There is a movement afoot in the Oregon legislature to ban the use of plastic bags in the state’s grocery stores, but it has its opponents and efforts to get a bill passed have stalled. The opponents are using radio stations to take their case to Oregon citizens.
Proponents of the measure want to eliminate the bags for a number of reasons. They are not good for the environment is one big one – besides being particularly unsightly, they are said to clog run-off drains and get stuck in recycling machinery.
In addition to banning the plastic, the bill would give consumers the option of paying a nickel apiece for paper bags, or bring their own reusable bags along on their shopping trip.
Opponents call it a tax, and say that now is the wrong time to be imposing one more government-mandated expense on consumers when grocery prices are already on the rise.
Supporters of the measure say it has been legally vetted and is not considered to constitute the imposition of a new tax. Further, consumers have the option to avoid paying the nickel by simply bringing along their own grocery transporting item.
That is not stopping the Taxpayer Association of Oregon from running a radio advertising campaign in opposition to the bill. They are getting support from clear across the nation, from a South Carolina plastic bag manufacturing firm.
RBR-TVBR observation: We are seeing lots of examples of radio coming into play in the political arena at a time where the next wave of elections is still well into the future. The efficiency of the medium should make it a staple of all political organizations – and it’s always the right time to remind local political operative of that fact so they remember your station when campaign action gets hot and heavy.
