CREATED 7/1/2011
 WARNING:
This site deals only with the corporate corruption of science, and makes no inference about the motives or activities of individuals involved.
There are many reasons why individuals become embroiled in corporate corruption activities - from political zealotry to over-enthusiastic activism; from gullibility to greed.
Please read the OVERVIEW carefully, and make up your own mind.
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OPINION ONLY
Lewis C (Lew) Solmon
[Dr]
(misspelled Solomon ) — A UCLA Dean and cash-for-comments economist who worked for the tobacco industry to preserve workplace smoking and to block bans. — William Weis, a professor of accountancy at Seattle University demonstrated that smoking was a major cause of absenteeism in workers. This was seen by the tobacco industry as a serious threat since it could motivate the owners and managers to ban smoking in the workplace.
The attack on Weis was two-pronged. - Dr Lewis Solmon was hired to attack his findings.
- labor/union's were funded to fight against workplace smoking bans
Solman was the Dean of the Graduate School of Education at UCLA who had a PhD and MA in economics from the University of Chicago. He was also a member of the Goldwater Institute and President of his own Milken Institute, the Milken Family Foundation, and President of the Human Resources Policy Coordination. These provided him with cover while he worked for the tobacco industry. He became a favorite consultant for the tobacco industry in their attempts to retain workplace smoking
These defensive tactics against Weis were handled by Ogilvy & Mather through the Tobacco Institute, with James Savarese later taking over and running the project under his own company.
| Solmon — Puff Piece |
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National Research Council.
Earlier in his career Dr. Solmon was employed as an assistant professor by City College of New York and Purdue University.
Change Magazine poll voted him one of the 100 top young leaders in the American Academy, 1978.
Dr. Solmon holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago. He has published more than 60 books and articles |
Some key documents • Economist Dean of the Graduate School of Education at UCLA He has a PhD and MA in economics from the University of Chicago. Member of the Goldwater Institute and President of the Milken Institute (1991-97) Adviser on education to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
See also http://mapper.nndb.com/maps/431/000011398/
• Quote "he has not had any recent assignments but is available"
1942 July 17: Born
1964: BCom from the University of Toronto
1967: MA Economics, University of Chicago
1968: PhD in economics Uni of Chicago He later taught economics at Purdue Uni and at the City University of New York.
1974–91: Professor at University of Califonria, Los Angeles
1978 /E: Before joining UCLA, Dr Solmon served as Executive Officer and Secretary/Treasurer, Higher Education Research Institute, and Project Director, Commission on Human Resources of the National Research Council.
1983: Seattle business school accountancy professor William Weis publishes an article which points out that, due to increased ill-health and absenteeism, smokers cost companies about $4,600 more each year than non-smokers. The figure was widely reported. Solmon is recruited to counter this claim.
1983 Feb 28: /E A 142 page report from the Secretary-General of INFOTAB (the successor to ICOSI) provides an "Overview of International Issues and Developments." One section is headed: Social Cost — Project Report
Professor Solmon, Dean of the Graduate School of Education has completed work for this committee with emphasis on rebutting published works of Weiss (sic) on aspects of smoking, particularly in the workplace.
Each of the elements used by Weiss to demonstrate that smokers are more costly to employ than non-smokers, e.g. absenteeism, low, production, excess morbidity, has been totally rebutted.
Solmon's paper has been accepted for publication in "Personnel Administrator" the journal in which Weiss appeared. It provides us with the opportunity to use this work for reference and a detailed methodology for dealing with this issue in the future, including Winnipeg [The World Conference on Smoking and Health] where Weiss' work is being presented.
Business Week has also published a letter from Professor Solmon in a rebuttal on the same issue. The prominent journal, Newsweek USA, has also been contacted by Solmon and warned by him of accepting Weiss' contentions in an article to be published in their journal.
Solmon has also addressed the subject of Government regulations on smoking, refuting the basis for government policies in these areas, drawing on the works of Tollison and Wagner in a more, simplified form. This work is expected to be finalised within a month and submitted for publication in a recognised journal.
This will provide additional reference material to the work available: over the authorship of Littlechild and Woodfield which was initiated at the Wharton Conference.  
