Stevens letter: Plastic bags
Many times Otter has complained bitterly about “federal overreach.” What does “federal overreach” mean? To me, it means big guys (U.S. government) should not dictate to the smaller guys (states, like Idaho). There’s a moral value here ... big guys should not push little guys around. Apparently, Gov. Butch Otter doesn’t see it that way.
When it comes to the big guy (Idaho) pushing around little guys (cities), he contradicts the moral logic of his own position. I’m referring to Otter’s and the Legislature’s attempt to forbid the cities from prohibiting harmful things, like plastic bags. This is a clear case of “Idaho overreach.” Otter was quoted as saying, in effect, that pushing the little guys around is OK because the cities and counties are creatures of the state government. Guess what, the states are the creatures of the terrible federal government. New states cannot be created without the consent of the Congress.
Who benefits from a ban on plastic bags? All the citizens of Idaho and the Idaho environment. Who’s hurt by such a ban? Only the company that makes and sells the bags. In my opinion, Otter is trading the whole of Idaho for one company. In my opinion, he shows his true colors. As they said at Watergate, “Follow the money.”
Jack Stevens, Boise
This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Stevens letter: Plastic bags."