Joe Biden’s age
It wasn’t Biden’s age that was the problem for me – I’ m older than Biden and Trump with more of my marbles than either and I would never presume to run to be POTUS. I’m 86 and the pace of the campaign would kill me plus begging for money from every source one could think of would make me beholden to too many undesirable people like Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Banks, etc. I don’t need any more plaudits from the crowd; I’ve spent a major portion of 47 years following Bobby Kennedy’s favorite quote, “Some people see things as they are and ask why – others see things as they might be and ask why not.”
I’ve spent the major portion of those years in public transportation research, planning, programming, and administration – I didn’t earn a big salary, but nearing the end of my day, I’m satisfied with many things that were accomplished.
The information about Biden’s cancer was hidden from the public by a complicit press for quite some time and now these knights errant wonder why no one believes them. Social media are no better; no one cites source material, they just express their opinions.
Personally, I’m sorry that Joe had to endure this to maintain a posture of good health, but the wheels came of the wagon in the debate with Trump.
Arnold Pinsley
Framingham
Nuclear power
Interestingly, President Trump has announced his intention to quadruple the amount of electricity generated with nuclear power by 2050 (“Trump signs executive orders to boost nuclear power, speed up approvals,” May 23). While that may be unachievable, it certainly implies a declining share of fossil fuels in the nation’s energy mix.
Electricity demand is projected to increase by 50% in the next 25 years. Given that nuclear power and renewable sources each currently provide about 20% of the US demand, a quadrupling of nuclear and a slightly more than tripling of renewables would together satisfy all of the 2050 demand, leaving no need for generation from fossil fuels.
The American Petroleum Institute, the primary lobbying organization for oil and gas, knows nuclear power threatens fossil fuels, and they actively work to suppress it. As nuclear development gains momentum, expect more resistance from the natural gas industry, which has staked its future on baseload power generation.
From a decarbonization standpoint, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If we can get a handle on the radioactive waste problem and produce affordable and reliable nuclear power, then I’m fine with Trump betraying his backers in the fossil fuel industry.
Frederick Hewett
Cambridge
Social Security
I knew it was too good to be true and guess what, it is. The Big Beautiful Bill includes no tax on tips and no tax on overtime but the “no tax on Social Security” just didn’t happen. Seniors get an extra standard deduction of $4,000 per individual age 65 and over. It’s not what the president mentioned on his campaign but it is what it is.
Tony Meschini
Scituate