1983 Apr 21: Trish Milita's associate at Ogilvy & Mather PR, Marcia Silverman, writes to Peter Sparber at the Tobacco Institute about a labor project they are running for the tobacco industry. In an effort to create organized labor opposition to certain workplace smoking restrictions, Ogilvy & Mather has targeted several unions for initial contacts and discussions on the issue.
These unions have been selected on the basis of the industries they have organized, the size and potential growth of their membership, their clout within the labor movement and their political strength. Brief descriptions of eight of these unions follow: It then lists eight major unions, (one of them the National Education Association (NEA) with notes of their political activity and key staffers.
[Note that, at this time Linda Tarr-Whelan was the legislative Director of the National Education Association (NEA) and her husband was a tobacco lobbyist working through Ogilvy & Mather. ]
Among the list was the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) which was one of the largest organizations in the AFL-CIO. It was also the union which employed James M Savarese, who was to join both O&M on the TI account, and also run the Tobacco Institute's labor and economists projects.
1983 May 9: Katherine Becker's internal memo to Dan Milway (finance) at the Tobacco Institute about the use of Dr Lewis Solmon ... to clarify how he will work with Trish Milita at Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations.
This follows a "Smoking in the Workplace" Task force conference.
Al Vogel of Response Analysis [which did polling work for the tobacco industry] is also preparing a questionnaire. Solomon has been bought in to counter the "Weis-specific questions" [Seattle University's Professor William Weis had calculated that the additional cost-burden of smokers in a company was, on average, $4,789 per year]
1983 May 12: Peter Sparber of the Tobacco Institute memos Kloepfer on the "Solomon Project" (sic) - Clarification of relationship between TI and Solmon.
Dr. Solmon's relationship is with Jacob, Medinger & Finnegan [tobacco industry lawyers who look after secret account payments] through Chet Wrobleski. Dr. Solmon's fees are $150 per hour plus expenses.
Wrobleski has continually urged us to regard Solmon specially, given Solmon's status as an academician and his importance to this issue. Therefore, I agreed that Solmon will be used conservatively and that he will be accompanied at all appearances.
- Preparation for the use of Solmon
[He has consulted Bob Northrip of Shook Hardy & Bacon re Solmon's use as a witness]
Since Trish Milita of Ogllvy & Mather has been working on this issue, has visited with Solmon, and is handling the details of this assignment, I have tentatively arranged for her to visit with Shook, Hardy (the week of May 23) for that briefing. [Kansas City tobacco lawfirm]
- Sparber also includes a form-letter advising tobacco industry 'friends' that Lewis Solmon "refutes" Professor William Weis's claim that smokers cost employers $4611 to $5601 more than non-smokers each year.
1983 June 24: Trish Milita and Marcia Silverman are advised that Lew Solmon should be used with the National Chamber Foundation of the US Chamber of Commerce ... an organisation that has previously advocated smoking cessation as a way of decreasing employee absenteeism and reducing employer costs. This was not acceptable to the tobacco industry. Because the tobacco industry has been a strong political and financial supporter of the Chamber, Sam Chilcote [President of the Tobacco Institute] and K.v Dey (Pres. and CEO, Liggett & Myers) wrote to Richard Lesher [Head of National Chamber] to protest the one-sided discussion of smoking and absenteeism.
In response to these letters, Thomas Donohue (Exec. VP, NCF) and Jack Marshall (VP, NCF) invited TI to "supply some additional data on the absenteeism issue."
This invitation seems to present an excellent opportunity to use Lew Solmon, either in a meeting with NCF officials or through the submission of his manuscript and/or article. [Tom Donohue went on to become a lobbyist for the tobacco industry.]
1983 Sep 19 - 22: The global National [Cigarette] Manufacturer's Association (NMA) is holding a meeting in Washington. This brings together the Tobacco Institute-type lobby organisations from different countries [28 in all] under the overview of Bryan Simpson of the international Tobacco Information Center (INFOTAB).
