Thread: When all else fails ~ Tax Toilet Paper / Ban Leaf Blowers

Published Wednesday March 23, 2011

Suttle unrolls toilet paper tax

By Maggie O'Brien
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Mayor Jim Suttle went to Washington Tuesday flush with ideas for how federal officials could help cities like Omaha pay for multibillion-dollar sewer projects.

Among the items on his brainstorming list: a proposal for a 10-cent federal tax on every roll of toilet paper you buy.

Based on the four-pack price for Charmin double rolls Tuesday at a midtown Hy-Vee, such a tax would add more than 10 percent to the per-roll price, pushing it over a buck.

The idea came from a failed 2009 House measure by an Oregon congressman to help cities and the environment.

“I heard about it and said, ‘Well, this is simple. Let's put it on the table,'â€

Newport council moves forward on banning leaf blowers
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By Mike Reicher, mike.reicher@latimes.com
March 22, 2011 | 10:21 p.m.

NEWPORT BEACH -- Gardeners will no longer be able to use gas-powered leaf blowers in Newport Beach, once an ordinance the City Council approved Tuesday takes effect.

After the council members' lengthy discussion and the failure of a motion to also ban electric blowers, the council voted 4 to 3 to force groundskeepers to use a more quiet method to collect leaves and debris.

“I hate blowers,â€