I have been following the debate about the plastic bag surcharge being proposed by the Durango City Council.

I believe if residents of the city and county were responsible folks when it came to regarding our natural resources and environment, we would not need any government intervention.

Laws are created because, in the natural scheme of things, a certain group of individuals in a society believe it is their God-given right to do as they please regardless of the costs to the community at large.

In a perfect society where everyone was a responsible citizen, we would probably need fewer, if any, governmental laws. However, this not being the case, and in order to create a better community for all, we elect individuals to govern the masses and create laws for the betterment of all. Most people realize the necessity of such governance.

Thus we have a proposed law to try to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags, which we all should know are not disposable at all but reside in our landfills, roadways, rivers and forests forever. I cannot count the number of times I have been following a pickup with plastic bags blowing out of the truck bed. Responsibility?

Personally, I have been using reusable bags for about 20 years now, and despite all the fear mongering about E. coli and other horrendous diseases, I seem to have never been the recipient of such a disease. Hmmm, I guess that is because I wash my fruits and vegetables and make sure I cook food to an appropriate temperature, which everyone with a brain should do anyway. Simple solution.

So, I have a hard time listening to or reading all the whiners’ comments about how their life will never be the same without plastic bags. I say, get over it and let’s all move on. I applaud the Durango City Council in its debate and hope it moves forward with the bag surcharge. The only thing that they could do better would be to completely ban all plastic bags in all stores.

Ed Lehner

Durango