Well, the Nanny State never tires at trying to run every aspect of our lives.\u00a0\u00a0The San Francisco shopping bag ban\u00a0appears to be making\u00a0its ugly migration eastward.<\/p>\n
Virginia and Maryland are now\u00a0looking to follow the lead of other meddling jurisdictions as they consider<\/span><\/a> a 5-cent tax on shopping bags.\u00a0 This is not only an affront to individual liberty but also another pathetic attempt by government to raise a little extra cash.<\/p>\n What\u2019s most disturbing about this scheme to tax \u201cpaper or plastic\u201d is that most grocery stores in the area already incentivize recycling.\u00a0 Local stores like Giant, Whole Foods (run by a libertarian who eschews most state involvement) and Harris Teeter already offer 5-cent discounts (per bag) for customers who bring in their own.<\/p>\n Politicians can\u2019t complain that the market hasn\u2019t taken the lead because most private companies are already ahead of career politicians on the issue.<\/p>\n Delegate Alfred Carr<\/span><\/a> of Montgomery County, Maryland opined, \u201cWe need to do this as a region.\u201d\u00a0 Really? \u00a0 Your state is mired in recession, most private companies already promote recycling and you believe a new tax on plastic bags is a pressing issue?\u00a0 Your state has the fourth highest<\/span><\/a> tax burden in the nation and you think that increasing that burden will help your constituents?<\/p>\n