Who Is Tara Zrinski?
Zrinski believes "white males can get away with anything, shrouded by privileged [sic] and protected by the entourage of patriarchy, the ultimate fraternity."
She got away with perjury. (See NorCo Docket 2007-9468, Court Order dated 12/16/08, Paragraph 14).
Zrinski has spent most of her first year in office running for something else. She actually skipped out on a finance committee discussing county plans to borrow $26 million so she could attend a political rally for congressional candidate Susan Wild. She comes to committee meetings late or phones in, even though she's in town and could easily attend. After missing most of a meeting, she then will ask questions that have already been asked and answered.
Her Statement of Financial Interests, filed 3/20/18, fails to list any sources of direct or indirect income. At LinkedIn, she claims to be an adjunct professor at both Northampton Community College and LCCC. Neither school lists her on their current faculty roster. She states she was a Tesla energy adviser between June 2017 and March 2018, and is currently a "Project Manager" with SunPulse Solar. She's getting money somewhere. But she fails to list either source on her Ethics Statement.
Between 2000 and 2008, she was listed as an Independent, and only voted in one municipal race in 2003. In 2008, she became a Democrat, but skipped voting completely in the municipal races of 2009, 2011 and 2013. When John Brown was elected Executive, she failed to vote at all. When Gracedale was on the chopping block, she cast no vote.
She might be passionate about the environment, but her interest in local government is very recent.
Zrinski's Interest in Solar is Self-Serving
Throughout this year, Zrinski has already introduced eight environmental resolutions, including the three she pushed on Thursday. Council has gone along with her, too. But they are growing weary. Council members John Cusick and Ferraro voted "present" to Zrinski's solar energy resolution. Cusick and Council member Matt Dietz voted "present" to Zrinski's green new deal resolution, with Ferraro saying No.
Earlier that evening, Council member John Cusick had stated that before we "save the planet," we should have voting machines with paper trails. This may have set Zrinski off. She actually insisted on reading her solar energy resolution in its entirety. But that prompted a question from Council member Peg Ferraro after Zrinski finished her recitation.
Ferraro: "Wow! What is your involvement with solar energy?"
Zrinski: "I'm a solar energy consultant,and so I consult people on solar energy for either residential or commercial.
Ferraro: "You could be a salesperson ...
Zrinski: "I could, but that's not why I'm pushing this at all.
"I'm very interested in the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change. That's why I have that job. Previous to that job, I was an adjunct professor of philosophy, and I also counsel people. I include that in my employment now because I want to help people transition to renewable energy. Not because I want the money from it. But because I am very passionate about solar proliferation and renewable energies in general. If I could put hydropower plants everywhere, I'd do that too."
Obviously, the solar energy resolution is self-serving. The more people who "transition" into renewable energy, the more green of another kind goes into Zrinski's pocket.
Plastic Bag and Straw Resolution Is a Terrible Idea
First, despite Zrinski's claim that this is only a recommendation, she's being dishonest. As she makes clear on Facebook, "[t]his resolution will then serve as a template for distribution to the municipalities who then will have the authority to enforce it." So she wants a ban, despite what she has told Council members.
Second, the American Chemistry Council reports that environmental impact of plastic is about 25% that of green alternatives.
Fourth, as pointed out in Real Clear Politics, plastic straws "make up less than four percent of the plastic waste stream? Shouldn't activists focus on reducing the environmental impact of the other 96 percent? Let's also address the fact that China, the world's biggest polluter, along with third world nations with little to no interest in sustainability, won't be curtailing its massive contribution to marine pollution anytime soon."
Fifth, the research is flawed. The notion that we use 500 million plastic straws daily comes from a nine year old's school project. According to Reason, the US is responsible for just one per cent of the plastic pollution in our oceans, and only a minuscule amount of that comes from plastic straws.
Sixth, as Peg Ferraro observed, "I don't appreciate gov't telling us what to do all the time. Maybe I'm being crude, but the plastic bag problem is like a pimple on a whale." Zrinski wants a ban with no consideration at all of what this will cost many of the small businesses that use them.
The real reason Zrinski is pushing this ban is what she said herself. She wants to be recognized as a leader. Never mind that this ban is a solution in search of a problem. This is just a virtue-signaler. The handful of municipalities that have adopted this just want the world to know how noble they are. Real nobility would consist of volunteering to help sweep our waterways of garbage. If Zrinski and her brigade of eco-warriors did that, they might actually accomplish something.
105 comments:
Bernie, this woman is bored with county government she has said as much to some Demo insiders. She sees herself as a state senator or a congresswoman. Since she got a great woman award (like Hefenr) she has been basically claiming to be weighing her political options. One has to wonder why she even ran for local office. The same with Hefner but Tara is even more open about her boredom.
Based on your two stories of these two ladies, it is clear we have two new people who know nothing of county government unwilling to learn anything new while giving lessons to all. They see themselves as more knowledgeable than anyone around. As a longtime watcher of county politics, you have seen these so-called self promoted super stars and know-it -all's come and go rather quickly.
As recently as the last election cycle Zrinsky has been publicly passing her self off as an “INDEPENDENT “ who is only registered as a Democrat out of necessity.
Boy, there’s a whopper of a tale.
