Zrinski's War Against Plastic Straws

I told you about Super Shrink, aka Lori Vargo Heffner, yesterday. With less than a year on NorCo Council, she has demonstrated a mean streak, if not outright hostility, toward others. It was on full display at Thursday night’s Council meeting, with picayune objections to staffing at the Juvenile Justice Center. That's nothing compared to Eco Warrior Tara Zrinski. She had three nonbinding resolutions supporting solar power, the green new deal and a single use plastic bag and straw ban. The first two resolutions easily passed. "I'm all for the sun," said Council VP Ron Heckman. But the third was tabled at Zrinski's request. This is so she could summon her fellow environmentalists to pressure Council this Thursday.

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

According to the American Meteorological Society, man-made climate change is responsible for 15 extreme weather events in 2017. It's very real. But other than preserving open space and following green guidelines in its own building projects, county government has very little control over plastic or greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed ban on single-use plastic bags and straws is idiotic.

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.

Third, a plastic straw ban would make it impossible for some disabled people to drink at all. "Nondisabled people ask what we did before straws existed, and I have harsh news for them: We died. Or we lived in abusive, grim, isolating institutions where we didn’t need straws because we got 24-hour attendant care."

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.