Albuquerque City Government Bag Ban Contradicts Own Goals

Radical environmentalists and (especially the politicians they elect) have a funny way of enacting policies that contradict each other. Take New York City Mayor DeBlasio’s desire to eliminate “steel and glass buildings.” But, as one green website notes, “About 77% of people in New York do not even own a car! This is the biggest reason for their notable eco-friendly ways, but there is more. New Yorkers have a lower electricity average than America as a whole.

So, those tall buildings allow for the density necessary so people can walk or take transit to work and whatever the merits of those “glass and steel” buildings, the City as a whole uses less electricity than most.

Then take the City of Albuquerque’s soon-to-be-implemented ban on so-called “single-use” plastic bags. Those bags are reused at least once 90% of the time, often for the purpose of collecting pet waste to keep said waste out of our river (thanks in part to a public campaign underwritten by Bernalillo County).

To make the point and as a means of attempting to spread the message that the City’s bag ban is foolhardy and unnecessary, the Rio Grande Foundation commissioned the following from local cartoonist Rex Barron. Look for more such cartoons in the near future.