Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly votes to repeal bag tax
Published Friday, October 9, 2009
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS — In a two-part move wiping out the five-cent plastic bag tax Thursday night, Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly members first voted to rescind their previous vote taken last month to levy a borough-wide bag tax, and followed it up by voting to rescind the ordinance.
The vote tally both times was 8-1, with Nadine Winters, who introduced the ordinance, opposing each time.
Luke Hopkins, who sponsored the rescind action, initially voted for the ordinance, as did several other assembly members, responding to the public’s response to the tax which many called premature.
“I’ve heard from people involved in recycling and members of the Recycling Task Force, and we need to be building as big a base as we can, and then let the Recycling Commission come forward to see what they need,” Hopkins said.
A Recycling Commission hasn’t been appointed to date.
Also changing their votes from last month were assembly members Tim Beck, Kelly Brown and Bill Stringer.
Community Discussion
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What a waste of time and money. We need a law that requires stores to have a minimum of 1 donation can/bin/etc for a recycling fund while the Recycling Commission gets their heads on straight. Taxes should never interfere with consumer buying unless the community is small and weak like North Pole. FNSB has enough houses and property taxes to support itself, it also needs to get things straight and stop wasting money. A pre-mature tax like this is a sign that the FNSB is being lazy.
What money was wasted?
Good news, indeed. Resistance is not futile!
A word of caution; I do not believe it in the community's best interests to allow the commission to decide what they "need." The "need" will always exceed the available supply of funding. Rather, the question should be, how can the assembly/commission find a way to reduce taxes for property owners while resourcing the recycling effort to an acceptable level out of the funding that is already available?
A good place to start would be to fire Ms. Winters and reallocate her salary to the effort. OK, I know I'm dreaming, but it is a nice thought.
Now, all you taxers, if you really want to see a reduction in the use of the evil plastic, get the word out regarding the discount for use of POBs (privately owned bags) at some of the local stores. Believe it or not, some of us might be willing to cooperate in the effort if you stop trying to punish people into compliance and instead help us save money.
Thank you to the members of the FNSB Assembly for reconsidering and rescinding the "bag tax".
Not often do you get liberals and conservatives rising up in revolt together .. but touching the lunch box seams to do the trick.
Ken Burns National Parks film showed how far Alaskans will go to destroy Alaska with their greedy all for me attitude and hell with the rest of the world. Thank goodness Alaskans lost that battle and all of Alaska is not yet trashed. Getting rid of plastic bags is another example that Alaskans won't conserve or protect the land they live in. Taking canvass bags to stores is a small thing to do to keep plastic bags out of garbage dumps. Shame! I don't want those kind for neighbors.
Next you will tell me "Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize"!
OMG, Stakeholder, I thought you were kidding!
He wasn't but I wish he was...Hey, didn't Gore get that prize as well?
It is so peaceful doing nothing.
Making "lumber" from plastic bags and soda bottles is a very good use for these "used" items. It would take all the bags and bottles sold in Fairbanks for a year to make a single 4x12. Just how can anyone think this can be sucssful venture for this area? The equiptment alone would cost thousands and never be able to pay for itself. There is simply not enough materal here to make any attempt to "recycle" anything except mabey gold. But the "feel good" commissions will no dought spend lots of time and money blowing lots of hot air.
Tundratrekker....you ight want to consider cleaning up some of the messes in canada before you start telling us what to do in alaska!!
Thank you, assembly.
Better we had avoided the whole mess.
Next time, assembly,
ask the people to vote on something like this!
Oh, Obama did something, he took up as much air time as possible. Which ironically means that Levi Johnson is next in line for the Nobel Peace Prize. He will bring such honor to this State.
Gore, Arafat,... Obama.
What a wonderful award!
Now lets see the assembly actually do something to reduce the 14th highest property tax in the United States (per the US Department of Agriculture).
I'm not going to complain about them repealing it. I really am happy they did.
I just hope next time they'll think these things through in advance. It was such a terrible idea to begin with.
They are Politicians what does anyone expect? They change, depending on which way public thinking goes.
