CMC Alum Marlo Lewis on Banning Plastic Bags in LA And More

Your antidote to all the green nuisances that haunt our campus with their anti-growth ideology. Read it and remember that there was a time when Claremont McKenna produced alums who recognized the value of economic freedom.

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From The Heartland Institute, "Los Angeles to Ban Plastic Bags." Lewis argues that it may actually be more damaging for the environment to use plastic or cloth bags instead of plastic as most estimates don't factor in the transporation costs. Still, L.A.'s City Council has banned plastic bags unless the state imposes a 25 cent tax on all Californians by 2010.

“There is the irony here regarding environmental opposition to plastic bags,” said Marlo Lewis, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “The alternative—paper bags—comes from trees. The so-called ‘tree huggers’ now want to increase the cutting down of trees? This is quite a development.

“Proposed bans on plastic bags are just plain ridiculous,” Lewis continued. “This is just a silly excuse to meddle with legitimate business practices that enhance consumer convenience. Plastic bags are so popular because they are lighter and easier to use than paper bags or cloth bags. They make our lives easier. And the asserted harms of plastic bags are extremely minimal.”

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From The Heartland Institute, "Alarmist Hansen 'Not Interested' in Debate." Lewis argues that those advocating wide spread reductions in carbon dioxide emissions ought to debate their views in a public forum, especially if they receive tax payer monies.

“The alarmists claim all the evidence supports their theory, but the only way they can prove that is to actually show up for a debate and win,” said Marlo Lewis, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “If they are afraid to publicly debate and scientifically defend their assertions, it is a good indication who they fear will win the debate.

“It is troubling that a supposedly eminent scientist, who draws his salary from federal taxpayers, is unwilling to publicly explain his beliefs and his policy recommendations unless he is assured in advance that nobody will ask any critical questions,” Lewis said.

“Doesn’t he at least have the intellectual curiosity to hear and consider another point of view?” added Lewis.

“My own suspicion is that if someone is unwilling to tolerate debate and opposing opinions in public, then that person in private is similarly likely to be suppressing other scientific viewpoints,” Lewis said. “One has to wonder if the staff of the publicly funded Goddard Institute really is free to engage in open-minded science, and whether Hansen is stacking the deck with the staff that he supervises.”