It’s time to speak out when the City Council expands the scope of its job, moves in directions that will increase our cost of living or targets our tourists. In a battle about the plastic grocery bags now available in our stores, a move exists to eliminate them, charge for reusable bags and use paper bags that were seen in the 1970s and ’80s as being environmentally unfriendly.

The “Bag It” campaign refuses simply to acknowledge that Durango residents have the capacity of intelligent choice rather then being micromanaged with burdensome laws.

Supermarkets will charge for the more costly forms of carrier bags, putting additional financial strain on families in a time of recession. Further, it diminishes customer service to the tourists we depend on.

Where is the evidence that Durango landfills are at risk because of plastic grocery bags, or does the City Council intend to also ban disposable diapers, paper bags, plastic food containers, plastic milk cartons, plastic trash liners, the sale of water bottled in plastic and the multiple other forms of product that is used in our daily lives?

Our City Council serves us better when it focuses on enhancing opportunities to grow business and generate tourism instead of chasing minimum-impact issues that tread on the goodwill of the voters.

Ken Fusco

Durango