Bryan Simpson, the Secretary General of Infotab, talked briefly about their projects on "Social Costs Associated with Smoking" The charge that the cost of servicing alleged smoking-related diseases is higher than any possible benefits continues to be made, mainly by politial and lay opponents of smoking. INFOTAB and its advisers are preparing and endeavouring to have published reliable views from economist which deny these charges.
Important scientists helping in this area are: - Professor [Lew] Solmon, [School of Education at UCLA]
- Professor [Robert] Tollison, [George Mason University]
- Professor [Sherwin] Feinhandler [ex-Harvard, now Social Systems Analysists, Inc]
- Professor [Stephen C] Littlechild [Uni of Birmingham, UK]
- Alan Woodfield (a New Zealand lecturer in economics)
See page 198
1983 Sep 23: The Tobacco Institute's draft Communications Plan (heavily redacted) lists many ways to "respond to anti-smoking campaigns that are damaging to the tobacco industry":
- Place a minimum of two stories annually pointing out the heavy burden placed on middle and lower income smokers by cigarette taxes, with print and electronic media nationallly. With concentration on minority media.
- Through black publishers [National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)], seek editorial comment on tax impact on black smokers, discriminatory nature of such taxes.
It also suggests a number of dealings with Solmon ...
- [Resources] Solmon study/rebuttal on smoking in work place ....
- Expand the use of Solmon to include :
- Press conference in San Francisco and wherever social cost becomes a major issue .
- Direct mailing of "passive smoke"findings to Fortune 500 personnel heads outlining Solmon's conclusions .
- Speaking tour of business organisations
- Advertise Solmon's /[our own] conclusions in personal journals
- Prepare direct mail piece, based on Solmon's findings, for government officials — local, state . and federal .
Also Draft copy
1984: Tobacco Institute file labled Workplace Smoking — US Chambers of Commerce. [The Tobacco Institute was trying to enlist the National Chamber Foundation in support of a revision of a booklet on workplace absenteeism. This Background Information document spells our the Tobacco Institute's standard line.
Lewis C. Solmon, Ph.D. (Economics, University of Chicago), a professor and assistant dean, Graduate School of Education, UCLA, reviewed the Weis assertions in the March 1983 issue of PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATOR. - Solmon's scrutiny of Weis' work revealed selective reporting of data, biased research, confusion of correlation and causation, and faulty logic.
- The Weis research, which forms the basis of his argument, appears highly questionable;
- Implementing a smoking prohibition, as advocated by Weis, would impose unnecessary costs on many businesses, could adversely affect employee morale, and could lead to a loss in productivity and profits;
- Discriminatory hiring practices raise serious social implications;
It also contains a vague "Background/C/V" of Solmon which has been slanted to emphasise his 'corporate-friend credentials.
- Dr Lewis C. Solmon, professor and economist, is a dean in the Graduate School of Education, UCLA.
- Other current positions at UCLA include:
— Joint Appointee, Institute of Industrial Relations
— Associate Director, Higher Education Research Institute.
- Dr Solmon serves as a consultant to the World Bank, as well as to many colleges and universities across the nation.
- He has received research grants from the Ford Foundation, Exxon Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, National Institute of Education, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the US Office of Education
1984 Jan: An RJR in-house report about the San Francisco ban on workplace smoking. About the SF Council's initiative success it says: Supporters of the law used the timeworn argument that "second-hand" smoke causes irritation and discomfort to non-smokers, an argument that has never been proven said Lewis Solmon, associate dean of the Graduate School of Education, University of California at Los Angeles.
Solmon also contended that "such ordinances may be unenforceable, or enforceable only at great cost. And once the principle of legislating behavior becomes established, where does it stop?" he asked.
Another major contention of the anti-smoking forces — that smokers have a higher work absentee rate than non-smokers — has never been proved, Solmon said. "lt is not clear that a statistical correlation between smoking and absenteeism really exists."
"But even if it does, the connection between smoking and absenteeism is unproven and improbable," he continued. Numerous factors are associated with absenteeism, Solmon said, including age, sex, job and family responsibilities, personal problems and commuting time.
Another claim often made is that smokers are less productive than nonsmokers. "The largest component in calculating the cost to the employer of smoking in the workplace usually is reduced productivity because of time taken on the job when workers pause to smoke," Solmon said. This argument assumes that smokers get more on-the-job leisure time than non-smokers — a ridiculous idea" he addcd.