Expect a lot more of heroic women like these two coming out of the local Democratic Party scene in the near future.
Why dont they do something big, like ban the landfill, lets talk about real pollution.
Her clear violation of the Ethics Act is very troubling. Although a public servant she obviously feels that where she gets her income is nobody's business.
Zrinski feels she can ride the women's movement to higher office. For a while she has been telling people she is going to primary Lisa Boscola in 2 years... the only problem Lisa is not on the ballot in 2 years, and Zrinski does not live in Boscola's district. Oops!
Now she is apparently running against Marcia Hahn for State Rep. I hope she does because that will be the end of her political career.
Zrinski drove a hybrid car before they were hip. Don’t forget that.
She would fit right in with the "TRUMP Administration". Maybe the Big "D" would give her a job filing his campaign report. I could just see "The Don" and Tara in the oval office discussing pollution, and telling Tara "That's the last straw Tara, you're fired".
Spot on Bernie!
6:30 .. You are spot on. She tells people all the time that she wants to go after Lisa Boscola. She is self serving and talks down to anyone that isn't a tree hugger. I'm all for the environment and believe in climate change, but she is so far out on the limb no one can reach her.
I always wondered why day after day she keeps taking pictures of her self and posting them on Facebook.
If you can’t be a narcissist on your Facebook page why bother with F.B.?
Being a rock star isn’t easy.
Such a cuckoo wackadoodle period. Where does her income come from. She is required BY LAW to disclose that. IS it true the college degree's she says makes her so qualified actually were from an online university? I think I wil buy her a service dog certification to add to her accomplishments and degree's.
She is a fake, fraud and phony! How this woman does not think she is not gonna be a one timer is beyond me. The word is out of what a crack pot she is. She makes pocketbook Peg look good and when you can out rank the crazy from Peg and be all bat shit crazy like her is saying something-
This reads like a last minute cram job of a high school "Republican Club" member.
Get off my lawn!
Oh brother. Theology major?
We're not killing the planet. The planet is killing us. To think we can avoid our ultimate extinction is silly. Banning DDT seemed like a great idea too. Im amused by those who constantly flash their credentials. The insecurity is pathetic.
My mother and I had lunch at Boscov’s Greeneryy restaurant on the Fifth Street Highway in a Berks last week. Paper straws. Sturdy, non-plastic, paper straws.
Credentials? A degree in Theology and hand holding does not make one an authority in the earth sciences/fate and transport of plastics. Google Search U is not an accredited program kiddo.
2 Timothy 4:3–4
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Tara sees herself a s a warrior for the Earth and Women. She hate men who tell her what she does not want to hear. Much like her sidekick Hefner, they believe they were sent to the county government to save us from ourselves.
Wow to those who dare challenge their righteous rage!!
Bernie despises those who attack the patriarchy because his besties ARE the patriarchy!
Speaking of environmental crimes I hope all your readers are aware of your disgusting chewing tobacco habit where each discharge of vile juice poisons countless microbes, insects and plants with the many toxins and carcinogens that lurk in that sludgy swill.
Tara will rise above this transparent example of toxic masculinity just like she survived your sabotage of an elevator to corner her and bombard her nostrils with your filthy flatulence.
Keep fighting Tara, plastic straws need to go and can be replaced with Rye Grass stalks which have very little carbon footprint.
BLUE BADGER
ROAR!!!
God save us.
Seems her heart is in the right place. These types of attacks are juvenile.
Studied Pastoral Counseling at Moravian Theological Seminary
Studied Theology at Moravian Theological Seminary
Studied Philosophy and English at Drew University
Seems to have done a lot of studying but did she get a degree?
"My mother and I had lunch at Boscov’s Greeneryy restaurant on the Fifth Street Highway in a Berks last week. Paper straws. Sturdy, non-plastic, paper straws."
John, I like that and am happy some businesses are making the switch, or that the encourage the use of reusable bags. Any consideration of a government ban should require a cost-benefit analysis. What is the real benefit? What is the real cost? Will the solutions really have four times the environmental impact as the current plastic? Is it true that plastic straws are only a small part of the plastic in our waterways? What about the disabled, some of whom need single use straws? Also, Zrinski needs to be honest. What she wants is a ban. Don't mislead people.
"This reads like a last minute cram job of a high school "Republican Club" member."
I do not think a high school Republican Club member would agree, as I do, that man-made climate change is very real. I am interested in solutions that work, not meaningless virtue signalling that does nothing to solve the problem but may hurt many small businesses.
"Zrinski drove a hybrid car before they were hip. Don’t forget that."
More virtue-signalling.
Your just salty because your overtures in the elevator ending in a thorough rebuffing, Tara Zrinski is a rising star of the new Green Dems you are a Long Dem who betrays the party when its convenient.
"Virtue-signaling" is a high school Republican club term. You didn't get SJW in there though so kudos for that.
For the record, I agree with the premise that straws alone won't solve anything. However, there really is no need for them to be plastic and eliminating them seems like a healthy step forward. I also prefer paper bags but I suppose I'm old school.
Religion is "virtue-signaling". Wearing a cross is "virtue-signaling".
