Sunday, June 16, 2013

Feel Good Philosophy Of Banning Things

People, get a bug up their butt to ban something they see as detrimental to society.  It could be drugs, it could be prostitution, or it could even be something as simple as a plastic bag.  As a free market capitalist, banning these things makes absolutely zero sense to me.  There are unintended consequences that sometimes override the supposed benefits of the feel good ban.

This utopian worldview and feel good philosophy has many unintended consequences.

So what are the unintended consequences of banning plastic bags?


First, increased crime:

The plastic bag ban has caused more crime.

Second, it causes increased disease

From the Article:
“A reusable grocery bag left in a hotel bathroom caused an outbreak of norovirus-induced diarrhea and nausea that struck nine of 13 members of a girls’ soccer team in October, Oregon researchers reported Wednesday.”

The free market and reality are going to make plastic bags, irregardless of your feel good policies trying to ban them and save the world.  Just like with drugs, banning something only increases demand and lowers the supply.  Just like with other items banned the unintended consequences end up worse than the problem they were trying to fix.


The data clearly shows the plastic bag ban is killing and hurting people.

It would also be extremely educational to understand how oil is cracked.  No matter what a refinery does today, they are going to end up with the material to make plastics.  It doesn't use less oil to ban bags, that poly material will be cracked no matter what.

This one is seriously under taught to our youth and politicians.  The question is what will the oil refineries do with that material?  Now that these dystopian mindsets are trying to make the world a better place by banning something that exists naturally as part of cracking a barrel of oil.

In conclusion, we would be well served to not so quickly ban something for the sake of trying to make the world a better place.  What can you do?  Get involved in local politics.  If the city you live in proposes banning plastic bags, present the facts to them.

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