1984 Jan 16: [See page 18] Teri Everett of Ogilvy & Mather is writing to Peter Sparber at the Tobacco Institute, re workplace smoking. Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations began media activities for the workplace smoking issue in June 1983. Our objective has been to contain William Weis . We have relied upon Dr. Lewis Solmon and his critique of Weis' research to accomplish this objective.
We have generated numerous articles on the economics of the workplace smoking controversy featuring Solmon and Weis. The stories have appeared in national business publications, management trade journals, and newspapers.
A review of these articles shows that over the past eight months Weis has modified his interpretations of his research. In the early articles Weis is very specific about alleged costs to employers and uses figures to support each claim. Weis now uses generalities when referring to his research and has conceded that aspects of his study may be misleading. In the most recent articles Weis has relied on health and morale arguments when advocating workplace smoking bans.
Following is a brief summary of the workplace smoking coverage generated by Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations. This was followed by three pages (approx 30) of Solmon's article headings where they claim to have influenced the journalist's ideas.
1984 April 5: R&D proposal from Richard W Taylor, Corporate Division, Rowan & Cowan [a major public relations firm in Beverly Hills, Calif.] to RJ Reynolds Tobacco. They have contracted to advise on nine areas of the tobacco industry's 'Social Responsibility' program [this later became the major Californian fight to keep smoking acceptable in Beverly Hills restaurants.] - Contact Senator Thomas E Smith for an op ed story for National distribution. [He lobbied in Congress for the tobacco industry.]
- Develop op-ed articles on the psychology of the anti-smoker. Dr. Sherwin Feinhandler, a lecturer in cultural anthropology at Stanford Medical Center School, who talks of people being sensitive to other people's behavior due to overcreacting, says that smoking becomes an issue in this because it is a visible activity. [Feinhandler was a long-term tobacco-funded lackey academic]
Taylor also submitted a list of potential media spokespersons; proposed the use of opinion-oriented newspaper columnists; and also the recruitment of other syndicated columnists to write special material supporting the tobacco industry as personal opinion pieces.
They also send RJ Reynolds Tobacco a substantial list of psychologists who should be researched. [before recruitment attempts are made] They will need to pass through some legal approval process before becoming spokespersons. They are looking for someone with appropriate credentials to state that 'smoking has become a scapegoat for society's frustrations and discontent.' "The Psychological Issue of Why People React Negatively On Smoking Issues."
These individuals would be asked to write editorials and op ed pieces on the subject for major market and national distribution in the print media.
Rogers & Cowan specifically suggests that we contact Dr Judd Marmer, PhD, who is former president of the American Psychologists Association, who, we believe, could be an excellent spokesperson for this topic and who we believe is interested in discussing it with the media.
We propose Dr. Marmer and others, as approved, not only provide written copy for distribution to the media, but also be engaged in inportant speaking platforms in major markets, including town hall tteetings, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs and the like.
See also the draft revised program which says of the spokesmen proposals:
You have asked us to provide you with an appropriate spokesperson to be considered with regard to the taxation issue. We believe that seeking such notable economists as Martin Feldstein, Allan Greenspan, Arthur Laffer and Howard Ruff might be appropriate. We believe these individuals are available for certain speaking platforms and would lend the credibility we need to support our position of the ineguities of taxation today.
We also believe that spokespersons can be very helpful in the areas of the public smoking issues as well as support persons for the taxation issue. Specifically, we suggest Dr Judd Marmer, Ph.D, who is former president of the American Psychologists Association. He can speak on topics with regard to the psychology of smoking and smoking issues and could speak well, not only in a public platform, but also in one on one interview situations with the print media. In addition to Dr Marmer, we also have a list of other notable individuals who could provide credibility to appropriate issues, based on their individual background. - Lewis C Solmon, Professor of Economics, UCLA
- Kenneth M Moser, MD, Professor, UCSD
- Theodore D Sterling, PhD, Professor/Simon Fraser University
- Michael Lebowitz, University of Arizona, Epidemiologist
- Donald Thackrey, United Press International
- Bob Edwards, National Public Radio
- Frank Robertson, Contributing Editor, California Magazine.
