There is a decided lack of bipartisanship in Washington. Perhaps it would be easier to agree on what should be done rather than the reasons for doing it. Everyone is then free to invent whatever explanations will excite their "base" supporters.

Ask any conservative about money and you will get endless stories of how they have been prudent money managers, saved money in any number of ways, etc. To hear some of the more extreme ones it sounds like they have a financial spreadsheet open at all times, balancing funds expended against their probable return.

Ask any liberal about the environment and if they are old enough to remember it, they will start quoting "Silent Spring" and become increasingly shrill as they describe various eco-disaster scenarios.

What puzzles me is why people, that would be us, don’t have equal rights to exist, along with all the darter fish and other stuff?

I don’t think we can reconcile those groups. What are the odds of a bipartisan effort? I would say very high if it is properly presented.

All the local grocery stores have "bring your own bag" programs. That benefits the community and can have explanations that appeal to both conservatives and liberals.

The conservatives can focus on the cost that they save from having to discard plastic bags, picking them up as litter, the incremental cost it adds to goods, etc.

The liberals can wax on about how they are saving the environment one bag at a time and sew images of any animal they prefer over people to their bags.

Let’s agree on worthy goals and agree to disagree on the justifications. That’s being bipartisan.