0.134277 Percent of ABQ Residents Sign Petition to Ban Plastic Bags and Straws

Consider this number: 0.13427745302527

That's the percentage of Albuquerque's 558,545 residents who have signed an online petition to ban plastic straws and bags in the city. And that's part of the alleged massive groundswell of support to ban plastic straws that four city councilors are citing as a reason to introduce a bill to do just that.

Here's another way of looking at it. Out of Albuquerque's 558,545 residents, 750 of them have signed the petition.

And get this, about a dozen people, or 0.002148 percent of the city's residents, showed up at a city council meeting just a few days before Christmas last year to urge councilors to introduce and pass such a bill.

With such a massive outpouring of support you would think that councilors would just declare proposed ordinance—which will cost us all more money at grocery stores and restaurants—law. Who needs a vote when there's so much support?

The gist of this is that the alleged support for the proposed straw-banning ordinance has been manufactured, at least until now. And because no one pays attention any more, the ordinance introduced by Councilors Isaac Benton, Pat Davis, Diane Gibson and Cynthia Borrego will probably be passed within a couple of weeks.

But is there really a massive movement in Albuquerque to ban plastic bags and straws and foam containers in Albuquerque? Naah. I haven't heard of any mobs storming City Hall screaming that their lives have been destroyed and their children traumatized by plastic bags and straws. Nor have I seen people fleeing restaurants or scolding servers when they're offered plastic straws.

I have yet to see anyone drop dead of outrage and anxiety-induced heart attacks when offered plastic bags at grocery stores.

Truth is, Albuquerqueans are more worried about whether their car will be stolen for the fifth time or their house or apartment broken into again. And whether they can get a job in this city that pays a decent wage or whether they'll have to move to Denver, Salt Lake or Phoenix to have even a semblance of a decent economic opportunity and future.

But according to the Albuquerque Journal this morning, it was those 12 people out of 558,545 residents who showed up at the Council's Dec. 17, 2018 meeting that caused him to go forward quickly with the idea of introducing an ordinance to ban the evil straws and bags.

Here's a quote from the Journal's story:

“Davis said he and Benton started discussing the idea about a year ago but began moving quickly after last month’s City Council meeting. More than a dozen speakers advocated for such legislation during public comment at the Dec. 17 meeting.”

Here's the scam of this alleged groundswell of support. Those dozen or so people who spoke at the Dec. 17 meeting were plants and an organized effort to build the illusion of widespread support for the ban. Think of it, seven days before Christmas and regular people are going to show up at a City Council meeting?

That doesn't happen. Ever.

And you'll now be expected to support the proposed ban because—gasp here—two grade school kids showed up at Monday night's Council meeting to support Benton's ridiculous bill. There's nothing like using and manipulating children for political goals.

So don't be fooled if you hear that pretty much every Albuquerque resident is demanding a ban on the treacherous plastic straws and bags.

The real number is 0.13427745302527 percent.