"studied" total BS.... I can ut down she is the head of china and get away with it. Lets see the proof
The etymology if the phrase can be found at Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling
I believe it can be used to describe the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of both the left and the right.
a meaningless resolution like the plastic ban, which solves nothing and hurts some people, is a perfect illustration and very appropriate use of the term. That is why it bothers you.
Virtue signaling is the perfect term.
It appears that this women as moved around quite a bit. Being a frantic environmentalist, I wonder if solar panels were ever installed on any of her homes.
Just bought something at the Disney Store in the mall.
The cheerful clerk informed me with a smile that Disney has "gone green" and no longer hands out plastic or paper disposable bags.
She helpfully offered to sell me a reusable bag for a buck---probably costs Disney a nickel to import from some child-labor country.
The term "self-interest" doesn't just apply to fossil fuel and plastics companies.
She has fallen into the writing crypt of the BLOGGER! Her days a public official are numbered and she will see her political career disembowled before her as were other politicians like Fed Ed etc. The periscope is now up and she within range....
I have a sneaking suspicion tara would not enjoy or be able to afford the world she wants us to live in.
It would appear that Ms. Zrinski has ended one of the Valley’s longest “engagements” and is now listed on Facebook as “Single“.
This might be considered out of bounds but for the unfortunate testimony at the court case that calls her honesty into question.
It should be noted that her children’s books are quite nice.
Is there someplace that we could see the text of all three resolutions?
Why is council even wasting time on non-binding resolutions?
There is always a (usually hidden) purpose behind them, and if there isn't, they're generally meaningless.
Tara Zrinski is a beacon of environmental stewardship the ire directed towards her flows from dying boomers who cannot stomach the knowledge that thei3 generation shoulders the bulk of blame for our planets sickly state.
BLUE BADGER
People who know the least are most often convinced of their understanding. County government is not the place for her agenda.
Bernie O'Hare (11:14 am) said:
"...Zrinski needs to be honest. What she wants is a ban. Don't mislead people."
Isn't she just following the Democrat playbook on guns?
All that's missing is calling it "Common sense straw control".
The American Meteorological Society, which is cited in the original post, is a biased organization that promotes the myth of manmade climate change.
One of the 15 events extreme weather events they blame on man-made climate change is the near-catastrophic failure of the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam in California. This was a man-made disaster, but not related to climate change. There was an engineering failure of the main (concrete) spillway that caused it to erode. As such, the spillway could not drain the proper amount of water needed to keep the water in the dam at the proper level, and the emergency spillway (basically an earthen berm) had to be utilized. Had the main spillway been properly designed and constructed, the dam would not have been in danger.
In the Oroville case, you could also point to the California government's man-made failure to build additional water reservoirs to hold excess water which would mitigate drought-prone (read as 'desert') areas of the state. Building additional reservoirs to help in times of drought seems like common sense on this side of the country, but somehow escapes the enlightened bureaucrats in California.
Either way, not a climate-related "extreme" event, other than that rainwater was involved.
“24 HOURS OF REALITY”
Lol!!!
Straws are also commonly used to snort illegal drugs, they have no place in a civilized societY
BLUE BADGER
Tara may be saying and doing all of the right things for an area not like the old 15th CD. This is a region where cities don’t provide municipal trash service, where municipalities can choose to use the state police instead of paying for their own public safety coverage, and where other public services (like libraries) are deeply underfunded.
I live here, love the area, and have made my peace with how different the LV and Berks are from the rest of the country. I regret the ad hominem attacks by others than Bernie on Tara’s character.
The world is changing and those of us over 60 will have the most trouble with what’s coming.
This woman is insane. She is blasting Facebook telling people to cram into the county council chambers and yell at council to vote for this. She is bragging that she has five votes, yet does she?
I have heard she just assumes that all the democrats will blindly vote for it as written. Such arrogance is amazing. I have heard that some council members are angry she is trying to jam this down their throats at the last meeting when their agenda is already full. She refuses to consider any changes to her "violently green boilerplate" resolution.
She may find that being a bully will lose you more support than any thing you gain. She ha s a lot to learn. They both do.
She wants to weaponize government. From the left or the right, that is wrong.
Retired steel worker.
Life long Democrat.
White.
I vote for these people when Hell freezes.
tara Zrinski is a beacon of environmental stewardship the ire directed towards her flows from dying boomers who cannot stomach the knowledge that thei3 generation shoulders the bulk of blame for our planets sickly state.
"Planned obsolescence" is a manufacturing philosophy developed in the 1920s and 1930s, when mass production became popular. The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use. Vance Packard, author of The Waste Makers, book published in 1960, called this "the systematic attempt of business to make us wasteful, debt-ridden, permanently discontented individuals."
I do not believe dying boomers were the cause.
@2:27
Don’t worry. They have no interest in you or your vote.
its time for spadoni and morganelli to kick ohare out of their respective basements and face facts. susan won fair and square. thats just the way it is. time to deal with it instead of the all too familiar grade school bully game of character asassination for sport. Its no wonder they lose all of their elections. have a pity party in private and spare us the spurned man routine.
"The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use."
Sounds like wind turbines and solar panels.
Susan Wild won.
Now she will jump when she’s told to jump.
