Seriously sick of the politics threads

[Lingyis]

Entroper said:

Crono said:
The cost benefit of going nuclear fission as opposed to oil or coal burning far outweighs whatever tax dollars might get spent to help subsidize their construction. Sure, subsidize alternative energy sources too, but don't block the cleanest most efficient way of producing energy we have because the government helps foot the bill a little.

I'm not blocking anything, but nuclear is neither the cleanest nor the most efficient energy source. If it were, I'd be all for subsidizing it.

 nuclear is certainly clean, although wind power is also pretty clean.  my argument for it, all issues weighted, that it is the most effective intermediate solution towards alternative energies.

 the public seems to be more caught up by what could happen 10,000 years later regarding radioactive wastes and what-not when it's not even clear if humans could get through the next few hundred years.

 regarding cost--it's purely an economic issue.  investors tend to bulk when returns are like two economic cycles away.  i would think that by now there should be financial products that hedge those risks but i haven't noticed any such products.  perhaps if the gov't and wall street firms should work together on this.  kind of unlikely in 2008 but i hope whoever gets elected have interesting ideas regarding nuclear energy.

 fusion... not happening anytime soon.  nuclear research budget was cut again this year, and sure doesn't look like the field is exactly attracting talented scientists.  they need a Manhattan project kind of funding to get this off the ground.