don't is completely arbitrary and wouldn't stand up in court for a second. Just another reason why I'm glad I don't live in Seattle, the place is run by a bunch of complete fuckheads.

(Oh, and sales tax deductions are taken on a Schedule A, not the 1040, BTW.)

And yes, if you buy a box of garbage bags, and are charged sales tax, you could conceivably deduct the sales tax portion of the purchase, assuming you're so anal-retentive that you actually save every single shopping receipt for the year, instead of just taking the calculated deduction - which also assumes you can itemize on the aforementioned Schedule A, which not everyone can do, mind you - like normal people.

Also, if you have to purchase large quantities of plastic bags as say, packaging for some product you make and sell, then sure, it's a business "expense" (very different from a "tax"), that can be deducted against your business income.

But, my guess is this is going to work more like a surcharge, and not be taxable, therefore you wouldn't be able to take a deduction against the purchase, even if you happen to itemize.

And of course, need I remind you that you don't even have to pay the $0.20 fee in the first place. But, that would require you to bring your own bags when you shop, an act of such onerous inconvenience to so many people here evidently, that you're all already pissing yourselves in terror at the very notion.

I welcome the plastic bags because I need something to use to bag my dog's shit when I walk him. So, the result will probably be that I'll go to the pet store and buy a big container of plastic bags. Ergo, I won't use any less plastic than I did before.

But when I go to the grocery store, I'll get paper sacks. Which means more trees get cut down that otherwise wouldn't have been, because I'll be using just as much plastic PLUS the paper.

And why? So some liberal-chic sandalistas can feel better. These people should quit trying to run everyone's life.

Come now, do you really think it'll shut them up? You can't possibly be that naive.

What I do find confusing:

1. Why exactly is the city getting 15 cents out of every 20?

2. This is supposed to affect greenhoouse gas emmissions?

Has anyone else noticed that this vote takes place two days after the Seafair torchlight parade? I'd hazard a guess that the environmental impact of having a drunken fleet of powerboaters littering Lake Union and Lake Washington for a week or so, watching "rocket boats" and being buzzed by F-18's might be something the Seattle City Council wants to address if they are actually serious about Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

BTW... The Exchange between Comte and Will in Seattle: Ladies, stop hiitting each other with your purses.

Grow some fucking balls Seattle and actually do something that will cure the planet, not put a fucking bandage on a tumor and say all is fine.

PAPER!

(New York Times 2/2/2008)

Allow me to thank you on behalf of my fellow Exxon stockholders.

Bigger eco challenges await. The journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step. Next, ECB will be asking you to take a shorter shower. (She's already told me to take a cold shower.)