Why DO people need to throw away over a thousand plastic bags in a lifetime? The saner thing would be to take some canvas bags to the grocery store, right? Virgina's law makers have floated a revolutionary proposal to tax plastic bags at 20 cents each. This makes great sense because plastic bags greatly contribute to litter, landfill overflow, and corruption of waterways. Plastic bags also suffocate and strangle wildlife.

Delegate Scott Surovell, who co-sponsored the bag bill with Joe Morrissey, says that discarded plastic bags are badly polluting the Potomac River which borders his district and flows directly into the Chesapeake Bay. Fees collected from the tax would finance river clean up.

Tell Virginia lawmakers that you support the 20-cent bag tax.

We the undersigned thoroughly support your 20-cent bag tax which will definitely cut down on bag-related pollution and litter as well as taking a burden off public landfills. We do not think it requires extraordinary organization or creativity to take a few string or canvas bags with us when we go shopping, and if we forget to do so, we will happily pay the bag tax. Then, next time, we will remember our durable bags.