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Should the Japan Nuclear Crisis Affect U.S. Energy Policy?
Tweet Share on Facebook March 21, 2011 Comment (3)Should the events in Japan cause the United States to change its policies on nuclear energy? The outcome there is far from certain, but critics of nuclear power have been vocal, and some countries, notably Germany, have talked about scaling back considerably. The headlines and moon-suit pictures have been scary enough. Perhaps too scary? While there is nothing good about a nuclear plant accident, even one on the scale of Chernobyl had consequences that were far from catastrophic. Supporters say Japan's problems had more to do with old designs and bad planning than the fury of nature. The issue arises just as we were coming to a rough national consensus to ramp up this dormant clean energy source. Time to pull back? I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Should Congress Fund NPR and PBS?
Tweet Share on Facebook March 14, 2011 Comment (3)Has anybody been following the fireworks surrounding stately old National Public Radio? You'd think Charlie Sheen was running the place, given how management is feeding the suspicions of its harshest critics. But aside from the perpetual debate over how far left NPR leans (less far than it used to, I'd say), the bigger question is whether the government should be in the broadcast business at all. The real issue isn't so much NPR itself, but the individual stations, particularly the small ones, often in less-populous areas. Should the government pay to support a radio outlet in the back end of Colorado or the North Dakota prairie? And add to that the PBS television issue, which always comes down to, whither Sesame Street? I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Is President Obama Underexposed?
Tweet Share on Facebook March 10, 2011 CommentIs President Obama underexposed? That's an unusual question to ask about an American president in the last 50 or more years. Presidents have been increasingly dominant characters in the daily news cycle—this president happily acceding to his place on stage, and more. But over the past weeks Obama has seemed all but absent, even as some hugely significant news events are unfolding. The tumult in the Middle East--particularly in Libya—as well as the budget battles on Capitol Hill are not your ordinary occurrences and would normally attract keen presidential attention. So has the president been too quiet? Too passive? Is there a strategy here, or is he abdicating a crucial role? I'd like to hear your thoughts on Obama and the bully pulpit. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