FreeDarfur-Alaska has one of the lowest composite tax burdens in the Nation, if not the lowest. And that's not including the dividend being included. Sure we would like to pay NO taxes, but.....
Woo hoo!
I'm going to Disney World!
TundraTrecker, Education is what is needed. The box stores started the alternative bags on their own and deserve kudos. People need reminders (me included!)- to bring their reusable bags into the stores. It takes a while to develop a habit. This debacle at least made people think about the bags instead of just going about business as usual. This is not a vote against recycling. This was a vote to wait for a sane, workable way to lessen our footprint in Alaska. Public service announcements, posters, recycling fair are all ways to keep people thinking about recycling. Many people don't know where to begin. If this is something that is dear to your heart, lead the way. I'm sure you will have many volunteers. Just remember to teach and not shove ideas/methods down people's throats. As you've seen, that doesn't go over well.
When I saw that this was in the works I knew it could never ever make it to implementation. Fairbanks is about as green as a chunk of coal....I mean look at the litter in this place.
nasty little town....
Oh dear.. I didn't realize TundraTrecker was in Canada. Nevermind. Maybe someone that lives here will start a community project.
I saw an article my brother sent me where a guy in africa made a machine that uses plastice of all types to make tarps and so-on. I will have to find the artcle and post it. Something to do with all the plastic for recycling.
I think that all liberals should still pay the bag tax,... to save a polar bear or two. Has Nadine ever looked into a soy based bag to take the place of plastic, or is she just bent on a tax.
Boo!
What did they have to vote for? It's not their position to implement taxes. They're there to manage the money they have.
You want taxes? That's for us- the constituency- to decide. Any future taxes they want to see better be put to a vote by the people.
This was patently wrong. Arrogant, overstepping their authority, and should serve as an example to the people. We need to keep these public servants in line!
I'm so happy to hear that this stupid fee is going away that I'm going to buy another reusable bag next time I go shopping.
Cowards...
Yes Thanks for reconsidering your blunder. This is why we need Tammy In there to keep this board thinking straight. On another note, why doesn't everyone post on the Stryker Article and thank all of those soldiers for their sacrafices. Kind of wierd seeing more posts on the bag issue than the Strykers return. Anyway just a thought.
Plastic bags and most other plastic is made from petroleum. When America wakes up and smells the toxic waste, it will legalize Hemp-The Wonder Weed. Plastic bags can be made out of industrial hemp, which is not toxic at all. Until then though, we'll keep drilling and killing for the most toxic, carbon-intensive raw material in the world because that's what Americans do. "I'll give up my petroleum-based plastic bags when they pry my cold dead fingers from around them."
When it comes to waste, Americans are the champions of the world, and Fairbanks is certainly no exception. I'm not saying that a bag tax would change the world, but it sure would make people a little more conscious about the waste they generate. I'd even venture to guess that most people would have beaten the tax by using reusable bags, but then, that would be "social engineering", right? Not unlike the "social engineering" that made us believe it's okay to be so wasteful in the first place. It's all "social engineering". It just depends on who's doing the engineering, capitalists who want to sell more petrol-based plastic bags no matter what it costs the environment or peoples' health, or communities who want to see the petrol-based bags reduced.
THANK GOD!
IT WAS ALMOST THE END OF AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT!
Ban plastic bags from being imported into the state. Bring your own POBs or empty boxes to the store to carry your stuff. End of problem. Yes, I know--that's too easy a solution.
every one but me is an idiot
all the votes that Nadine Winters got this election....I am stunned and disappointed by the complete morons in this town who voted for this woman. Maybe because her name sounds cool is why she got votes.
Think1st
Thanks for the reminder to post our thanks on the Stryker articles!
I did!
I talked to a few of them in check out lines yesterday, McD's, etc and YES! They are so glad to be home and they are outgoing and glad to talk to anyone. One even said yes when I asked if he read the DNM and comments online! There's MY reminder to commenters.
WELCOME HOME STRYKERS!
Thanks to you and your families!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~Resistance is NOT futile!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When they count remaining votes next week the "Bag Lady" may hear magical "F" word!