Tara is a good leader and a work in progress. She is a single Mom to 3 boys and busy. She is a competent personal counselor and sits on the Lehigh Valley Airport board of directors. She is willing to learn and picks things up fast. She takes her job on county council seriously and tries her best as a team player. No one is perfect. She has great potential. Let's give her a chance folks. Give her a break. She will come through.
spadoni and morganelli were both beaten badly by powerful women, so now its their turn to bully and beat down a strong woman like Tara. Such a shame they use this blog to ghost write, through its disgusting author who also hates strong women. So obvious and so sickening. Grow up and stop acting like rabid dogs.
the myth of manmade climate change
This universe doesn't give a damn. It will go on with or without us. Myth or no myth how can it not be a good idea to promote clean air and water?
As far as paper it can be argued there is more pollution produced in the overall manufacture of this product. The trade off is paper readily breakdowns in the environment.
Arguing over plastic straws is foolish when you consider plastic toys, car body parts, vinyl siding, etc. having a far greater impact. Instead our focus should be on consumers' reuse whenever possible rather then recycling or tossing these items into the trash.
If individuals themselves are unwilling, no law will ever solve this problem.
Meanwhile a French owned company gets a pass on emissions regulations by the last congressman and is burning used tires and plastics to make concrete. Guess that one got by Zrinski.
Now lets all talk about the dangers of straws because both sides know we are sleeping idiots.
She is trying to be the leader of the far left women, along with Amy Zanelli, Paige Van Wirt and Olga Negron. They are recruiting like-minded far left progressive women to run for office. They already have one. Angela Zanelli is running for City Council in Bethlehem. She is Amy's wife. Heard they have a deal to for Van Wirt to run for the 4 yr seat and Zanelli to run for the 2 yr seat that Van Wirt was appointed too. God help Bethlehem if that happens!
Ms. Zrinski has traded in sexism, agism and racial stereotyping.
Three strikes.
She’s out.
She should use her council time to explain why she lied to the judge. She can also explain how one is a good parent if you put your kids in one motel room and shack up with a boyfriend in another. People would like to know about her moral fiber and exactly what real advanced degrees she has.
Sounds like a grifter. Good for Peg, pointing it out!
Here's an idea for aspiring government types like Zero-inski: mind your own miserable business and get the fuck out of mine.
/\ - Clem
Consider this: Candidate A. runs in part on a platform that openly states that young,black
men are responsible for a significant amount of the problems that face the country today.
Sadly it’s been done.
No let’s add the fact that candidate A. prominently displays the symbols of Christianity while promoting this philosophy.
How would this be received by the Progressive Liberals that make up the he enthusiastic base of T. Zernski’s constituency?
Should this type of ugliness just be overlooked as we give this politician a chance to develop into a public representative?
"My mother and I had lunch at Boscov’s Greeneryy restaurant on the Fifth Street Highway in a Berks last week. Paper straws. Sturdy, non-plastic, paper straws."
This has nothing to do with straws, pollution, or climate change, it's just politics silly.
If she is packing the courthouse with environmental wackos, normal people need to go to the meeting. People need to tell county council we do not want to pay for bags because she and her gang say so. People need to be heard, not just the extremists.
County Council Thursday at 4:30
Normal people don't go to meetings. They're ... normal.
Is her thing even being voted on? Is it being pulled?
It was tabled on Thursday, but Zrinski has summoned her warriors to be at this Thursday's County Council meeting, so they can pressure Council. She claims to have the votes, so this is grandstanding on her part. After her minions speak, she will call to untable the resolution. I would vote to keep it where it is - in limbo. As my story makes clear,it needs more work.
"Is there someplace that we could see the text of all three resolutions?"
The plastic straw resolution is here:
http://nccvid.northamptoncounty.org/sirepub/cache/2/3veqa1jto21sxa5kbjayfe1k/160871211201809502848.PDF
The resolution cites the research of a nine year old and fails to include a cost-benefit analysis of how this will impact small business.
Bernie please investigate her alleged degree's PlEASE
She definitely has those degrees, in 2005 and 2007. I checked Moravian. Did not check for the Bachelor's degree, but she could not get a Master's degree without the bachelor's degree.
Here's a link to the 2007 graduation. http://articles.mcall.com/2012-05-12/news/mc-college-moravian-seminary-20120512_1_graduate-address-theological-studies-cristo-rey-network
Two points:
First: The straw issue is definitely overblown, but I would support a 10 cent fee at the grocery store for plastic bags. We have that where I live, and it definitely makes me use reusable bags a lot more.
Second: You've got to pay more attention to where you're getting your sources. Of course the ACS has research telling you plastic isn't that bad! They are trying to sell you plastic! Also this article is referring to plastic packaging, where the alternative is some organic alternative like coconut shavings or whatever, not plastic bags, where the alternative is just reusing bags you already have. And Reason magazine is trash. I had a professor once who publishes things there, and he outright told us that he is a monarchist.
The ACS is a respected society of professional chemists. I will take their biased research over a 9 yo.
“It isn't so much that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so many things that aren't so.”
