California Considers $1,000 Fine and Jail for Waiters Who Hand Out Plastic Straws

My state has gone absolutely mad.

When people go out to dinner, they expect certain things to happen within the first five minutes or so.  The server greets them, tells them of any specials, then fills drink orders with a paper covered straw.  (Kids are masters are making these straws into projectile missiles and other distractions.)  However, the state of California is considering fining servers $1000 and face up to 6 months in jail if they offer a straw without being asked for one.

Yes, really.

Ian Calderon, the Democratic majority leader in California’s lower house, is leading the charge against the evil of drinking straws.  He has recently introduced a bill to stop sit-down restaurants from giving customers straws with drinks unless they specifically ask for one.

“We need to create awareness around the issue of one-time use plastic straws and its detrimental effects on our landfills, waterways, and oceans,” Calderon said in a statement. Reason Magazine says that this clown is not the only anti-straw advocate:

This isn’t just Calderon’s crusade. The California cities of San Luis Obispo and Davis both passed straws-on-request laws last year, and Manhattan Beach maintains a prohibition on all disposable plastics. And up in Seattle, food service businesses won’t be allowed to offer plastic straws or utensils as of July.

The Los Angeles Times has gotten behind the movement, endorsing straws-on-request policies in an editorial that also warned that “repetitive sucking may cause or exacerbate wrinkles on the lips or around the mouth.” Celebrity astronomer Neil DeGrasse Tyson (always up for a little chiding) and Entourage star Adrian Grenier have appeared in videos where an octopus slaps them in the face for using a plastic straw.

I think they might need to be slapped in the face, but not for their willy-nilly straw usage.

Anyone who believes that threatening a low-paid worker with a $1000 fine and imprisonment is a good idea seriously needs to be mentally evaluated.  This is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable.

I’m, once again, embarrassed of my state.

Image by kimubert (Big City Diner) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Hat Tip: Reason