Going to hell in a plastic bag

It's clear that laws are made for the stupid. Get this, California is about to impose a "bag tax". The EPA and other environmental groups are up in arms because idiotic ignoramuses don't know any better than to discard plastic grocery bags anywhere but the trash can. The bags drift into the gutter, then float into storm drains and out to the ocean where they strangle birds & fish, and turtles mistake them for dinner, i.e. jellyfish, which is a staple in their diet.

Assembly Bill 2058, authored by Lloyd Levine - the same incompetent who wants to banish the incandescent light bulb in favor of the mercury laden compact fluorescent energy saver bulb, reads as follows:

The bill would require a store that is not complying with the diversion rate
requirements (defined as a 70% reduction in the volume of single-use bags distributed by 2010)
to sell plastic carryout bags to customers for not less
than $0.15 per bag. A store charging customers for plastic carryout
bags would be required to demonstrate that any revenue
collected, excluding the cost of the bags and a reasonable financial
return, is used to fund specified programs. 

I agree that plastic bags are hazardous to the health of the planet. I also agree that the waste generated by grocers is egregious - we've all seen them unnecessarily double bagging or putting just one item in a bag. But paper is no better. Although biodegradable, it takes 70% more energy to produce and transport paper than plastic. And most of all we've got to get people to think about the amount of waste we create and how it gets disposed. Maybe hitting them in the pocket book is the most heavy-handed way to get results but Life Rules 101 describes how there are trade-offs to just about EVERYTHING. As usual let's get all the facts before we knee-jerk.

Who it helps: birds, fish, turtles, environmentalists, Lloyd Levine's campaign.
Who it hurts: all the poor shlubs just trying to make a living and keep some of their paltry earnings, and drug addicts because the drugs are legal in California but the bag it comes in will soon be illegal (I can't take credit for this ironic observation). Ha!

P.S. Stores are now - audaciously, disgracefully - charging for reusable bags depicting their logos. Wouldn't it behoove them to hand these out for free or a nominal fee? (The last one I bought was $5.00!) Not only is it free advertising but it sets them apart as environmentally conscious.