― Ronald Reagan
Bernie, I do not know what it is that makes seemingly rational people lose touch with reality when environmental topics come up. Of course anyone can find propaganda from various industries to support claims that we should never worry about any environmental impact that isn't something a person can see or immediately feel--the Koch brothers pay good money to make sure you can get your anti-environmental propaganda anywhere, anytime. You're not a hero because you drink their coolaid rather than listen to scientists who are not getting paid by industries who profit from environmental degradation. And if someone did propose cleaning the river, you'd tell them to worry about some other more meaningful environmental problem, which you know equally little about. To you, those people talking about science are always just crazy treehuggers, and they have to be, because you don't actually have the training to evaluate the science claims--not that you need that to make rational environmental decisions, but I'm just saying... In any case, your general irrationality when the environment comes up is not my primary objection to this post. Putting your deep anti-environmentalism aside, can you just tell me whether I have this right: You are saying that we should not trust the green proposals of a person who has a part time job working for a solar company because of data that comes from a study commissioned by the American Chemistry Council (not the American Chemistry Society!!)--an organization that explicitly states on its website that it represents companies engaged in the business of chemistry, which obviously includes the plastics industry. So we're supposed to trust the motives of the organization whose sole purpose is to represent the business interests of companies involved in making plastics rather than the person who ran on a platform of sustainability and has decided pursue a non-lucrative career in a budding green industry? Something there just does not add up to me, and if you were not plagued by the irrationality that consumes you when someone says the word "environment," I think your perfectly competent legal brain would realize the irrationality of your own response. Can we like have a coffee sometime so I can give you a primer on plastics? You should learn about what they can actually do to the environment and your own body. You are eating them in fish, you are drinking them in water, they are in your bloodstream. Your body thinks they are hormones and therefore doesn't try to get rid of them. By the time your body figures out they are not hormones, you've already started to have other problems due to their build-up in your body. There is significant concern that they are a major cause of auto-immune disorders, and plenty of serious research going on to investigate the role of plastics in the rise of auto-immune disease. But the relationship between human health and plastic particles is not something that can be completely understood overnight. And there is a powerful industry trying to prevent and challenge any research aiming to understand the impact of plastics on the endocrine system. If you're going to be an investigative journalist, which your best work can claim, please do some real investigating into the problem before attacking the person who is trying to do something about it. I'm sure you don't want to live in a world where men grow boobies because the plastics in their blood make them think they need to produce more estrogen. Oh wait, maybe we already do....
Just because you hawk solar panels doesn't make you a scientist just as BO walking doesn't make him an Olympian.
The voters hired her to run the county govt. not to pursue a personal agenda. She may mean well but she needs to get out of the weeds or she will alienate herself from council. Let alone anyone who is not a true believer.
3:21, I fully embrace the scientific research. It is not iHome rejected research done by the American Society of Chemists. And I also did not Intrduce research done by a nine-year-old child, which is exactly what Zrinski did in her poorly researched resolution. There is no science, just emotion. There also is no cost-benefit analysis. How much will this negatively impact the local economy? What real benefit, other than symbolic, for the detriment to small business? Is it legal? Is this pre-emoted by state law? And then, what about the Constitution’s Commerce clause? Why was this resolution never vetted by a committee? This is nothing more than virtue signaling and grandstanding. I would be willing to look at a well researched resolution. This is not it.
Anon 3:21, have you ever heard of summarizing or self-editing? Good Lord!!
3:21, I fully agree with the science. Before I was a lawyer I was a chemist. I understand scientific research. There is no question that plastic pollution is bad. There also is no question that the US only contributes a tiny amount of the plastic pollution. If that amount, plastic straws are negligible. So the benefit of a ban does not seem to be there but I am willing to entertain solid research. What Zrinski presented is garbage, an appeal to emotion rather than scientific data. Periodic sweeps of our waterways would probably be far more effective than a ban.
Bernie, in your second response, I think you are trying to make a distinction between the amount of plastic waste that is "mismanaged" and the amount that is produced. USA is near the top in total quantity of plastic waste production. It is much lower on the list of top contributors to what is called "mismanaged" plastic waste. However, I would not argue that there is only a problem with the use of plastic when it is "mismanaged." Let's first be clear that it is still a disgusting amount of waste that is mismanaged by the USA. You can compare it to other countries and say it is small, but as an absolute value, I think we can do a lot better. Why should we, when we seem to like to eat, drink, and live in the stuff? Because even if the waste is not mismanaged, it still goes in a landfill where takes hundreds of years to break down, where it can leach into soil and water, where it can be forgotten and mismanaged by some future Trump-like administration who thinks any environmental problem that cannot be seen does not exist. If you think the solution is sweeping the waterways, then you are failing to consider the problem of aggregate plastic accumulation. It is better to prevent the amount going into the environment than to try to clean it up later. How much land do you want to consume with a material that takes hundreds of years to break down? I'm not trying to let other countries off the hook, but since we are the consumer market they are all trying to sell their good to, if we start rejecting plastic used in such excess, we will actually have a big impact on what other countries do.
I don't have time to respond to all your other points, but I don't really understand why the commerce clause is relevant. Local governments can ban all kinds of things. Hundreds of cities in this country have ordinances banning or charging for use of plastics. I have no idea what process Zrinski put this through -- b/c contrary to what some of your viewers assume, I am not Zrinski -- but I 100% support an effort to get plastic out of my life and out of my community. I don't like seeing it blowing in trees, I don't like drinking the chemicals it leaches into water bottles, I don't like it filling up landfills, or being incinerated into air pollutants I can't see. I don't need detailed research to know that the world is better off with less of this stuff.
