All day long I have been thinking about the decision by the House Republicans to eliminate food containers and utensils that can be recycled. The House cafeterias are again using styrofoam and plastics. Problems with Libya and the reactors in Japan are certainly important, but I can’t get out of my head how irritating and downright stupid the House Republicans are.
This is a party that is so concerned about the effect of the deficit on future generations but has no problem inflicting environmental catastrophes on our children and grandchildren. From Marcellus shale to mountaintop removal to a refusal to even recognize that we have a climate change problem, Republicans consistently are willing to pass on a blighted environment to our heirs.
And for a party that is always touting its economic savvy (with absolutely no irony), the debate on the House cafeteria takes no account of the negative externalities involved with plastics. It might be cheaper to use styrofoam dishes only because the long term cost to the environment is not factored in. A negative externality is a part of the cost of a good that is not reflected in the price. For example, if the price of natural gas does not reflect the cost of cleaning up the water pollution that results from fracking, the pollution would be a negative externality. See <www.economics.fundamentalfinance.com> for a fuller explanation of negative externalities. See the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives for providing us with a current example.
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