Christian Britschgi at Reason.com recently published a column that poignantly illustrates yet another example of knee-jerk legislation based upon an embarrassing lack of research.Sadly, politicians seem rarely embarrassed by their lack of research or knowledge when policies they boastfully push do nothing but make them feel good.Dangerously, some feel good actions they take, such as gun buy-backs (which studies show do no prevent any gun-related suicides or homicides), create an even more dangerous community by causing people believe the streets are now safe.The articulate (and likely unpronounceable) Britschgi shares the woeful tale of several California municipalities where ignorant or perhaps pandering politicians have outlawed the serving of plastic straws to restaurant patrons.Sure, we’d all like to rid our planet of plastic litter, but is it truly wise to fine a waiter $1,000 and bill California taxpayers for six months room and board in one of their fine prisons because a server offered one plastic straw to a customer?Ian Calderon, the Democratic majority leader in California’s State Assembly, obviously believes so.The saddest part is that Calderon’s initiative is based upon the idea that some 500,000,000 plastic straws are used by Americans every day, “many of them ending up in waterways and oceans.”Britschgi reports: “The 500 million figure is often attributed to the National Park Service; it in turn got it from the recycling company Eco-Cycle. Eco-Cycle is unable to provide any data to back up this number, telling “Reason” that it was relying on the research of one Milo Cress. Cress - whose Be Straw Free Campaign is hosted on Eco-Cycle’s website - tells Reason that he arrived at the 500 million straws a day figure from phone surveys he conducted of straw manufacturers in 2011, when he was just 9 years old.”So Democrats in California are solemnly considering throwing hard-working servers into jail based on phone calls made by a 9 year-old.