And I love your call for cost-benefit analysis. Will that be retroactively applied? Is this something you've been consistently calling for in evaluating what NCC does, or just now that you don't like this particular proposal? I'm all for more CBA; if we were able to actually measure the health and environmental impacts of plastics, the benefits of banning them for many ridiculous uses would far outweigh the costs. Of course this is the problem with measuring the benefits of policies that prevent environmental pollution: it's incredibly hard to measure the benefits. This is why we often base the standards on what is necessary to protect human health. The only way to stand up to an industry that would like to bury us in plastic IS at the local level. We can all see that it is virtually impossible to get anything done about any number of problems through federal policymaking.
10:46, I have linked to the resolution. It contains shoddy research because it was rushed. I would be more than willing to consider a ban. But I would insist on thorough research. I would insist on notifying businesses so they can be heard as well as environmentalists. I would want to address the issue of disabled people who really need single use straws. I would want to know exactly how much this will hurt people. I agree that the benefit is mostly subjective. I would also insist this be properly vetted. Municipalities are not able to pads their own regs on anything they want. You got that wrong. I would want to see the legal research, which has not been done. That includes the Commerce Clause as well. These may be red herrings, but they need to be explored. This resolution is rushed, never went thru a committee and is mostly a product of passion. If you want to do this, do it right. What Zrinski is doing is grandstanding and virtue signalling.
The etymology if the phrase can be found at Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling
I believe it can be used to describe the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of both the left and the right.
Actually no. "Virtue signaling" does not involve hypocrisy per se. You are using it in the pejorative sense which has been perfected by the right wing to attack anything progressive.
By the way, you don't believe limiting your plastic consumption "solves nothing"? Really?
3:21, I fully embrace the scientific research. It is not iHome rejected research done by the American Society of Chemists. And I also did not Intrduce research done by a nine-year-old child, which is exactly what Zrinski did in her poorly researched resolution. There is no science, just emotion. There also is no cost-benefit analysis. How much will this negatively impact the local economy? What real benefit, other than symbolic, for the detriment to small business? Is it legal? Is this pre-emoted by state law? And then, what about the Constitution’s Commerce clause? Why was this resolution never vetted by a committee? This is nothing more than virtue signaling and grandstanding. I would be willing to look at a well researched resolution. This is not it.
Because Bernie and his slate-belt cronies know better than enormous constituencies like Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, San Francisco, Vancouver, etc or entire countries like Scotland and Taiwan.
In the year 2525 scientists will unearth plastic from the landfills and convert it back to oil
Bernie, I didn't say municipalities could do whatever they want. Let me try this way. There are hundreds of cities across the country that have passed plastic bag ordinances, so why would we be unable to do this in PA? We are not uniquely subject to the commerce clause. Our republican run state legislature is a far more likely source of legal challenges. As usual, whenever a city tries to pass a local environmental law that threatens a powerful industry, they just issue a law limiting what municipalities can do on that particular issue. This is what they did with the diesel vehicle idling limits; they wrote a law that said cities could not write ordinances that limited idling to less than five minutes. Everyone has to eat a minimum of 5 minute of diesel fuel, whether they like it or not. Something similar about plastic bags will undoubtedly be forthcoming. But the legislators who are sold out to the plastics industry should have to pay the price for not guiding this industry toward more effective cost internalization of the waste it produces. Let them try to pass the law and reveal their ineptitude for taking responsibility for anything but corporate profits. But setting that issue aside, is it possible for the "ban" that you mention to be passed at the county level? You are the lawyer. Zrinski's ordinance looks like it is simply recommending that municipalities adopt their own ordinances. I assumed this was because the county can't tell municipalities what to do. It looks like a template to me. One that could be helpful in getting the ball rolling in some municipalities, which is RECOMMENDED. Is there some draconian feature of it that I am missing?
There is growing scientific evidence indicating that when you buy fish you may unwittingly be consuming small amounts of plastic as well. Yummy. Of the 260 million tons of plastic the world produces each year, about 10 percent ends up in the ocean. I agree that the County's responsibilities have little if anything to do with this problem, but if nothing else what harm has been done apart from serving a valid purpose of educating the public regarding this growing problem of pollution that at one point will manifest itself in damage to the health of individuals throughout the world and in the County. But who cares.
12:08, The whole point here is that this was rushed and not properly vetted on the science, the negative impact on local business, the benefit (other than symbolic), the consideration of other steps that may have a much greater benefit or the legal considerations in the state doctrine of preemption and the Constitution. Add to that the natural American resentment against being told what to do by the government. You and other proponents are arguing emotion, not logic or science.
I would agree that plastic pollution is a serious problem, although it pales in comparison to carbon dioxide. We could ban plastic completely and it would not impact the climate change. I would suggest meaningful, as opposed to symbolic responses. And it would be necessary to draw in the community and build a consensus. That would be leadership. Not this.
"There are hundreds of cities across the country that have passed plastic bag ordinances, so why would we be unable to do this in PA?"
