Opinion: In today’s pages: Liberty, justice, and plastic
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Heal the Bay communications director Michael King confesses that he has used plastic grocery bags in the last month:
For the record, I had my wife’s car, and she doesn’t carry reusable bags. At the checkout stand, I was distracted by mediating a wrestling match between my rambunctious sons and missed my chance to request paper bags. My relapse illustrates the challenges environmental groups face in moving beyond honed policy statements to change everyday behavior. Shoppers may comprehend rationally the need to alter their consumption habits, but the siren call of ‘convenience’ and the pressures of daily life -- unruly kids and all -- conspire against the best intentions.
Columnist Joel Stein tastes Orange County’s recycled water. And American University economics professor Howard M. Wachtel says that the dollar’s tarnished status as a reserve currency carries a warning for the U.S.
The editorial board continues its series on American values and the next president with installments on liberty and justice.
Reader Jim Dowling of Alhambra wonders if The Times is shifting in its death penalty stance: ‘For years, I have been reading about The Times’ view of capital punishment as barbaric; something a civilized society should not practice. This article screams to differ. I contend that the death penalty is a necessity simply because some human beings are so inherently evil that they should never have been born.’