Commentary on Bag-Ban

                In my classmate's blog entrty "Safety First" they discussed the local government's decision to ban single-use carryout bags. My classmate points out that even though not using plastic bags will be beneficial for our environment, it may not be beneficial for people. I agree that many people probably don't know about the dangers of cross contamination when using reusable bags. I bet a lot of people think that since they only use the bags for a short amount of time, they can't possibly be very dirty. I like how my classmate used a study in their blog that actually shows reusable bags have in face caused more food-borne illnesses and deaths.

                This is s a topic that I think definitely deserves more attention. People need to be informed about the safety procedures of reusable bags. It's scary to think about how many people could be affected if there was a flu bug or another illness that was let loose inside a grocery store. Grocery stores aren't clean, hundreds of people walk in and out each day. Just imagine how many people have touched your apple before you actually decide to put it in your reusable bag.

               I personally still forget to take a bag with me to the grocery store. I don't buy the bags that the stores have available, although I think it's a good idea to sell bags to those who wish to spend money on them. I agree with my classmate that these bags should come with some kind of warning label, urging the public to learn about safety measures and maintenance of reusable bags.

Commentary about Texas State and Local Government.

                Texas is a great state to live in because it's so independent. Something that we have discussed in class is the way that government officials have immunity in certain situations. I dislike this aspect of our government because I think they should be treated the same as everybody else. Texas seems to be so high up on the law and order of the people in our state, yet they don't uphold that characteristic when it comes to government officials. Another thing I don't think is fair is the way government officials re-district areas of land that will give them a more favorable outcome. There's always going to be people who are for and against the government. Some people believe government officials are corrupt and only do things to benefit themselves. Sometimes it may seem that way, when all elections now-a-days are full of expensive campaigns that spit out propaganda. Some people don't even have opinions, they just hop on a bandwagon.

                Overall, I believe Texas has a good government system. At least in theory it's a good idea. The fact that the people get to choose who represents them is great, but when you think about it, is it really the people that get to choose? Sometimes candidates say things they don't mean just to win. While a lot of people don't really have opinions of government, many do and that's another reason Texas is such a great place to live. Texans are very independent and always fight for what's fair. People always talk about how Texas is probably the only state that could still secede and be great on its own. While I don't believe that is going to happen, I think the democracy that Texas has would allow it to flourish on its own.