Thorium

One of the main safety problems with uranium nuke plants is the use of high pressure steam. When the power goes off cooling water pumps fail and steam gets out of control and blow pipes and escapes. Thorium plants do not use steam and operate at atmospheric pressure. In addition thorium plants shut down when the power is lost and cannot melt down. The US went with uranium over thorium because thorium plants do not produce materials that can be used to build bombs. In addition thorium waste is much easier to dispose of and thorium plants can use stored radioactive materials as fuel and over time can deplete the nuke waste pile. Thorium is found in nature at much higher quantities than uranium and is much cheaper. This is a no brainer but politics is in the way. The Greenies don't want thorium and neither does the fossil fuel industry. Until the people wake up this is the way things will stay.

Cults

One definition of a "cult" is a misplaced admiration for some person or thing. This term was applied to some Trump voters but for most it referred to his personality as opposed to his policies. In the same manner the word can be used to describe the new green deal. It refers to the hidden agenda of social change and not climate change. These people are well aware that planes cannot fly on batteries but but they close their eyes to this in order to promote the redistribution of wealth. It is their goal to take money from one group and give it to another group as they decide who gets what. It increases their power to determine the life styles of others. Any legitimate scientist will say that wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels yet this basic fact is not discussed in the press. It makes no sense to charge up your electric car with power generated in a coal fired power plant whereas it makes perfectly good sense to do the same with power from a nuclear plant. To move the entire production of electric power to thorium nuke plants would solve the problem of climate change but would do nothing to change the social structure including the who gets what.

Thorium

Shortly after the development of the atomic bomb the science moved toward nuclear power plants. Early experiments used uranium and thorium but uranium won out because it could be used to produce bombs but thorium could not. New technology has shown thorium to be a more efficient way to produce electric power and countries like China and Indian are moving in that direction. The US is bogged down by the fossil fuel industry and the greens who want to use wind and solar to change the social structure of the country. If the thorium industry had paid experts to sell its product like the other two groups things might change. Even though the nuclear power industry has a sterling safety record thorium plants are even safer, but these other groups keep Americans leery of its use for personal gain. This is just one more example where politics is interfering with science. Thorium is three times more abundant in nature than uranium. Compared to uranium reactors, thorium reactors produce far less waste and the waste that is generated is much less radioactive and much shorter-lived.

Tea Party

The Tea Party was a conservative movement that began in 2009 and lasted about 5 years. Polls show that about 10% of voters participated. The goal was smaller government and lower taxes. The NY Times said the Party unleashed the "Politics of anger". There was little to no rioting, looting, burning or breaking into government buildings. The Party opposed Obamacare as they saw it as the first step to universal healthcare and most of the members had company health insurance which they would lose. The party is credited with the republicans taking back the house in 2010 with over 60 new members elected. The black lives matter movement received more positive press even though it brought on a lot of violence which is still going on nightly in places like Portland. The occupy Wall Street movement received similar positive coverage. For many in the press violence is OK when the cause is OK but they all say they are opposed to violence.

Collecting unemployment

If you wanted to avoid paying the penalty for not having health insurance under Obamacare you just answer yes to the question, did you have health insurance. If you want to continue to receive unemployment benefits you answer yes to the question, were you available for work and no to the question, did you refuse any work. The question arises, will people lie on these reports. Here is one answer. A funny thing happened in 1987 when, for the first time, the Internal Revenue Service required taxpayers to list the Social Security numbers for children age 5 and over they were claiming as dependents. What happened is that about 7 million children simply vanished--at least from tax returns.

Virus source

Early last year when the Covid first appeared in Wuhan, China some suspected that it came from a nearby lab where research on Covid like viruses was taking place. According to US experts the lab was not designed with proper safety protocols and had a history of problems regarding safe procedures. When some suggested that the virus may have come from this lab they were dismissed as conspiracy theorist. The better explanation was that it came from animals called pangolins that were sold at a wet market. Would the logic of the situation indicate that the lab was the more likely source and if so why wasn't the lab considered the prime suspect. There is now an investigation under way which is a way to kick the can down the road until everyone forgets about the whole thing until the next virus hits.

Marxism

Many Americans believe the nuclear family is the foundation of our society but that is not the way Marx saw things. Marxists argue that the nuclear family performs ideological functions for Capitalism – the family acts as a unit of consumption and teaches passive acceptance of hierarchy. One of the many results of the war on poverty was the breakdown of the family especially in Black intercity families. In 1965 single mom Black families represented 25% but today that figure is 75%. As families break apart the people become more reliant on government to care for them. Statistics show that if a young woman graduates from high school and does not have child until she marries she has a 95% chance of staying out of poverty. Whenever the gap between rich and poor becomes large some leader will gain power by promising to share the wealth. While it sounds enticing, history shows it doesn't work.