D.C. GOP Fights Bag Tax, Lose, Demonstrate No Understanding of Irony.

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D.C. GOP Offers 'Bag the Bag Tax' Bags

City Desk had a fun post yesterday about the D.C. Republican Committee's whimsical attempt to protest the District's new $.05 disposable bag fee by ... selling their own reusable bags? Hmmm.

Maybe it's not as counter-intuitive as it sounds. It's not difficult to picture the hundreds, if not thousands, of irritated, marginalized small-government conservatives living inside the District who wouldn't ordinarily be caught dead carrying some Liberal Canvas Bag. This way, the D.C. GOP gets the message out that they are against the bag fee, and their members get to use a slightly less embarrassing reusable jobbie, thus avoiding paying the tax, too. Winners all around.

"We have heard from a large number of D.C. Republicans who agree that cleaning the Anacostia River should be done, but placing a nickel tax on all plastic and paper bags is just ridiculous," said committee chairman Paul Craney. "We are offering these reusable tote bags in an effort to save our D.C. Republicans that annoying 5 cent tax."

The bags themselves come in navy and khaki, and are emblazoned with the message "Bag The Bag Tax" on one side, and the D.C. GOP logo on the other. One note of clarification, however, before you order: City Desk had reported that the bags cost $5 each, but actually, the committee is asking for a $25 donation in exchange for the first bag, with additional bags costing $5 apiece. So if you want two bags, it's $30, three bags, $35, etc. Probably not the most cost effective way to avoid paying that 5 cent fee, but we're guessing if you're the sort who'd like to carry these particular bags, the message outweighs the cost.

The D.C. GOP's limited edition "Bag the Bag Tax" tote bags are available online.

Source: http://dcist.com/2010/01/dc_gop_offers_bag_the_bag_tax_bags.php

Note: The bags do not come filled with futility, the customer is expected to provide their own.

T
K
Oh, I love this city...

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[+3] - sozobe - 01/29/2010Irony might be the wrong word. Something like: - Republicans cross arms and say they won't use stupid liberal reusable bags, which are stupid and liberal - Liberals say fine, if you won't...

@Diest TKO,

That's so awesome!

Go bag tax. Obviously it's working.

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@Diest TKO,

I hope New York state picks up its version of the bag tax.

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I think my favorite part is that most grocery stores here sell their own reusable bags for $1.00 a piece.

T
K
O

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This is like Walmart who is now (in some parts of the country) charging 5 cents per bag. The problem is their system is totally geared to using their own plastic bags that are attached to little carousels for the checkout person to load the groceries into. The checkout people are also monitored for how fast they process each person and a slow time can get them reprimanded. When you hand a Walmart cashier your reusable bags they have no place to easily load them and they get a panicked look because they know it is going to take twice as long to process your purchases which might get them in trouble.

I'm waiting the Republicans to come out with their own brand of solar panels made in China.

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@Diest TKO,

I'm missing the irony here.

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@joefromchicago,

Irony might be the wrong word.

Something like:

- Republicans cross arms and say they won't use stupid liberal reusable bags, which are stupid and liberal

- Liberals say fine, if you won't do it of your own accord, we'll pass this tax to goose you into doing it

- Republicans say "don't tax me bro! you can't make me use your stupid liberal reusable bags"

- Tax passes

- Republicans protest the tax by using intelligent, Republican reusable bags instead. Take that liberals!

1 Reply

@sozobe,

Well, maybe. I'm certainly not familiar with the reusable bag tax controversy in DC (this thread is the first I've ever heard of it), so I can't be sure of anyone's motivations here, but my guess is that Republicans aren't opposed to reusable bags, they're just opposed to the tax on disposable bags. Their response to the tax strikes me as rather clever and creative, surprisingly so given that they're Republicans. Although I suppose the most surprising thing to me about this situation is learning that there are actually Republicans in DC. Learn something new every day.

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@joefromchicago,

The irony is this...

