I live in the people’s republic of Montgomery County, Maryland. Our claim to fame is that we are one of the highest-taxed counties in the country.
That is bad enough, but not long ago, the county adopted an ordinance — more than a decade ago now — effectively outlawing plastic bags at retail stores.
It used to be that the grocery cashier would ask, “Paper or plastic?” Now, the county’s rulers have declared they will make the choice for me: It is paper bags unless you want to bring your own…