Today’s Links and Thoughts

Well, of oil and greed. 

The financial bailout plan is obviously starting to play itself out (see M&A of banks), and from slicing and dicing it, the whole thing kind of makes me sick.  The greed article hits it right on the head as far as I am concerned, the wall street junkies win, again…

We had a lot economist and relatively important people tell us all that this was so neccessary and we evade financial and global meltdown by aggreeing to the terms provided, a plan.  However, I can’t help but think that maybe the banks, lenders, investors, deserved to get pummeled on this one.  Yes there would be widespread disaster reaching to all corners of the globe including your fancy living room,  but maybe something good could come of that.  Such as: A needed and swift change in finance due to the major fallouts, but one in which the taxpayers aren’t on the hook and we don’t have winners and losers.  It would almost be an apocalypse that would force many people to see the reality of our environments and economy, one based on greed and too much lax credit.  FORCE PEOPLE TO SAVE AND LIVE WITHIN THEIR OWN MEANS.  Force companies to rethink and change approaches, innovate.    

The way we’ve gone about is to sweep the problem under the rug and wiggle our way through a recession in 2009.  It’s not going to be a habit changer for most Americans, that’s a fact.  And that’s bad because then we are sure to run through another cycle in a few years stemming very close to this one.   

Oil…hmm?

Health Care…Reform…Maybe?!

I like this article from the Economist…sheds some light on what is to come…however I think as they do the best remedy is to lift the substantial burden from the corporations and spread the costs around.  This way we can lift real wages and corporations will have stronger balance sheets heading through this recession.

Energy…Nuclear to be exact

Public sentiment towards nuclear energy is obviously “bad”…however with energy and national security at the forefront in politics and public thought, maybe it’s a time to swing a new momentum in favor of using nuclear.  After reading through several white papers, visiting, reading..things…I am a happy convert.  You should be too, Obama should be also…and I saw Cramer on CNBC dissing it yesterday too for unfounded reasons to be in favor of only “wind and natural gas”. 

Sorry to say but renewables can only provide around 6% of world electricity by 2030 (regardless of common thought), and what good is it to invest so much into biofuels that destroy the farming industry and make the taxpayers cover additional subsidies?. Nuclear power – like wind, hydro and solar energy – can generate electricity with no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions.  A one year waste from a nuclear plant is equal to no less than one week’s worth of typical coal plant co2 emmissions.  Preserve our fossil fuels.

John Ritch on the neccessity of nuclear.  Good first step. 

Phrase from World Nuclear Association about why it can be successful, even considering the waste issue:

One key to the success of nuclear power in France is the country’s program to recycle and reuse 96% of the radioactive waste.   Spent fuel rods are recycled, reloaded and returned…

I believe the power, jobs, investments, and security that nuclear creates outweighs the negative aspects of meltdowns and waste storage issues.  From my understanding, the ”new” versions of cleaner and safer nuclear plants are a far cry from what had been established in the 70’s.  I continue to read about the positive impacts it has on country’s like France (export cash) and I cannot resist any longer but to push for it.  I hope Obama see’s the light one day and congress approves the petitions for plants.

The True Cost of the Bailout

Alright, this is getting sick.  The market is tumbling day-in and day-out, but what is the long-term impact of all this spending by the government?  Check a better estimate of the real cost of the financial debacle.  Yes of course we are slipping into recession since September, and we will probably start seeing uptick again after the cold dark winter and spring starting in Q3, however this debt seems gigantic enough to effect layers upon layers of things beyond any 2 year horizon.  Printing paper…equal inflation people.