Tomorrow’s news today: Democrats to ban bottled water

You read that correctly. Earlier this month, state Rep. Sydney Jordon (DFL-Minneapolis) introduced HF 1857 (SF 2791), which would ban the sale of bottled water in the state of Minnesota.

I’m not kidding. Here is the bill’s entire text:

For now, the ban would only apply to plastic bottles. Presumably, glass, aluminum, and cardboard containers would continue to be legal. Apparently, the issue with plastic bottles centers on the waste disposal problem with the used containers.

In past years you could laugh off ideas like this. Thousands of bills get introduced at the legislature each year. Few pass into law.

This session, Rep. Jordon is best known for authoring HF 5, which would provide a free breakfast and lunch for all school children in Minnesota, regardless of ability to pay. That bill is almost certain to pass. Rep. Jordon is now serving her third term at the legislature.

As the Minneapolis Star Tribune pointed out on Saturday,

Minnesota Democrats rapidly advance the most progressive agenda in a generation.

Concern about voter pushback is seemingly absent, with Democrats saying voters sent them to St. Paul to act.

State Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) points out that the current Democratic majority in St. Paul doesn’t seem to have any guardrails. He’s quoted as saying,

“Previously there was geographic and ideological balance within the DFL party — this time there isn’t,” Garofalo said. “There are no moderates to slow the agenda down. That’s why you’re seeing so much happening so quickly.”

So even crazy ideas have a chance this year. And Democrats have a proven ability to slip items into bills that go unnoticed until they become law. Recall that last year marijuana gummies were legalized without anyone noticing.

This year, the sky’s the limit.