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Richard Offhaus ~ Nuclear power produces radioactive wastes that are dangerous for centuries and are almost impossible to dispose of safely. (In Fact, the cost of safely disposing the wastes far exceeds the profit made from the energy; which, is why Nuclear power plants are so highly incentivized to improperly dispose of it.) Coolant water in reactors become radioactive and cannot be disposed of properly without contaminating the environment for centuries to come. All the plants have the potential for accidents that can render an entire region of Earth uninhabitable for generations.
Exactly how is that safer than almost ANY other form of energy? Just because it doesn't emit greenhouse gases during normal use? Perhaps not, but what it does emit during an accident, or otherwise during normal use, is far more dangerous and polluting than any other source of energy known to man. Our "knee jerk" reaction to Three Mile Island was a result of the general public seeing first hand evidence of what activists have been warning them about. Now, after Fukushima Daiichi there will be a world wide "knee jerk" reaction that even Nuclear Industry paid shills like YOU won't be able to smooth over. Nice try.
This is a an informative and a very useful blog that can expand our knowledge about this kind of things. Thanks for sharing new ideas and knowledge to us.
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I think that any problem we have with any nuclear reactor is a wake up call for renewable energy. However, it won't be until an extremely bad accident happens in this country til people here get the point.
In spite of all the controversy surrounding nuclear power, we still have nuclear subs and war ships that never get mentioned when talking about this power source. I don't think it's going away any time soon.
Richard, I suggest you make a thorough on-site inspection of the Fukushima reactor and report back to us. We eagerly await your report.
Nuclear power is the most pollution free source of energy we have, properly managed. While I agree that the siting of a nuclear power plant near a major metropolitan area is a bad idea it doesn't follow that we should abandon nuclear power. France has a big percentage of their power from nuclear plants. Years ago we had a knee jerk reaction to Three Mile Island and stopped building nuclear power plants. That was a mistake in my opinion.
Ou812 -- When Thom said it, I assumed it was one instance in time. What struggle?
DHBranski -- Just because they (Sanders, Warren, etc.) do not talk about specific topics like poverty, do you think they will not support policies to assist those problems?
Do you not think that closing are trade gap will help those in poverty?
Do you realize the most commonly used metric for economic inequality is the comparison of the top 20% to the lowest 20%? That metric has no consideration of the middle class. I will admit for income inequality they often use the Gini coefficient, but I think mostly they are worried about economic inequality.
I have only had two courses in economics (and that was 40 years ago), so feel free to critique everything I say.
Chuckles, I see you a struggling with reading the report. The 50% number you are reading on page 5 is an instance report. Which means at that point in time, at that instant, photovoltaic generated 50% of the power. If you took the reading at midnight, photovoltaic would be generating 0%. The accurate number, photovoltaics' contributions for the year is 6.9%. If you read further into the report, you'll find the 50% number was only reached that 1 instance in 2014.
Dennis Kucinich isn't in office, so he can't be voted out anyway.
Do liberals know that the US achieved its height of wealth and productivity from FDR to Reagan as a result of the policies and programs implemented during this time -- most notably, our poverty relief programs? These actually had an 80% success rate of enabling the poor to work their way out of poverty, serving as rungs on the ladder up. During that era, we opened the doors to higher education and legitimate job skills training to the poor, providing just enough economic stability to enable them to utilize education/skills training.
Socialist? How so? This remains the era of "waving the banner" for the bourgeoisie alone, middle class workers -- the better off (albeit with an occasional pat on the head to the working poor). The last I heard, there are 7 jobs for every 10 people who urgently need one. What should we do about the 3 who are left out? (Note: You can't buy a loaf of bread with promises of eventual jobs.) What about the employable -- the disabled/serious ill? Democrats keep targeting these people, since they aren't middle class workers, significantly worsening conditions for them.
America has a poverty crisis that can't be addressed with more trickle-down economics. Since Reagan, who launched the ongoing war on our poor, the overall quality of life in the US plunged from #1 down to #43, and we can no longer adequately compete in the modern world market. Not everyone can work (health, etc.) and there simply aren't jobs for all. The US shipped out a massive share of our jobs since the 1980s, ended actual welfare in the 1990s.
Don't expect Sanders or Warren to address any of this. Their focus, like that of most of the media marketed to liberals, is solely on what remains of middle class consumers and campaign donors. This is obviously an anti-socialist generation, believing that only those who are of current use to the corporate state deserve to survive. If you dig back into the speeches made by both Sanders and Warren years ago, you see that they recognized this. They used to address the fact that it's impossible to save (much less, rebuild!) the middle class without shoring up the poor, purtting rungs on the ladder out of poverty.
It's not a matter of one country to implement such changes rapidly, there are other countries where this awareness needs to be spread to work out with this but let me tell you that people are getting good and fair option from banks and financial institution sides and they hardly think of what actually they are losing, this loans and installment payment plans have made the life of these people very convenient to stay, work and pay on time, it's hard to believe but its the truth that getting out of this conflict is not an easy job now.
