NJ’s shameless cash grab: 5 cents for every plastic bag (Opinion)

Last week New Jersey lawmakers approved a 5-cent fee on every plastic and paper bag carried out of stores and restaurants.

This decision came with a lot of blowback from New Jerseyans. In a poll by New Jersey 101.5's Jeff Deminski, 88 percent of respondents voted "No" to the question "Should you be charged 5 cents for every plastic or paper bag you use?"

But Jim Gearhart thinks differently, telling Bob Williams in the Jim Gearhart Show podcast: "To tell you the truth, I don't have a lot of problem with that because I sometimes feel ashamed of myself for getting all these plastic bags." The podcast is available here as well on iTunes and Google Play.

Yet Jim says the plastic bag tax is being put in place not to help the environment as the government claims, but to raise money for unrelated government sectors.

"How do I know that? Well because none of this money is dedicated to anything that has anything to do with the environment or the good life. It all goes into the general fund, the trough as it was always known. It gets poured into the trough like everything else," Jim says. 

And that's just part of what Jim takes on in the latest installment of his podcast. Check out the full episode to hear the rest. And Email Jim at Jim@NJ1015.com.

The Jim Gearhart Podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices or your computer:

Subscribe to the Jim Gearhart Show on the NJ 101.5 app to get alerts of new episodes.

Love podcasts? Also check out Forever 39, Annette and Megan's podcast about turning 40 — and loving life along the way. This week, they re-air one of their favorite episodes when they first started, where they ask "Where have all the gentlemen gone?"

And on Speaking Millennial, the Improv war reaches an exciting conclusion, and Bill, Jay, and Jessica discuss the aftermath of Improv Comedian Jon Colby's appearance on the show.

— Townsquare Media staff

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