Which is why you let Market forces set the agenda( with honest government stepping in on the rare occassion something becomes un-palatable to Society)…Somewhere someone has decided this should or could become a useful product or procedure. It has it’s own vetting process.
What would rather have now, Libs? Nuke power or a pristine Gulf?
^^ There are problems with most energy sources. We lose a lot of people around the world in coal mines, for example, If you don’t count the problem of long lasting nuclear waste, maybe nuclear power is not worse than the others – but I’m not convinced that the waste problem has been solved, and until there’s a good solution, I’m not so happy about it. Moreover, civilian power programs have served as a cover for the development of weapons more than once. And the cost overruns have been pretty big. So for me it’s a hard problem, but overall nuclear power makes me nervous. We have spent a lot of money over the years developing fission power and trying to develop fusion power – if we had put that money into alternative sources, I think we would be ahead of the game.
What do I expect? I expect more nuclear over the next couple of decades.
toasteroven: why do anything right now? Mental and societal Chaos has taken hold. This Society as a whole has to figure out what it stands for…Any Nuke Project, Healthcare Reform, Cap and Trade Innitiatives, Immigration Reform - no matter how good they might or might not be…will be held hostage to the losers in control at the moment…on the Left and the Right. They can’t do anything right except cover-up afor a President without an American Birth Certificate…
What ever happened with all those Fusion Experiments in the 80’s - you’d figure if something actually worked they’re be something in the News about it. Now there’s some big LASER Fusion experiment being done in California. I hope all that $$$$ wasn’t a waste of time.
lonecat: I cautiously support at least some development in nuclear power. From what I’ve read, a good deal of the research that’s been done, and the money that’s been spent has gone into both safety, and the reduction of waste. Still not sure how they’re going to deal with the waste they do produce.
This is an interesting website on some of those issues, but I’m not sure how unbiased it is: http://users.owt.com/smsrpm/nksafe/
Alternative energy is good, but how viable is it on a large scale? I’d also like to see a cost comparison between, say, solar energy and nuclear energy. Been searching, haven’t found one yet.
Fusion was going to save the day – I heard that over and over and over from the mid-fifties on. It’s just an engineering problem, they said. Well, I don’t know how much money later, and it’s still just an engineering problem. I don’t believe they can produce economical fusion power, at least with current ideas.
Fission plants are dangerous – no doubt about it. Back in the 60s the reactor safety experts predicted one major accident per decade. So far they’ve been better than that. I don’t know if it’s luck or better practice than they expected. But someday in the not too distant future there will be another Three Mile Island or Chernobyl. When those accidents happen they are spectacular. And the long term effects of the Chernobyl accident have been pretty serious.
Overall I am dubious about nuclear power, but I don’t want to be close-minded. If someone can prove that it can be done safely – and that the waste problem can be solved – I’d be willing to listen to the argument.
If you account for the cost of the entire fuel cycle for nuclear – mining, purification, storage of radioactive waste (nowhere found safe yet to do so!!) for SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS!!, insurance or government backing for risk of catastophic failure (think Chernoble), risk of terrorist aquistion of fissionable materials, risk of transporting or storing radioactive waste – if you include all those costs, the price of nuclear generated electricity is so high that we would never use it.
Unvortunately, government tax money is used to subsisidize nuclear – its so risky that investors won’t build them without our tax money subsidizing them.And, tax money is used to store the waste and tax money would be used to deal with the clean up of any catastrophic disaster.
Our civilization is only about 10,000 years old – some nuclear waste will be dangerous for longer than that. How do you store radioactive toxic waste for thousands of years? How do you protect it from terrorists?
We must turn to modern renewable energy sources such as wind,solar, geothermal etc. The era of oil is over and nuclear is too expensive.
greatblue – good points. The whole process has to be included in the equation. The cost overruns on the nuclear plants in Ontario have been terrible. As I’ve said before, we should have spent all this money on renewables.
Fund research into nuclear. Fund research into biofuel. Fund research into solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, etc. Don’t rush to put anything into practice until you know it’s safe (and some alternatives have been shown safe, if they’re not yet to the point of meeting all our needs), but research,research, research.
Whoever discovers a viable alternative to fossil fuels first is going to be rich, rich, rich… If we could set “independence from oil and coal” as a national goal the way we put “first to the moon” as a national goal 50 years ago, who can say where we might be 50 years from now?
runar about 14 years ago
Most current problems started as solutions to past problems.
fallacyside about 14 years ago
Which is why you let Market forces set the agenda( with honest government stepping in on the rare occassion something becomes un-palatable to Society)…Somewhere someone has decided this should or could become a useful product or procedure. It has it’s own vetting process.
What would rather have now, Libs? Nuke power or a pristine Gulf?
lonecat about 14 years ago
Good cartoon.
toasteroven about 14 years ago
Ignoring NeoconMan and ObamaScowls whole tired schtick up there, what do people here really think of nuclear power? I’m curious.
