Episode 35

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This Week in Nuclear Episode 35 – November 5, 2006

Hi folks. This is not a normal episode of this week in nuclear. This is a special service announcement of sorts. Today is Sunday November 5^th and by the time you hear this podcast it will probably be Nvember 6^th or 7^th. So what’s so special about November 7^th? Well, in the United States it’s election day!

Besides all the local elections going on across the nation, all of the seats for the US House of Representatives are up for grabs, as are a good number of the US Senate seats. Don’t let your vote be wasted – get out and vote!

There are a lot of issues facing the nation and the world, and the legislation and policies of the next government will have a profound impact on the future – not just for the nuclear industry, but for so many other issues – the economy, national security, taxes…the list goes on and on.

I thought about doing a special pre-election show and discuss specific candidates and their position on issues related to nuclear energy. That turned out to be too much to tackle – there are just too many other issues out there that are on the table, and I would never advocate one candidate over another without having the opportunity to study their positions on many topics, not just those related to nuclear energy.

The bottom line is this: find out what elections are going on in your local, state and national districts, who the candidates are, and where they stand on things important to you – then go out and vote. Regardless of what you might think, or regardless of the specific situation in the races that affect you, your vote DOES matter! Think of all the times that races have been won or lost by just a handful of votes – by fractions of a percentage point. Inevitably there are people who didn’t vote who could have swung those races either way.

If I’m preaching to the choir, then that’s cool – ignore me. But if you’re on the fence, or if you’re inclined NOT to vote then get out and make your voice heard. Even if the candidate you vote for comes out on the bottom, you are making your voiced heard, and it DOES MATTER!

For all my listeners outside the USA, I can’t keep track of all your election days – but assuming you CAN vote in your country, when the time comes then replay this message and YOU get out and vote, too. The right to vote is a right that was fought for by the blood of our ancestors, and in many part of the world that fight is still being fought every day! Another way to look at it is this…if you don’t vote then you are giving away your piece of that power to those people who do!

OK – I’ll get down off my soap box... and I’ll see you at the polls!

John Wheeler