Chicago aldermen prioritize Styrofoam ban over real business of the city

Two Chicago aldermen are convinced that banning Styrofoam containers would protect the children of Chicago. Accordingly, these aldermen – Ed Burke and George Cardenas – have proposed an ordinance banning the use of Styrofoam by coffee shops, restaurants, schools and other frequent users, according to the Associated Press. Burke and Cardenas are pushing this ban...

Two Chicago aldermen are convinced that banning Styrofoam containers would protect the children of Chicago.

Accordingly, these aldermen – Ed Burke and George Cardenas – have proposed an ordinance banning the use of Styrofoam by coffee shops, restaurants, schools and other frequent users, according to the Associated Press.

Burke and Cardenas are pushing this ban because they claim toxic chemicals leech out of Styrofoam containers and into food.

Nationwide, more than 100 cities have banned polystyrene, the foam product commonly known as Styrofoam.

Go ahead and add this to the list of proposed ordinances that gravitate toward the “trendy” and away from the real problems facing Chicago. (Earlier this year, Burke proposed a ban on energy drinks.)

The Associated Press reported that Burke and Cardenas’ ordinance was sent to the council’s Finance Committee. If approved, it would be voted on by the full Council.

This latest crusade is just one more distraction from the real work that needs done in Chicago, a city strapped with $63 billion in debt from pensions and other obligations, a public school system with a 30 percent freshman dropout rate and a violence problem of monumental proportions – there were 500 murders in Chicago in 2012.

The children of Chicago – and all other residents, for that matter – would be better served by aldermen who have the mettle to face the real issues present in the city instead of chasing boogeymen.