• shalafi@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I don’t. I often comment about political capital, and rarely get a warm reception. But it’s a real cost in elections. Back in the 80’s we called it “realpolitik”, mostly in regards to international politics.

    I’m outside all the damned time, certainly more than most people reading this. The amount of straws I pack off the trails and waterways is noticeable. And bottle caps and plastic bags and beer cans… you get the idea.

    So banning such things should be a no-brainer? Right?! Of course it is. But then the other side gets to hit you with:

    “Oh FFS! The libs won’t let us have damned straws now! What next from the nanny state?!”

    Liberal brains tend to think, “This decision is objectively correct, so who would object?” Conservative brains work more on emotion. “Why the hell are you trying to control my every little move?!”

    So, we get plastic straws banned, an objectively good idea, but we lose political capital, we lose votes by tiny increments that stack. Was it worth it? I’ll leave that as an exercise for the reader.

    And yeah, this particular thing is obstruction for obstruction’s sake. I get that. OTOH, the opposition still gets their message out to our detriment.

    • TigrisMorte@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      And of course it wasn’t Liberals that got it banned. Just like with Sugared drinks, it is the cost that is the issue, not some Nanny State desire. Plastic straws litter is everywhere. Other trash builds up as the straws make tiny plastic beaver damns. Thus the drains can’t work and the City pays to clean up flooding.

      • ApostleO@startrek.website
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        1 year ago

        Yeah, single-use plastics make sense in a medical setting. They have the added value of being sterile where you really need it.

        Outside of that setting, it’s just a convenience that is costing the environment.