The purpose of the disposable bag tax is to get people to use reusable bags (which are far better for the environment; something that liberals care about).

The Republican way to protest the bag tax is to produce reusable bags.

When the protest against the tax does exactly what the tax was intended to do-- how is this not irony?

1 Reply

What i find amusing is that the Republicans are referring to this as a tax. You have to pay a nickel in Trana if you use a plastic bag, but not even the Tories here have referred to it as a tax. As far as i know, the five cents doesn't go to the provincial government, or the city--you just have to pay if you are foolish enough to show up at the store without your own bags.

The girl has a raft of bags for her shopping--they've been available for years and years. The Tories here have never made an issue of it. Maybe they're just not as clever as the Republicans, who will brand any expenditure of which they do not approve (i.e, not corporate pork barrel or "defense spending") as a tax or an unfunded mandate.

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

As far as i know, the five cents doesn't go to the provincial government, or the city--you just have to pay if you are foolish enough to show up at the store without your own bags.

http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/packaging_reduction/5centbag_bylaw.htm

Quote:

Retailers are entitled to keep the money received from the plastic bag charge, the money is not remitted to the City of Toronto. While the City does not stipulate what retailers should do with this money, it does support reinvesting the funds in local environmental or community-based initiatives.

the bit about the stores keeping the money was what got some of the consumer groups p*d off

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@Diest TKO,

The problem is that those "reusable" bags that cost a $1.00 do not last 20 trips to the grocery store. It's cheaper to just use the bad-for-the-environment plastic bags (and then reuse them at home as trashcan liners).

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@joefromchicago,

You have a point. I know nothing more about this than what's in the original post... I'm going by the "wouldn't be caught dead" part but that may be inaccurate.

Set makes a good point about "tax" being a misnomer too.

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@DrewDad,

DrewDad wrote:

The problem is that those "reusable" bags that cost a $1.00 do not last 20 trips to the grocery store. It's cheaper to just use the bad-for-the-environment plastic bags (and then reuse them at home as trashcan liners).

We've got 99 cent bags that The Girl has been using literally for years. While it is true that the more expensive (a couple-two-three bucks) bags are sturdier, the dollar bags we have last a lot longer than 20 trips.

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@DrewDad,

DrewDad wrote:

The problem is that those "reusable" bags that cost a $1.00 do not last 20 trips to the grocery store. It's cheaper to just use the bad-for-the-environment plastic bags (and then reuse them at home as trashcan liners).

That's why cloth bags are a better investment - and usually don't cost more than 4-5 dollars, they last forever.

Cycloptichorn

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@DrewDad,

I bought some Trader Joe's reusable bags maybe six months ago that are still going strong (I get the stink eye from Whole Foods clerks when I use 'em there but too bad). They were $1.99. (And I use 'em at least once a week, so that's 20+ uses so far, they're still good as new right now.)

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Cluster!

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That was half of an expression, right?

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@sozobe,

sozobe wrote:

I bought some Trader Joe's reusable bags maybe six months ago that are still going strong (I get the stink eye from Whole Foods clerks when I use 'em there but too bad). They were $1.99. (And I use 'em at least once a week, so that's 20+ uses so far, they're still good as new right now.)

Haha, they give me the stink-eye too! I always say to 'em, 'you know you go there too.'

Cycloptichorn

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@DrewDad,

I can pick up canvas reusables for less than $1 Canadian (and a lot of events hand 'em out free). I've got a couple that I've had for literally decades. I just found one on the weekend that I'd received as a promotional item when No Frills opened in Ontario (20 - 25 years ago). The thing's still going strong - canvas with nylon web handles - just needed a run through the washing machine.

I've got four folding ones that I carry in my small purse all the time. Each of them has easily had 50 - 100 uses each.

Those weird ones made out of something that feels like smushed paper - they're nasty, but they're definitely not in the majority of what people use.

1 Reply

D.C. GOP Fights Bag Tax, Lose, Demonstrate No Understanding of Irony.

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