Dtroutma about 14 years ago
Yep them altruistic “market forces” will help you every time, bend over Scowl, they have your probe ready.
fallacyside about 14 years ago
Libs: Still keeping Human Beings Down…
lonecat about 14 years ago
^^ There are problems with most energy sources. We lose a lot of people around the world in coal mines, for example, If you don’t count the problem of long lasting nuclear waste, maybe nuclear power is not worse than the others – but I’m not convinced that the waste problem has been solved, and until there’s a good solution, I’m not so happy about it. Moreover, civilian power programs have served as a cover for the development of weapons more than once. And the cost overruns have been pretty big. So for me it’s a hard problem, but overall nuclear power makes me nervous. We have spent a lot of money over the years developing fission power and trying to develop fusion power – if we had put that money into alternative sources, I think we would be ahead of the game.
What do I expect? I expect more nuclear over the next couple of decades.
What do you think?
fallacyside about 14 years ago
toasteroven: why do anything right now? Mental and societal Chaos has taken hold. This Society as a whole has to figure out what it stands for…Any Nuke Project, Healthcare Reform, Cap and Trade Innitiatives, Immigration Reform - no matter how good they might or might not be…will be held hostage to the losers in control at the moment…on the Left and the Right. They can’t do anything right except cover-up afor a President without an American Birth Certificate…
kit_jefferson about 14 years ago
Murphy’s Law: If anything can go wrong, it will.
GJ_Jehosaphat about 14 years ago
What ever happened with all those Fusion Experiments in the 80’s - you’d figure if something actually worked they’re be something in the News about it. Now there’s some big LASER Fusion experiment being done in California. I hope all that $$$$ wasn’t a waste of time.
SherriannPederson about 14 years ago
Why are those who have control in humanity trying to spoil its resources?
@lonecat… nuclear power will never be a reality!
toasteroven about 14 years ago
lonecat: I cautiously support at least some development in nuclear power. From what I’ve read, a good deal of the research that’s been done, and the money that’s been spent has gone into both safety, and the reduction of waste. Still not sure how they’re going to deal with the waste they do produce.
This is an interesting website on some of those issues, but I’m not sure how unbiased it is: http://users.owt.com/smsrpm/nksafe/
Alternative energy is good, but how viable is it on a large scale? I’d also like to see a cost comparison between, say, solar energy and nuclear energy. Been searching, haven’t found one yet.
lonecat about 14 years ago
Fusion was going to save the day – I heard that over and over and over from the mid-fifties on. It’s just an engineering problem, they said. Well, I don’t know how much money later, and it’s still just an engineering problem. I don’t believe they can produce economical fusion power, at least with current ideas.
Fission plants are dangerous – no doubt about it. Back in the 60s the reactor safety experts predicted one major accident per decade. So far they’ve been better than that. I don’t know if it’s luck or better practice than they expected. But someday in the not too distant future there will be another Three Mile Island or Chernobyl. When those accidents happen they are spectacular. And the long term effects of the Chernobyl accident have been pretty serious.
Overall I am dubious about nuclear power, but I don’t want to be close-minded. If someone can prove that it can be done safely – and that the waste problem can be solved – I’d be willing to listen to the argument.
Dtroutma about 14 years ago
Let’s just burn that oil off the gulf with a fusion reaction!!!!!!!!!
Duck, Sponge Bob, Duck!!!
zekedog55 about 14 years ago
Scowl Pup–the birth certificate thing is so very, very stale…do yourself a big favor and give it a rest.
In lieu of accepting reality, you may consider leaving our nation. Perhaps you may consider joining your prophet Rush in Costa Rica.
Jaedabee Premium Member about 14 years ago
I think the only real concern with nuclear is the waste.
fallacyside about 14 years ago
When has “fusion” ever been a realistic fuel concept?
greatblue about 14 years ago
If you account for the cost of the entire fuel cycle for nuclear – mining, purification, storage of radioactive waste (nowhere found safe yet to do so!!) for SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS!!, insurance or government backing for risk of catastophic failure (think Chernoble), risk of terrorist aquistion of fissionable materials, risk of transporting or storing radioactive waste – if you include all those costs, the price of nuclear generated electricity is so high that we would never use it.
Unvortunately, government tax money is used to subsisidize nuclear – its so risky that investors won’t build them without our tax money subsidizing them.And, tax money is used to store the waste and tax money would be used to deal with the clean up of any catastrophic disaster.
Our civilization is only about 10,000 years old – some nuclear waste will be dangerous for longer than that. How do you store radioactive toxic waste for thousands of years? How do you protect it from terrorists?
We must turn to modern renewable energy sources such as wind,solar, geothermal etc. The era of oil is over and nuclear is too expensive.
geometer2 about 14 years ago
Solar & wind power – Nothing will go!
lonecat about 14 years ago
greatblue – good points. The whole process has to be included in the equation. The cost overruns on the nuclear plants in Ontario have been terrible. As I’ve said before, we should have spent all this money on renewables.
fritzoid Premium Member almost 14 years ago
Fund research into nuclear. Fund research into biofuel. Fund research into solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, etc. Don’t rush to put anything into practice until you know it’s safe (and some alternatives have been shown safe, if they’re not yet to the point of meeting all our needs), but research, research, research.
Whoever discovers a viable alternative to fossil fuels first is going to be rich, rich, rich… If we could set “independence from oil and coal” as a national goal the way we put “first to the moon” as a national goal 50 years ago, who can say where we might be 50 years from now?
SuperGriz almost 14 years ago
TheObamaScowl (alias poopsie) said, 1 day ago
“toasteroven: why do anything right now? Mental and societal chaos has taken hold.”
You should know, sweetie.