Letter writers outline costs of nuclear power, lobby for a Child Tax Credit and attack Hamas
Inconvenient nuclear power facts
Climate change has increased the need for carbon-free power generation. The nuclear industry has stepped up the promotion of nuclear power as a carbon-free source of power. It may be true that the actual fission-powered generation of steam is carbon free but this argument leaves out a great deal of the whole picture.
The construction, mining, transportation and storage of waste requires a great deal of carbon. The industry is promoting the construction of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a modern upgrade. They still have the same problems of high cost, complexity and toxic waste, and take years to build. They are just smaller.
Another inconvenient fact is that the United States only has about 10% of the worlds uranium deposits, leaving our country dependent on foreign supplies. Russia is the largest current supplier of enriched uranium.
The most inconvenient fact is that nuclear power is by far the most expensive option we have. The partially built Vogtle nuclear power complex in Georgia is costing $35 billion, is $11 billion over budget, is seven years behind schedule AND took 16 years to build. The energy is costing 16 cents per kwh. The waste from nuclear plants is still in temporary storage and must be protected and maintained for many generations.
Wind and solar generated energy is currently costing 3 cents per kwh. Wind and solar generators enjoy free fuel and generate no toxic waste. Which would you choose?
Bill Justis, Olympia
Congress must end the bickering and get to work
If and when Congress gets its act together, their first actions will be funding the government. Since it is likely that they will continue bickering until the last minute (Nov. 17), now is the time to tell your representatives and senators what you care about.
I am urging U.S. Rep. Strickland and Senators Murray and Cantwell to make eliminating poverty their highest priority, whether they are considering domestic or foreign policies. Eliminating poverty is not impractical or impossible, it is essential. Poverty doesn’t just affect the poor, it’s at the root of many complex problems we face. It destabilizes the world, making it less safe for all of us.
A great place for Congress to start is with expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The federal tax system is a powerful, effective financial tool that can immediately reduce child poverty and promote housing stability. We have data that shows the number of children living in poverty was cut in half during the time the expanded CTC was in place (2021), and as soon as it expired, the number more than doubled (2022).
Children should not be forced to live in poverty while Congress avoids reality through incessant infighting. Encourage your representatives to work together, across the aisle, to make reducing poverty a priority in the upcoming budget debates.
Carol Kraege, Olympia
Hamas is a terror organization
To those young college and university students who try to glorify Hamas as a righteous freedom organization, open you eyes and ears and use your brains.
Yes, there is a definite crisis regarding sovereignty in the Middle East, and, yes, the government of Israel is partially to blame for perpetuating the situation as is the Palestinian leadership. However, Hamas has no regard for anyone not in their organization. They want to control a Palestinian state only to be able to destroy and eliminate the state of Israel and its Jewish population. That is the sole mission of Hamas, and they use terrorism to propagate this aim.
Since September 1998, Hamas has been responsible for 618 separate attacks on property and civilians in the Middle East region. See list of attacks and the number of people killed and wounded by each of these attacks on the Global Terrorism Database website and then try to make the case that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.
Edmond Mount, Olympia