Understood by all politicians world wide F-I-R-E-D.
---
Moral: Don't become intoxicated on your own self-righteous cause nor that of your friend's.
Booooo! This is a simple issue---do you like plastic bags blowing in the wind? Voting this out was irresponsible!!! Shame on Fairbanks.
Forgot to add---doing nothing changes nothing---third world nations charge for plastic bags to stop their use and Fairbanks fights for the right to have them---Wow!!!
I need those bags, I burn them in my wood stove.
"I saw an article my brother sent me where a guy in africa made a machine that uses plastice of all types to make tarps and so-on. I will have to find the artcle and post it. Something to do with all the plastic for recycling."
Great. My neighbor needs more blue tarps to cover up the junk he's hauled back from the transfer site for 20 years.
gdotz:
This is not about the bags; it's about due process.
I echo Shokd - It is not the Assembly's job to
create a tax without the consent of the people.
If this issue has legs, it should go on a ballot.
Let the people decide, then let the Assembly implement
the decisions of the people.
Does this mean Nadine won't be sharing the Nobel Prize with Barack? Or does it mean she will?
I have heard from a few that the energy it takes to produce one of those black, reusable shopping bags equals the energy to produce several hundred regular plastic bags, ... and that's just for one.
When was the last time you did your family shopping and used one bag? Try 10 or 20. So, times 10 or 20 by several hundred and you get a number somewhere in the multiple thousands. That's how many trips to the store it would take to finally start saving energy.
I know, I know, ... I don't have the proof and I am generalizing, but still, it's worth considering...
Oh_please is right...this bag tax would have meant the end of our God-given American freedoms. Protecting the environment? Sounds like socialism to me.
Joking aside, it's too bad the assembly got cold feet and caved in to the right-wing nutjobs, but not all that surprising.
Hopkins, what a joke!
And he wants to be my Mayor?????
"I have heard from a few that the energy it takes to produce one of those black, reusable shopping bags equals the energy to produce several hundred regular plastic bags, ... and that's just for one."
Some of the reusable plastic bags require about 28 times more energy to produce than the regular bag, and I agree with you this is worth considering. However, I pack the volume of 8-10 regular bags into one reusable bag, so the time to make the reusable bag pay off isn't long.
"An Inconvenient Bag," from WSJ.com:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12223842...
Hilda - Thanks for supporting McDonald's, one of the biggest environmental disasters in the world. Go America!
AKGriz - "A good place to start would be to fire Ms. Winters and reallocate her salary to the effort." You do realize that these folks that you all love to criticize and second-guess (especially those of you who have never been to a borough assembly meeting) are unpaid - right? They're our neighbors. Some of them may even be our friends, and they do what they do as a matter of public service, although there are some who seem to enjoy the power or recognition they might garner - I don't know. But they're not paid, and they do the best they can, given the information presented to them and the limited input of the public before or during the vote - and of course, after the fact - and Hopkins is not the only one to change his vote after the fact - Wilson has done it, too.
In the case of the bag tax, I think that Ms. Winters (whom I don't know) probably thought that she was doing a good thing for the environment in making her proposal. I thought that while the idea was good, there wasn't adequate attention given to the dedication of the proceeds ahead of time, but I supported the idea because 1) we are using WAY too many disposable plastics as a society, and it'd be great if we could cut back; 2) there are perfectly good alternatives to the plastic bag - including the cloth bags available at all of the grocery stores. I've been using them ever since they came out, and I would never think of returning to plastic; 3) I would love to see us develop a plastic recycling effort.
But the point is - don't criticize well-meaning, volunteer members of the borough assembly without having all the details. Research the ordinances and the votes that members introduced and voted for, and then, if you feel compelled to complain, go ahead. But at least have a little information behind your complaint. Sheesh!
Krissy,
You do realize you are totally incorrect? Perhaps you should do a little research yourself. Borough Assembly Members are most definitely paid. They are not volunteers.
So plastic bags are not used or sold in Canada?
Doris
I wasn't driving, so I did not have a choice. I would have preferred The Pita Place, but I got voted down.
I will fess up to drinking McD's coffee though.
