I followed the fast fission process for as far as it went and it does look good, but is not mature. I think we should investigate it and if necessary develop it. However, the old clunky fission of all of the current operable facilities is stable, and online. The waste issue will fade quick enough if things get bad enough.
We can still afford the luxury of arguing and debating about nuclear waste issues, pointing fingers and wringing our hands over the horror of it all, finding faults with all suggested solutions, etc. In the crunch, if there is ever one, the solution will be nearly instantaneous and final, in one form or another.
You can rest assured, the solution will definitely be the quickest to impliment, but not necessarily the best of all options which could have been moved on in quieter moments.
I sometimes am reduced to despair over man's simple failure to do the right thing within the limits of reason and prudence. The "right thing" might not be the "best" at any given moment, but often suffices to ward off total disaster allowing "temporal cushions" while better solutions are sought and developed.
The key issues here are failure of leadership to really lead, too many cooks in the kitchen, and too many disparate mouths screaming to be fed with too many agendas being held as politically correct.
Leadership leads in the direction of least resistance pointed out by the shifting sentiments of the masses who believe what they see and hear in the media.
Regardless of the form of government, the masses choose the path of policy either through mindless mob rule, public opinion shaped by the few in charge of messaging or acquiesence to one man rule. We have no excuses.
I still say we will have a fission future, short term, barring accidental breakthroughs.
I have often been asked if will it occur when there are no more fossil fuels or when the pollution from burning them nearly chokes us to death. NO is my answer. Much, much sooner than that,(thankfully). The breaking point will occur at some time when the consumer price/kilowatt hour consumption versus average income becomes crushing and oppressive, lowering the quality of life coupled with massive power shortages.
As the rich get richer, power demands skyrocket and the lower classes are pushed farther and farther down into paying for the excesses of the few millions of elitists spouting real soon now, something will give.
Mobs in the streets? I doubt it. Sensible solutions? Never! Something lukewarm in between with a quick fix, patch-and-go cache' to aleviate mob rumblings, keep them out of the streets and voting for #1's in power. Any solution that works will be designed to at least survive, as viable, through several terms in office of the current office holders.
Richard Hull
Created on Wednesday, February 07, 2001 10:58 AM EDT by Richard Hull