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Reply to #6: How about Greedy Old Pigs?
Ou812 -- You are not memorizing my every word. Of course, neither do I. What I previously said was that I heard the 50% PV in Germany number on Thom Hartmann's radio show. I also said that I would research the occurrence when Mr. Steyer's check arrived.
However, who needs Mr Steyer when we have Ou812. Pg 5 of the last link you sent me has the 50% number. I assume that is the source of Thom Hartmann's statement.
Since Regulation is a dirty word, it will not happen until those belonging to the billionairs club decide we also need quality transportion above ground and not just below. :)
Only by corporate media suppression of economic truth, the truth Senator Sanders is spreading, has the corp/billionaire class been able to maintain political power, and thus feed their unending thirst for more money and power. If the truth ever reaches the masses, not only is the game over for the Teapublican party, there will certainly be rioting in the streets until political change happens for real.
Hopefully Senator Sanders will highlight the economic systems the Democratic Socialist countries happily have working for them. As a percentage of income, when everything is included, citizens in this country pay just as much in tax as those living in Democratic Socialist countries. However we get half the return on our taxes, no cradle to grave healthcare, no complete college education funding, no living retirement, no updated infrastucture, etc. ....most of our money is being wasted fomenting war and pissing everyone off by blowing up impoverished people in the middle east.
Chuckles, Don't keep it a secret, show me your source for the 50% Solar number in Germany. You seem to be the only one who knows about it. The prestigious Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems places the percentage of electricity generated from photovoltatic in Germany in 2014 at 6.9%. http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/publications/veroeffentlichungen-pdf-dateien-en/studien-und-konzeptpapiere/recent-facts-about-photovoltaics-in-germany.pdf You are losing crediability Chuckles, how am i to believe anything you say.
Reply to #10: Thanks, stecoop, for saving me the trouble. And oh how I long for bike trails!
Reply to #7 where Bob Cox says "Vote them all out, except Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren!" And Alan Grayson, and Dennis Kucinich... the buck doesn't stop there either. KNOW YOUR CONGRESS CRITTERS!
Government of the people by the people needs to FEEL like a GOOD FATHER, not a plan of terror on the very people who elected the government.
WHEN we will have VOTING online by social security numbers??? So SIMPLE for all national voting aspects.
Also consider PENNIES 4 PROGRAMS instead of "non" profit corporations which are not supervised well enough. THOM - USE this plan, no need to credit me hold the copyright with your own work, thanks!
P4P “Pennies for Programs”
Pennies are RETIRED from USE everywhere, voluntary participation in a social system.
The accounting stays the same. However, each penny owed to the corporation is donated to the approved “Programs” and the corporation gets credit for charitable donations. Each store may offer some merchandise to encourage all customers to cooperate by offering some items '"on sale ONLY for P4P participating customers".
Change in pennies or “cents” owed to any customer is ALSO donated to approved “Programs.” Any customer wanting to participate in this program, receives a tax deductible slip from the merchandiser if their purchases accrued “cents due” over any designated amount quarterly. So basically, you would notice no difference except PROGRAMS would get funded and there would be less fumbling at the checkout stands. Your receipts would be accounted by the businesses and could be applied to your taxes.
This system can be used anywhere and the programs to be benefited given their allotments by PUBLIC VOTING. Example: Do we, the voters, want California’s tax money to be spent on the work of this organization? How ever many voters approve, that gives the proportions and allocations of money collected. . Keeps it all local, no begging governments for funding, and organizations do not have to waste funding on writing or seeking grants in competition.
As each voter approves each program, for example the Feed ALL People program, or any other program, that vote gives the proportions and allocations of the pennies collected. Keeps it all local, no begging any government for funding, creating beggar mentality in low income people. This is a form of "Direct Democracy" and also benefits the charitable organizations because again there is no need to waste funding on writing or seeking grants in competition, nor office salaries, just do the work!
Presently in my dreams, but as our dearly departed said “You may say that I’m a Dreamer, but I’m not the only one...”
What you think now really matters.... let’s talk!
Please Thom Hartmann, have a discussion that explains how well this could WORK!
ANY group could provide a social benefit program, and put it on the ballots. How ever many votes it got even if only from that group, that is the PROPORTION of the total funds that the group would receive.
Ou812 -- The 50% solar power number in Germany came in 2014. All your links end in 2013.
Does Kend know that penicillin, computers, the internet, landing on the moon were all "invented" during the socialist reign started by FDR. When Reaganism took over the capitalists just used the inventions of socialism to gather all the wealth for themselves. All the new inventions are coming from socialist Europe. The Hadron Collider comes to mind.
I believe that for any society to survive, there has to be a minimum amount of socialism in its structure; no society could possibly survive with an "every man for himself" social arrangement.
Note to Kend: There are 1.5 billion people in China; and India just past the 1 billion mark.