They propose a 10-cities, 4-week media/speaking tours by these spokesmen.
1985–91: He is listed by the tobacco industry as:
UCLA Dean of the Graduate School of Education. Also the President of Milken Institute of Job and Capital Formation and running his own consulting business as President of the Human Resources Policy Coordination
He officially became a consultant to the Tobacco Institute at this time [Actually he worked for them a few years earlier]. As the President of the Human Resources Policy Coordination he also conducted a 1985 survey of national companies with workplace smoking policies for the Tobacco Institute. [Source not recorded]
1985 Mar 21: Hurst Marshall (TI lobbyist) to Jack Kelly (Tobacco Institute) , re Californian Tax Reform Advisory Commission. He suggests that they use: - "the Californian economist, Thomas Borcherding" to prepare a "sound economic paper on the subjects of excise taxes."
- Al Vogel will be a witness on productivity
- Steve Schlossberg on labor implications
- Bob Klotz on enforcement
- Lew Solmon on economics
1985 Aug: Project Status Report. A list of projects that need supervision from the Tobacco Institute staff. - Fire program run by Sparber — grants, etc.
- Using consultants in interviews — Jolly Ann Davidson [NASBE Education], Philip S Schaenman [Fire]
- Prepare for promotion of Chase [Economics] study (Osborne/Panzer) Article for Executive Summary being redesigned. Freelance writers being selected.
- Promotion of Solmon.
1986: The Tobacco Institute's budget shows that he has done a survey in 1985 for them to find out which of the Fortune 500 + 600 other companies were considering smoking workplace restrictions.
1986 Jan: Public Relations Resources Commitee of the Tobacco Institute lists him in their Resource Catalog as a witness for hire.
Following is a catalogue of resources the Public Relations Division has compiled for use by field staff and others .
The catalogue is organized according to specific resources for the four major issues. Resources are defined as witnesses, materials, publications, corporate relations, and public service programs.
In the separate listings for witnesses available for local ordinance hearings, State Assembley inquiries, etc. he is listed as providing a range of services to the tobacco industry: Lew Salmon, President Human Resources Policy Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
- Economist and Graduate Dean of Education, UCLA
- Refutes William Weis claims that smokers are more costly to their employers than nonsmokers
- Conducted study of Fortune 1000 companies and attitudes toward workplace smoking policies
- Most effective in business forums and in one-on-one meetings
- Allow two weeks notice - PR approval needed
He is avilable as a witness (He doesn't work through Tollison's economists network). As such he will "explain why excise taxes are regressive and unfair to consumers and unsuitable and unreliable as a means to increase the federal revenue."
1986 Oct 3: A Tobacco Institute report on the economists cash-for-comment network, lists the Congressmen they are expected to influence, and the economist's various academic specialities.
[Note: This early list is probably the most detailed of all. A later section of this 43 page document also runs through the 28 main states giving the names and details of witnesses willing to speak to legislators on Taxes (almost exclusively economists), and those available as witnesses for the tobacco industry on Public Smoking issues (economists and a range of others) ]
A major effort had also been made recently to enlist fire officers and brigades to counter demands for a 'fire-safe' cigarette which had low ignition propensity.
This is typical of many of the states where Solmon is offered as a Public Smoking Witness [Note: despite being an economist]
NEW JERSEY, (Rep. Guarini, Sen Bradley)
| Tax Witnesses: | Materials available |
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| Michael Crew | [Nothing listed] | | Public Smoking Witn/s: | Materials available |
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Al Vogel (productivity)
Steve Schlossberg (labor implications)
Lew Solmon (economics)
Bob Klotz (enforcement) | Voter survey
Economic survey
Labor assistance
Response Analysis summaries
Public Smoking topic sheet
"Some Considerations" workplace kits
"In Defense of Smokers" reprint
"The Other Side of the Smoking Controversy" reprint
Letter writing brochure
Advertising. | | Fire: | |
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| Fire Safety Education Grant to: Atlantic City Fire Department — Raymond Osbeck |
1989: Public Smoking Hearing Readiness report of the Tobacco Institute lists among the Economists. - Lew Solmon, UCLA
- Bob Tollison, George Mason University
- James Savarese, Savarese & Associates
Action Needed: Pre-hearing briefings of Congressmen and staffs on indoor air quality and ETS issues. Videotapes on both issues are available for use, along with scientific and ventilation experts.