Since you are so intent on criticizing me for being at McD's would you also like to jump on all the STRYKER's who were there?
I am tired of brain-dead morons arguing the merits of a bag tax one way or the other. Does the borough have the right to tax catsup given away in restaurants? Does the borough have the right to tax air provided by service stations? Does the borough have the right to tax balloons given out to kiddies during the Golden Days parade? After all, they could get loose and become lodged in some eagle's nest.
Please respond. Show me in Alaska statutes where authority exists to tax something provided for free. And if you think it's such a good idea, maybe you should be lobbying your state legislators.
I am disappointed in the borough assembly. At least Nadine Winters has some backbone. Take a trip down the Tanana or Yukon Rivers and you would want plastic bags outlawed, not just taxed. What a waste of oil and tax money for landfill space and cleanup. The sad thing is it is a tax you would easily not ever have to pay and I think that was part of the idea.
Doris you hit a touchy subject... It would be too damn healthy & smart to incorperate hemp, a widely versatile and strong material, into society. People would rather Bi**h about ways to be more lazy- get off your A$$ and do somthin' people- Go for a hike instead, of burning fuel- burn calories- LMAO K- I've had my fun, gotta get my a$$ off the computor & do somethin with my life!
guppie - I just found that out on another thread. I did research it, but couldn't find out anything (you try - I googled, "fnsb, assembly, salaries", and "fnsb, assembly, payroll", and fnsb, assembly members, volunteers?" etc - nada) I apologise for the inaccuracy. I've served on a couple of boards and commissions in the borough - no pay. I assumed that the assembly was the same.
But I still feel that it's disrespectful to be so judgemental.
For all of you that think plastic bags are evil, do something about it. And I don't mean stop using them. Get a proposition on the ballet to get them outlawed in the borough. Stop making it a taxation issue and let it be a purely environmental issue. I'd vote for not using plastic bags anymore, just so long as it's not another money grab by some level of government.
Food for thought:
Was the "bag tax" just for the plastic bag at the check-out counter or did it include the ones at the veggie stands, bakery and the meat section too?
What about the boxes of plastic garbage bags? ($.05 x 100 = $5.00) Same price for the small kitchen and the big hefty garbage can size?
Wonder if any one has done a bacterial count on those re-usable plastic bags and homemade cotton ones, too? Yep, nothing like a little blood soaking on the potatoes and carrots to get some mushrooms for the stew pot, too.
Makes you wonder if, those who use food stamps would have to stuff the groceries in their pockets .. since a plastic bag is a non-edible cost item.
Nothing like a wet cardboard box or paper bag to scatter the litter along the roadways.
The bag tax was simply an attempt to build a "slush fund" for a yet to be conceived recycling program. It would have been a Pandora's box of bureaucratic bumbling, retailers headaches and consumers nightmare ... and would have done little to reduce litter.
krissy
Sometimes it just takes a little "tweaking" to get the info you want from Google. Try this........
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...
I am relieved to see this nonsense off the table for now. However, it would've been nice if they had spoken to their constituents before their first vote.
Also, thinking the bag tax was a stupid idea, doesn't mean that you think plastic bags are a great idea. That's a false choice. I bring my own reusable bags to the store but thought that the bag tax was a wretched plan.
Hilda, heck yeah! Just because they're soldiers, doesn't mean they get a free pass on killing the environment any more than anybody else does. If they committed murder, should they get a free pass because they're soldiers?
I'll be honest though, and confess that I used to go to McDonald's for their ice cream cones, but ever since I saw 'Supersize Me' I gave it up. Back in the day, I used to love their fish sandwiches as well, but when I realized how much they devastate the environment, I quit, which is probably much better for my own health, as well as the health of the planet. If I recall correctly, the movie, 'The Corporation' had a segment about how McDonald's has literally changed the way food is produced, and it isn't a good change. I'd recommend both movies for people who'd like motivation to change their bad eating/environmental habits.
