Saving the World One Plastic Bag at a Time

California bans plastic grocery bags

On Tuesday, September 30, Governor Edmund Brown passed a law that bans plastic shopping bags from being handed out for free in stores in California. This officially makes California the first U. S. state to ban plastic bags. Environmentalists are pleased with this new law while critics believe that it is misguided and might have an adverse effect on American jobs. The law will not go into effect until July 1, 2015 for grocery stores and pharmacies, and July 1, 2016 for convenience and liquor stores. Instead of plastic bags, stores will be required to hand out recycled paper bags or bags made of compostable material. These bags will cost at least 10 cents for consumers, but people who use the California food-assistance program won't have to pay for the bags. 

This new law is a huge step forward in helping to save the environment. Millions of plastic bags end up in landfills every year, and they take decades to break down. By banning plastic bags, California will be able to prevent the future pollution of its beaches, parks, and even the ocean. This is a huge win for environmentalists who are constantly working to reduce pollution. This could, however, effect citizens in California in a negative way, for the new ban could be a threat to thousands of manufacturing jobs.

I think that this ban is a good idea. I believe that if doing something as simple as using recycled paper bags can help save the environment, then all states should make this a law. I understand that there may be some negative side-effects to go along with this new law such as the loss of jobs, but I also think that the positive impact that this will have on the environment definitely outweighs the adverse effects. 

Shootings Becoming More and More Common Everyday

         On Tuesday, September 23rd, a tragedy that people all over the nation have been experiencing far too often occured once again. According to the article "3 people dead in Alabama UPS shooting" (Link to Article) a recently-fired employee of UPS killed two other employees and himself in a UPS building in Inglenook, Alabama. Many suspect that the gunman targeted the two people who were killed specifically, for the victims are believed to be higher-ranked employees. A police investigation into this event is now underway.
         This event truly saddens me. I think that this event was an unneccessary display of violence, and I will never understand what could drive a person to take innocent lives. While this news is horrific to hear about, it isn't that surprising. Unfortunately, shootings have become much more commonplace in recent years, and people are even starting to expect them. The Sandy Hook Elementary and Fort Hood shootings are just two examples of well-known shootings from recent years.
          I am hoping that the news of this shooting in Alabama has the impact of forcing people to evaluate security measures and improve them in order to prevent these events from happening in the first place. This news will hopefully make people see that something has to be done in order to stop the unneccessary loss of life in the future.

Disappointment in Journalism

On behalf of most if not all the students at St. Thomas More High School, I would like to express disappointment in the article, "C-SPAN bus rolls into town, but students still skeptical of political process" by Meredith Colias. (C-SPAN Bus Article) 

This article failed to accurately portray several students from STM. The quotes that this reporter used in her article were taken out of context and used in a way that would further her agenda rather than tell the truth. It is not true at all that STM kids don't care about politics. In fact, I would say that most students at STM have a greater appreciation of the government than some adults do. Several students participated far beyond what they were required to last year when they visited Washington D.C., and many students have enrolled and participated in both AP US History and AP Government classes this year.

As a senior at STM, I am disappointed not only in how this artlicle portrays the students in my school, but also how it portays students everywhere. I believe that this article definitely lacked integrity, and it should never have been published in this way.