Economic impact studies can be initiated upon request, should it be determined that they will be useful in hearings.
1990: Tobacco Institute, Corporate Assistance Program Evaluation
During the past six years, The Tobacco Institute has provided assistance to corporations addressing workplace smoking issues. Since inception of the program in 1984, The Institute has responded to thousands of requests for help. This help consists of booklets, and guides designed for Chambers of Commerce and other business groups. The Institute receives an average of five calls a day concerning workplace smoking.
The Public Affairs staff of the TI conducted a telephone survey of 332 employers who had received assistance under this program in the past few years and Frederick/Schneiders Inc, a Washington DC polling firm, ran a mail survey with questionnaire. They also had consultants Lew Solmon and Robert L Cunningham critiqued the material: The consultants noted that employers need specific answers to the questions that are associated with workplace smoking issues. One cited two TI brochures, "Smoking Restriction: The Hidden Threat To Public Health" and "Indoor Air Pollution: Is Your Workplace Making You Sick," as good examples of materials that are useful to human resource personnel and facility managers.
1990: Under the heading " Miscellaneous Consultants," the Tobacco Institute lists Solmon as being available for their Regional and State Divisions as someone willing to provide witness services.
- Who he is and length of relationship
- Lew Solmon is Dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education. An economist by training, he has consulted with The Institute for approximately six years,
- Kinds of things he does
- Criticizes and rebuts anti-smoker claims that smokers are less productive and absent more often than nonsmokers.
- Publishes articles on productivity and absenteeism.
- Handles interviews
- What has he done lately
- We continue to utilize the research he conducted several years ago and the paper he subsequently published on the alleged social costs of workplace smoking.
- He has not had any recent assignments but is available.
- Strengths
- Credentials and expertise.
- Reasonable nature of his arguments.
- Limitations
- That employers incur extraordinary costs from the smoking employees is rapidly becoming conventional wisdom. In other words, Solmon's arguments, reasonable and well-documented as they are, may be counter-intuitive to many employers.
- Solmon does not have limitations, except that we do not have an ongoing role for him.
1990 /E: The Tobacco Institute has conducted an evaluation of its "Corporate Assistance Program" which has been in operation since 1984. This is a detailed outline of their lobbying activities in promoting workplace smoking rights.
They also arranged to interview: - Robert L Cunningham, VP of Human Resources for Blue Cross and Blue Shield
- Lewis Solmon [who] is Dean of the Graduate School of Education at UCLA and president of The Human Resources Policy Corporation.
This is not the first time The Institute has enlisted the assistance of Solmon. In 1985, his Human Resources Policy Corporation conducted a survey of 1100 of the nation's largest and fastest growing companies to determine the nature and extent of workplace smoking policies.
1990 Mar: /E Evaluation of the Tobacco Institute Corporate Assistance Program This was a project by which the tobacco industry channelled funding and other assistance to smaller companies who wanted to fight workplace smoking bans. It had begun in 1984/5, and since that time had "responded to thousands of requests for help." Most of their assistance is in the form of booklets.
This was the normal type of self-serving survey of opinion that PR divisions conduct whenever they are asked to justify their existence, and in this they pointed to support from "human resource managers who have consulted for us in the past to consider the timeliness and credibility of the materials" Those who replied were:
- Robert L Cunningham, Vice President of Human Resources and Facilities for Blue Cross and Blue Shield
. - Lewis Solmon, Dean of the Graduate School of Education at UCLA and president of The Human Resources Policy Corporation.