I still stand by my promotion of Hemp-The Wonder Weed! though. It's the one thing that could put the manufacturing of thousands of clean, superior products into the hands of average Americans and out of the hands of the giant petrol producers, and the other giants I mentioned, who are not only killing the planet, but ripping us off in the process.
doris
I'm not criticizing anyone else for their choices, but I do try to have an influence on them.
I did was I was able to do under the circumstances by carpooling and making what I consider to be wise choices in my grocery purchases. Used a cardboard box (no plastic), bought wholesome foods (I cook from scratch), donated to the campaign of Tammie Wilson, and did not litter. Also did not piss anyone off by being judgmental. All in all I had a pretty good day! :)
out_in_the_cold -
The bag fee would only cover the plastic bags at the checkout counter, not the bags in the produce or meat section. You would still have had plastic to wrap your meat and veggies in, those bags could be reused at home.
If you're worried about dirty reusable bags, wash them.
Many of us in support of the bag fee have already pondered ways to get reusable bags to those who can't afford them. In fact, we have about 30 we'll donate to the food bank as soon as I take them over there. I encourage others to do the same. There were many sources we could have had free bags from if the bag fee had passed. Believe me, those in favor of the fee did keep that in mind.
To answer the question as to whether the assembly members are paid...
I contacted the borough clerk directly (quicker than a google search). She said the assembly members get a $900 stipend per month, the chair gets $1100.
This money is meant to cover incidentals like traveling to and from meetings and such. It is a very small amount, especially when you look at how much of everyone's ranting they have to sit through.
I'm not sure how many hours each assembly member puts in each month to their job, but I know the $900 doesn't cover much. They don't have health insurance or other benefits as part of serving on the assembly, just the stipend.
So, if nothing else, stop being so overly critical of the assembly members who are trying to do the right thing. A little criticism is fine, but some of you go way overboard. And try to support those who really stick their neck out in spite of opposition, like Nadine, who stuck by her ordinance and didn't back down.
I agree with AKGRIZ that we should get a discount for using reusable bags, instead of getting taxed for using plastic.
hehe Flipping Fluke Floppkins Flips again!
Our liberal statist President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize (hahahahahha!). It comes with a 1.4 million dollar reward. He has said he will donate it to charity (probably ACORN........). If he does donate that money to charity, it wil be the most he has ever donated in his life! This greedy jerk of a President has usually given about 1% of his income to charity. Meanwhile, he lets his brother live off $20 a year in an extremely tiny hut in Kenya and his Aunt in a slum in Boston. Barack Obama will take care of America and the world like he has taken care of his family. He is his brothers keeper........
caveman -
We do already get money back from Safeway and Fred Meyers for using reusable bags. Safeway gives 3 cents each bag, Freds 5 cents. Its not a discount, but more of a refund. Still, extra money in your pocket.
I certainly wish that were enough incentive for people to stop using plastic, but it hasn't been. That was one of my points in the letter to the editor I published titled "Reduce First" and in my presentations to the assembly. We have been able to get the refund from Safeway for a long time, as much as 20 years, I'm not sure of exactly how long, but I remember my mother using reusable bags when I was a kid and getting 10 cents back at Safeway for each bag. The amount we get back has gone down, but the choice to use reusable is still there, as it has been for a long time. And yet, many still use plastic. My point is that the refund has been around and is a good incentive, but clearly it has not been enough of an incentive to get people to change their habits, hence the bag fee.
AkGRIZ mentioned wanting to get the word out about the current refund for reusable bags. Those of us who are for the bag fee have tried to do that as well - again, I mentioned it in my letter to the editor - and I tell many people about it. The refund has been around at Safeway for about 20 years, if people haven't known about it, sorry, but I've grown up in this town knowing about it.
America needs to catch up with nearly all of Europe which already charges for plastic bags. They have for years. I personally haven't used a store's bag in over 6 years. It's not difficult to carry your own bags or even carry your purchase out without a bag if it's one or two items. Why do we have to complain about this and not just be responsible individuals? I took my kids on a walk up the street today, and my daughter and I filled an entire trash bag with plastic bottles, beer cans and plastic bags littering the side of the road. Grow up people and respect the beautiful state we are blessed to live in!
#
gdotz
10/9/2009, 9:26 a.m.