This is nonsense. One small community in Pa has adopted a ban and a handful of municipalities. California has adopted a ban, and one is being considered in NJ and NYC. I believe that taking meaningful measures to combat climate change are a bit more important than this virtue signalling, but the fact is that absolutely no research has been done on the state doctrine of preemption or the US Constitution. I raise these questions bc they should be raised before a ban is adopted or encouraged. I am informed Zrinski was made aware of these concerns but she went ahead anyway. that is not leadership. That is grandstanding. I would be more than willing to see this considered in some detail by a council committee, but not shoved down our throats.
Bernie, I tried to post a list of 349 cities that have bag ordinances. Unfortunately only 4096 characters are allowed in your comment box. Just use the google and you'll easily find some data on this. Agree that climate change should be addressed, but nevertheless I think of the plastic bag ordinance as a gateway environmental problem for the county to take on. Walk before you run. Bethlehem is claiming to take on climate change, but so far not much of anything is being done aside from cost-cutting measures initiated long ago. They are hiring a consultant but with practically no money, so it does not even seem like a good investment to me. They made some minor changes in the fire code to make it more feasible to install solar. They are claiming to use renewable energy, but have said nothing about whether this is coming from dirty renewable energies that are in the state's renewable energy portfolio. I think babysteps are appropriate in the environmental area. There's not a lot of expertise or interest in addressing environmental problems among politicians in this area. They don't care much about anything beyond the next election cycle. So many of these people are ancient or parochial in their views. So plastics are not a bad first step. People need to see that there not going to die if they can't have their plastic bags. And the questions of equity/disability you raise are more easily addressed by starting with something small, since there are easy alternatives to plastic bag/straw use in most cases. But don't let me stop you from rallying people to act on climate. That's a truly fantastic idea! And Zrinski is probably the only person in elected office who could be talked into putting some real effort into developing serious policy.
I have, and that's why I dispute what you're saying. I will look again in a day or two.
Here's a relatively recent list which does not even include the place in PA you previously mentioned: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/09/20/heres-a-list-of-every-city-in-the-us-to-ban-plastic-bags-will-your-city-be-next/#740467803243
This is misleading. It is NOT a list of communities that have outright banned the use. Of plastic straws and bags. It is rather a list that includes bans, condemnations or restrictions. I had that list. The number of communities that have actually enacted a ban is much smaller. Instead of wasting your time trying to address this bullshit issue, you should be considering solutions to the problem of plastic pollution that might actually be effective and not symbolic. As I mentioned, plastic pollution is only tangentially related to climate change. But I think an excellent way to deal with it in a way that is local is by conducting periodic sweeps of the LV waterways. In fact, some of the money that has traditionally been used for the purchase of swamps and cliffs that can never be developed anyway should be repurposed for that approach. Also, we can explore something known as The Plastic Bank, which is being used in Haiti. Those solutions will be more beneficial and actually address the problem in a meaningful way, don’t you think? They do so without being preachy or interfering with people’s lives. I would be all in on that kind of approach as opposed to self-righteous virtue signaling. Let’s do something that actually helps!
Bernie, I never said hundreds of cities have bans, and the proposed resolution is not a ban. I referred to bag ordinances, and cities that have bans and charges. The article that I linked uses the word ban, but lists cities that use several different measures to minimize the single use plastics. Incidentally, the resolution proposed by Zrinski is a series of "recommendations" which include putting a price on "single use plastic carry out bags." No ban is even suggested. Are we reading different resolutions? Zrinski's states that the resolution shall not cause undue hardship to the commercial establishment, especially where there is no viable alternative to single use plastic bags. It recommends the issue be taken up with local government and EACs, because presumably the county does not have authority to do more than recommend on this matter?
Sweeping waterways is something I've never heard of (at least not as you have referred to it), so please post a link with info on this action of significance. In general, end of tailpipe solutions are not really solutions. They are about pollution management, and what we need with plastics is pollution prevention. I don't know about the Plastic Bank. I'll check it out. I'm in agreement that there are many ways to address this problem. I just think you're having an overly dramatic reaction to an effort to get the ball rolling, which is an appropriate and reasonable step in the right direction. You seem a bit eager to attack Zrinski, when there's nothing wrong with the resolution. More importantly, if she can't even get a bag resolution passed, it's pretty unlikely something more significant is NOT going to fly.
I meant to write that it is pretty likely something more significant is NOT going to fly.
the implication is that there is a ban in hundreds of cities,and that is simply misleading. Breena Holland was misleading in he address in NorCo Council as well. The tabled NorCo is not a ban, and Tara Zrinski pointed that out when it was first discussed. What she didn't tell Council and what you are not acknowledging is what she later said on Facebook - the tabled resolution is a prelude to an enforceable ban in NorCo municipalities. And that will necessarily be intrusive and a hardship. So let's be honest and stop misleading people.
You never heard of sweeping the waterways? It's done several times a year by environmental groups. They do not jump into the water, but walk along creeks and rivers and pick up and bag garbage. I have participated. If you walked or biked the trails on a regular basis, you probably noticed it once or twice. What I am suggesting is that program be expanded. That has a tangible benefit without any of the hardships that concern me. It eliminates far more plastic than the tabled resolution. The plastic can be collected and sorted like The Plastic Bank does and then be used to make more plastic bottles. County open space $ could be used to help find this by paying people to collect and sort.
