SPI, APC chiefs sput era of good feelings As a follow-up to my letter of August 23, 1999, that you published, relating to the rapidly deteriorating relationship between the American Plastics Council and Society of the Plastics Industry Inc., I am elated to report to your readers, that as a result of my observation of some events at the SPE Orlando Antec, and during this week's board meeting of the National Plastics Center and Museum in Salt Lake City, my earlier concerns are no longer valid. We have transitioned into a new era of good feeling.
APC President Ron Yocum interrupted his vacation to address the Sunday Society of Plastics Engineers' council meeting and reaffirmed the strength and value of the APC/SPE alliance. That included introduction of a new video that extols the advantages of plastics in automotive applications.
Then on Monday, new SPI President Donald Duncan rearranged his schedule in order to address attendees at the SPE business luncheon. This truly was an outstanding presentation that impressed me most favorably, not just for what he said but how he said it. He did mention that with such a diverse, rapidly expanding plastics industry, it really isn't practical to expect one organization to speak for our industry.
In my humble opinion I am convinced that APC, SPE and SPI have intelligent, reasonable and dedicated leaders that, collectively, have the best interests of our industry as high priority objectives.
I encourage all of you to aggressively support those leaders of these three organizations — they deserve it. Be assured, the worst is over and the "best is yet to come."
Harold A. Holz
Mamaroneck, N.Y.
PN bottle-bill `slant' latest biased report
The May 1 front-page headline "Industry sinks bottle bill" again illustrates Plastics News' continuing bias against the industry it purports to service. One wonders how long a lawyers' magazine would last if it ran front-page articles that featured trial lawyers' massive spending and lobbying to stop tort reform, or a medical journal that ascribed failure of Medicare bills to American Medical Association spending.
It would appear the budding Luddites on PN's staff do not believe knowledgeable plastic industry sources have the right to an opinion or the right opinion or the right to promulgate their opinion.
Plastic industry people know plastics. If they have informed opinions on matters that might adversely affect their livelihoods, they have not only a right but a duty to promote their positions. My own experience is that many of the green proselytizers have a distinct lack of technical reality — for example, "chemicals" are bad, but "vitamins" are good. Yet they are treated positively by your industry newspaper while a negative slant is put on industry members.
Yes, some positions by members of our industry are selfish, shortsighted or just plain wrong. Many, many others are well-informed, knowledgeable and just plain right. How about developing a staff that is fair and supportive of our plastics community?
I am married to the former managing editor of a major daily trade publication. She has given me some insight as to what journalistic objectivity should be expected.
Frank Wershing
Upper Saddle River, N.J.