Suggest removal
Booooo! This is a simple issue---do you like plastic bags blowing in the wind? Voting this out was irresponsible!!! Shame on Fairbanks.
-------
I don't see bags blown in the wind.
What I hear is an ACLU board member blowing wind!
I did my part! I voted to remove one bag.
Doris, the McD ice cream cone is 150 calories which is not really great, it is however not as bad as most people think. As a craving fix, 150 really isn't that bad.
So, AIG, you would apparently prefer a candidate who rigidly refuses to change their mind in the face of certain disapproval.
At least, that's what I can infer from your "flipping Fluke Flopkins" comments. Interestingly, can you name the current Mayoral candidate that has never changed their stance on a Borough assembly vote? Never "flip-flopped" in your words?
The correct answer is nobody.
But facts don't really play into this, do they? Neither does the bag tax; that's more of an incidental. No, all you really want is ammunition to use against Hopkins because... why? Because you percieve him to be an Obama-esque liberal? I assure you, he is anything but.
Well good news!
I mentioned to my family that I have cloth bags, but often forget to bring them. As I leave the store I see others with their cloth bags and my plastic and vow to remember them next time.
Well both my son and husband chimed in that TALKING about using the cloth bags, not actually DOING anything about it, was good enough. In fact they think I may be in line for a Nobel Prize ...
Alaskan_1980:
You made my point concerning the arbitrary nature of taxing a plastic bag. Two bags just alike...one gets taxed and one don't. One cost you $.05 and the other one you can reuse at home.
I understand the desire to reduce the plastic "foot print" at the dump and along the highways .. but a "feel good" reusable tote sack REVENUE GENERATOR has got so many air-holes in it, that serious consultation would be in order before enacting a disguised tax on food.
Hilda: I hope you never spill any of that McDonald's coffee on your lap. According to the rules of American fair play, you'd have to sue them.
I think we should forward Nadine's name to the Nobel committee. She managed to unite this town like no one has in years.
Krissy, as others above have pointed out, it seems I'm not the one who needs to check their facts. While I was attempting hyperbolism in my remarks, there is a strong element of truth--Ms. Winters obviously has a personal agenda and is bound and determined to misuse her position to force it on citizens who have much more important issues on their plates. In that regard, I do maintain she should lose her position. And I voted to that effect.
Alaskan_1980, seems you were rather dismissive of the comments about getting the word out. If you're really genuine in your belief about reducing plastic bags, I would hope to see you with a sandwich board out in front of Freddies/Safeway telling people "get your discount here"--rather than attempting to force an ill-conceived, feel-good initiative on the good people of Fairbanks. Otherwise, I'll be tempted to think you're not serious. I've lived in Fairbanks 15 years, and it was only when this tax came up that I heard about the discount--and believe me, I'll be all over it.
AKGriz:
Yes, I am sincere about getting the word out. Otherwise I would certainly not write, refine, and publish a letter to the editor, speak at two different assembly meetings on the topic, AND spend time correcting the misinformation you and many others promote on this very site.
I think the sandwich board idea is a bit too ridiculous. I don't see you out there publishing anything or speaking on this topic with your name attached. I however have publicly spoken out against this and have not hidden behind a pseudonym. My name is published with my letter titled "Reduce First". I was born here in Fairbanks over 29 years ago and am very serious about getting a recycling program going in this community. I have worked with the recycling task force, volunteered to collect e-waste, created a recycling program at a school I worked in last year, and am currently working to do something about the plastic bag problem - since the bag fee failed, I will be working with others in the borough for an alternative solution.
Even this afternoon when I dropped off reusable bags to Food Bank to give away with food boxes (courtesy of those in favor of the bag fee) I had to inform one of their employees about some of the details of the bag fee ordinance as he, like many others, had been misinformed.
So believe me, every chance I get I talk to people about this and will only continue to do so. "Getting the word out" does not have to be a ridiculous scenario including sandwich boards and bell-ringing, it can be through writing and speaking to as many as possible
Sorry that you haven't until recently learned of the rebate for using reusable bags, but it has been in the community longer than you have. Perhaps Safeway or Fred Meyer should have advertised that long ago or you should have asked if there was an incentive to bringing your own bag, or brought your own and watched what happened.