This would be far more effective and for less intrusive.
https://www.plasticbank.com/
"You seem a bit eager to attack Zrinski, when there's nothing wrong with the resolution."
There is plenty wrong with the resolution, and I have pointed it out. As for Zrinski, there is plenty wrong with her, and I have pointed it out. It is appropriate to point it out, too. She is an elected official..
Well I can't keep up with Zrinski's facebook page, so I'm not going to argue with you about what she said there. As for Holland's comments, she referred to bag ordinances, bag bans, and bag charges. You seem to be the one focused on bans. In any case, given the lack of environmental action in Bethlehem, it would be great if you gave those elected leaders some of your critical attention, since Zrinski is clearly more committed to environmental protection than the city's leaders.
A charge that internalizes the externalized cost of a plastic bag is not intrusive, it is simply good economics. Of course, polluters would love it if everyone else paid for the problems while they profit.
Yes, I've participated in waterway sweeps. I thought you might have been suggesting something more substantive than picking up other people's trash. Again, it's an end-of-pipe solution and does nothing to stop the source of the problem. It's not my job to pick up other people's waste. If they want to create it, they should have to pay for it landing in public spaces that we all collectively own. If I could monitor whose bag crosses onto my property and sue them for trespass or creating a nuisance, I would. But we all know that's not really possible so it is also not a solution. I don't understand how sweeping does anything to stop the flow. It just turns me into someone else's public janitor. If you charge people for bags, then you can also use the money to pay someone to clean up the plastic too. Zrinski would have been called a socialist had she proposed that.
Any plastic that is created should be recycled, but because that ultimately gets back into our bodies and the environment, it is far better to reduce. Recycle is the third R, not the first R. The resolution aims at reduction, which is a basic first principle of environmental protection that does not merely amount to passing the buck to the future.
I can assure you that I give plenty of critical attention to all elected officials, including those in Bethlehem. I was the person who exposed what was going in with Martin Tower, but you apparently are selective in what matters. Also, I tend to resent people who tell me what I need to be covering.
You call a sweep an end of the pipe solution that does nothing to solve the problem. That's crazy. It takes the plastic out. It ends the pollution from here. You would remove plastic straws,which is 0.01% of the plastic pollution from the U.S. You just want to shove this down people's throats. And it is intrusive, which is likely why City Council is reluctant.
Yes, your coverage of Martin Tower was really great! I wasn't telling you what to cover, just wishing that there was more of an effort by you (or anyone) to hold elected officials in Bethlehem accountable, particularly when it comes to environmental matters. Gadfly is getting the ball rolling with that, however.
Why do you think that removing plastic ends pollution? It still has to be transported to a recycling plant, which happens with only a small percentage of the plastic people use. Most of it goes to landfills, where it takes hundreds of years to break down, during which time any number of things can happen that lead to it leaching chemicals into soil and water. You don't see it, but it's still there. Recycling the stuff into some other product is possible if we are not talking about single-use plastics, but such a small amount of the non-single use plastic is recycled that I wonder if there is even the capacity or a market for a larger percentage of the plastic waste stream to be recycled. As you likely know, China just changed its rules for the recyclable plastic it will accept, which will probably result in even more plastic going to the landfill.
When you say I want to shove something down people's throats, I really don't know what you are talking about. City council in Bethlehem has not taken up a plastic bag ordinance. It is being worked on by the EAC, as discussed at the last NCC meeting. Who is shoving what down whose throat? I'd really like to not have to deal with the health consequences of excessive exposure to chemicals in plastics. The only way to stop that from happening is by diminishing the use of plastics that bleed dangerous chemicals into the environment. It's not like the bad stuff stays on the property of the person who profits from selling a plastic product, or on the property of the person who purchases it.
I think most cities that are eliminating plastic straws are doing it to bring attention to the plastics problem, and because it is an easy first step to make. The impact won't be as big as eliminating plastics that make up a bigger percentage of the plastic waste stream, but I don't want to use plastic straws because of the potential impacts on human health. Plastic straws are commonly made from petroleum and the FDA approves it as food-safe, but there is mounting evidence that it has polypropylene has significant health impacts because the chemicals in it leach, especially when exposed to heat, UV light, and the acid in drinks. I certainly don't trust the FDA to get out ahead of the problem; I'm sure you can think of any number of chemical exposures the government has failed to regulate as a health hazard until after serious health impacts were experienced by large numbers of people. My point is simply that reducing the massive amount of plastics in the environment is not the only reason to reduce the use of plastic straws. This is not to say that the city of Bethlehem would agree to a ban on straws, and it's my understanding that the EAC is working on a bag ordinance, not a straw ordinance. But many institutions are switching to use of non-plastic straws. I just carry my own stainless steel straw because I think we need to move away from using unnecessary disposable products of any kind. There's limited space on the planet, and moving and transforming waste is also an emissions heavy exercise.
At this poin, i have been speaking for days to someone who has yet to say who he or she is. At this point, basic courtesy demands that you identify yourself. I will engage anonymous commenters but not those who repeatedly post lengthy arguments for days.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2018/12/colleges-in-lehigh-valley-phase-out-use-of-plastic-straws.html
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