1994 Aug 14: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is holding hearings on workplace smoking (NPR). A group of paid academic and scientific lobbyists are lined up to give evidence — through the law-firm Covington & Burling
Solmon's comments list him as President of the Milken Institute for Job and Capital Formation. He is giving 'Nitpicking' testimony on behalf of Tobacco Institute using the familiar theme of finger-pointing at other possible pollutants. In fact, more effective ventilation is a better solution than a ban on smoking in the workplace because ventilation removes many types of pollutants, and there is no clear evidence about which particular pollutants cause such discomforts as headaches, eye irritation and similar effects. In short, OSHA's allegations as to productivity improvement are totally unsupported by any data or other reliable information presented in the impact analysis.
Solomon's testimony is supported by Kip Vicusi, Dwight Lee, Paul Switzer, Alan Gross and Gio Gori — along with the Meyer Freidman Institute, and Health Buildings International, — all of whom/which have taken the tobacco industries silver on numerous occasions. They were regularly rolled out to oppose EPA, OSHA of FDA regulations..
Solomon's witness statement carries the mandatory statement that " the views I express are my own."
1994 Sep 16: British American Tobacco issues a memo to their subsidiaries: "Eminent Experts Refute OSHA's Claims on ETS Risk" Many eminent scientific experts will be telling OSHA over the next few months that the Administration cannot justify smoking bans on the existing science. These experts will criticise OSHA for being selective in the way it reviewed the scientific literature, and for using inappropriate methods in the review.
The following lists but a few of these experts. The quotes that follow the list appear in the experts' written submissions to OSHA. As such the quotes are a matter of public record and can be used in communications regarding the OSHA proceedings. Every one on his list is a long-term, well-documented tobacco lackey. - Dr. Philip Witorsch, Clinical Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington DC.
- Dr. Raphael Witorsch, Professor of Physiology, School of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia
- Dr. Gio Batta Gori, The Health Policy Center, Maryland (former Director of the US National Cancer Institute's Smoking and Health Program and the Diet, Nutrition and Cancer Program.)
- Dr. John Gorrod, Research Professor at Kings College, London.
- Dr. Angelo Cerioli, Laboratorio Istoconsult, Italy.
- Dr. John Toddltunter (former Assistant Administrator at US EPA and expert advisor on risk management to WHO.)
- Dr Paul Switzer, Professor of Statistics, Stanford University.
- Dr. Joseph Wu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at New York Medical College.
- Dr Meyer Friedman, clinical cardiologist at Mount Zion Medical Center of the University of California in San Francisco.
- Dr. Alan Gross, Professor of Biostatistics, Medical University of South Carolina.
- Dr. Alan Hedge, Associate Professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University.
- Dr. Robert Tollison, Duncan Black Professor of Economics at George Mason University, Virginia
- Professor Dwight Lee, Professor of Economics at the University of Georgia.
- Professor W. Kip Viscusi, Professor of Economics at Duke University
- Dr. Lewis Solomon, President of the Milken Institute for Job and Capital Formation.
2007 Dec 17: AP/ Boston Globe reported on his death. SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Lewis C. Solmon, founding president of the Milken Institute economic think tank and an outspoken advocate of such education changes as performance pay for teachers, died Monday. He was 65.
Dr. Solmon died at his West Los Angeles home as a result of a stroke, according to the Milken Family Foundation, a research organization that is independent from the think tank.
Dr. Solmon, a professor emeritus at the University of California in Los Angeles, was dean of the university's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies from 1985 to 1991, when he became president of the Milken Institute.
In 1997, he joined the Milken Family Foundation to focus on education issues and in 2005 became president of the foundation's nonprofit National Institute for Excellence in Teaching.
The Milken Family Foundation is best known for its annual Milken National Educator Award, which provides $25,000 to teachers, principals and other educational professionals who "are furthering excellence in education."
Dr. Solmon also wrote more than two dozen books and monographs on education topics and numerous newspaper opinion pieces.
He testified before state and federal education panels and had been an adviser on education to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Dr. Solmon also helped edit the Economics of Education Review.
Born in Toronto, Dr. Solmon held an economics doctorate from the University of Chicago and taught economics at Purdue University and the City University of New York before moving to UCLA in 1974 to become executive officer of the school's Higher Education Research Institute.
Dr. Solmon leaves his wife of 42 years, Vicki; his mother, brother, two children, and six grandchildren.  [Note that he died of stroke.]
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