I am serious about helping this community. Are you? You comment on here A LOT but what have you actually DONE lately besides complain? Stop whining about those of us who actually want to see progress.
Alaskan_1980,
Wow, that is quite a lecture. What's up with all that ridicule for someone who's trying to work with you?
A normal response would have been, "Well, thank you, AKGriz, for your willingness to consider utilizing alternate bagging methods. I'll try to do a better job on my end of advertising the discount."
Truthfully, on my list of priorities between zero and ten, zero being low, recycling/especially plastic bag issues is somewhere around, oh, about a minus 2,000. There are so many other issues worthy of actual concern in this day and time. So why do you feel the need to try to rip me when I'm trying to work with you even though there's nothing in it for me at all? I don't believe in it, hence it's not MY job to ask or get the word out--that's my challenge to YOU--you SAY you believe in it, but DO nothing of real substance to actually accomplish your stated goals except rip those who try to work with you. Regurgitating environmentalist talking points does not count as anything of substance.
And your comment "spend time correcting misinformation you and many others...." is WAY off target. Find ONE piece of information put out by me on this site that is in any way "misinformation." Look hard, now, because you will not find it. Just because someone disagrees with you does not make it "misinformation."
And here I thought the sandwich board idea had merit. A sandwich board reading, "The end is near, get your reusable bag here" would not only be poetic but also practical, incorporating your idea of the bells. Why, you could have a kettle for donations for the recycling fund too. Both problems solved, and no tax for anyone to have to pay. And in all sincerity I'll be the first to drop a $100 donation in the kettle once I return from deployment.
Oh, yes. Anonymity. Everyone who needs to know who I am already knows. No need for self-aggrandizement.
Progress? If progress is putting another tax on people, we don't need no stinking progress.
How's that for whining?
Although it is after the election and Hutch got creamed.
Some fun reading.. Hutch wanted an Employment tax
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/0812...
I think he should consider moving to Adak and run for mayor!
Funny how when newspapers and such are facing financial problems, all of the sudden the "environment" now takes a back seat and the "benefits" of this and that are not that great......
USA Today to post 17 percent drop in circulation
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financial...
BUT.....
Kill a Newspaper, Save a Tree? Not Quite
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnfl...
Of course, they're omitting other reasons for the decline in their circulation: People being fed up with the media's bias and slobbering over the current administration......
AKGRIZ:
There is nothing about your posts that makes me think you are in any way "trying to work with me" or anyone else like me. You like to poke fun at everything we are doing by suggesting flippant ridiculous alternatives to the problem such as using Nadine's salary (which is actually a monthly stipend) to fund the recycling program or using sandwich boards to advertise reusable bags.
If you are truly trying to help, that is not coming across to me whatsoever.
If this issue is not one of your priorities, I question why you are even on these forums. And, it is not my JOB to do anything, my work supporting this ordinance has been completely on my own time, as it is for the rest of those i know who have spoken in support of this. Take responsibility for your own education and community and get involved, find out what is going on instead of expecting information to land in your lap.
I did get the word out as much as I possibly could, as I stated above, and I did not just state "environmentalist talking points" I stated information to help locals learn about the issue. What else would you realistically suggest I do, seriously, NOT a ridiculous suggestion like a sandwich board? There are plenty more ways I could help get the word out and educate the community, but now the borough assembly (thanks to local outcry) has voted down the bag fee, which would have funded a local recycling program. So, back to square one - now the supporters of a local recycling program need to find a source of revenue.
I agree there are many issues, this is just one I support and have become involved in. I am also passionate about helping local youth and helping curb local substance abuse. Currently my focus has been the bag fee (because I also strive to better our local environment, which I do believe is worthy of concern) and, believe me, I did not expect it to be so HUGE of an issue locally so it has taken far more of my time than I expected.
If you want to help, then help find a real, positive solution to creating a local recycling program, because, whether you agree or not, it is needed in Fairbanks.
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